It's the Royal Wedding today and it can only mean one thing: time to hit the kitchen and rustle up some good British favourites. Daniel Culpan rounds up the tastiest traditional fare.
When it comes to our cuisine, here in the UK I think we’re far too meek and mild (ie. typically English) about our homeland dishes. Whereas the French are beamingly proud of their boulangeries and great cheeses, the Spanish fiercely patriotic about their paella and tapas, we’re quietly happy to enjoy our Sunday roasts once a week and say no more about it.
But, with our home-grown cookbook of delicious recipes, from pies and Eton mess to roast chicken and trifle, our national dishes certainly pack a mouth-watering punch. And what better time to re-discover them than on the day of the Royal Wedding?
Gary Kingshott’s slow roast chicken
An old favourite to be found on many pub grub menus and Sunday afternoon dining tables. A juicy whole chicken with roast potatoes and served with crunchy spring greens, Gary Kingshott’s slow roast recipe means it’ll sit patiently in the oven until you’re ready.
It’s even more delicious a day old too, when all the juices have fully marinated – but it’ll be a miracle if it lasts that long!
Read Gary Kingshott’s recipe for slow roast chicken
Gary Rhodes’ bread and butter pudding
The true test of a great recipe is how successful it withstands reinvention. Gary Rhodes’ recipe for bread and butter pudding takes a simple, enduring English dessert and gives it a ravishing revamp with vanilla, a caramelised finish and a rich custard that oozes out of the springy bread sponge.
Packed with juicy sultanas and raisins and not scrimping with the double, this proves that the humble bread and butter pudding remains a delicious rival to our continental cousins’ mille-feuille and croissants.
Read Gary Rhodes’ recipe for bread and butter pudding
The Hairy Bikers’ roast belly of pork
And to our very own burly patron saints of British cooking: The Hairy Bikers. Their recipe for a juicy, flavour-bursting roast pork belly is livened up with sweet apple and sage.
Succulent and tender, British pork is one of our prime food favourites. Using the meat’s natural juices to create a gravy with another of our best exports – scrumptious English cider – this dish also makes a crunchly crackling to serve with the thickly sliced pork. Yum.
Read The Hairy Bikers’ recipe for roast belly of pork
Brian Turner’s trifle
There is nothing trifling about this family favourite – even if it’s ridiculously simple to make. Using a traditional whipped cream topping, Brian Turner’s recipe, inspired by Sunday lunches at his gran’s house, is packed with bananas and raspberries and is layered with rich, creamy custard.
The obligatory glass of sherry lends a sweet kick. Finished with a flurry of pistachios and raspberry jam, this classic English dessert serves up to 6 people.
Read Brian Turner’s recipe for trifle
Galton Blackiston’s slow roasted duck
One of our most under-rated dishes is duck, which makes for a mouth-watering treat. A little-known duck fact: removing its skin reduces its fat content to a miniscule three per cent, making it healthy as well as delicious.
Galton Blackiston’s slow roasted recipe comes with a sweet, stout-based jus full of rich complementary flavours. Carved up with some fresh greens, this dish definitely proves British food is a force to be reckoned with.
Read Galton Blackiston’s recipe for slow roasted duck
Also worth your attention:
Top 10 favourite British foods