Hello there! This is my attempt at writing a history of Britian from the viewpoint of all things food-related. It is the sister blog to Neil Cooks Grigson, which goes through English food recipe by recipe. It is from writing this blog that had turned my interest in food and history into a little bit of an obsession, but it is recipe based. This blog however, is going include the recipes that were omitted from the book English Food, the book Neil Cooks Grigson is based upon but I shall be extending this on here with the other British countries and the the other countries that have influenced Britain’s food. I’ll also include the best recipes from the other blog too. Obviously this blog and the other blog are going to become healivy-hyperlinked!
The main difference is that the blog won’t just be recipes, I’ve found so much imformation whilst writing the other blog that don’t quite fit the other that I simply want to spread my wings a little and just write about the things I come across as I come across them.
In between writing two blogs, I also have a job as an evolutionary biologist at Washington University in St Louis, though I am English - from Leeds in Yorkshire in fact. So expect some bias towards the North of England and ecology…
Hope you enjoy reading it and don’t be afraid to leave a comment!
Laters!
Great thought! I look forward to this blog too. Now how about some entries on your science side at http://sociobiology.wordpress.com/
I’ve greatly enjoyed your posts. We have a few things in common. My Mom is English, and I have some family living in Ilkley and Maltby. I am also local in St. Louis. There is a great little English food shop on Main Street in St Charles – I could spend hours in there. Thank you for bringing England a little bit closer to home.
thanks for commenting, Anita!
i have yet to go to St Charles, but I have heard of the English shop there, so I should check it out. I hear there is a good tea room there too.
Ilkley is one of my favorite places – I used to go there almost every Sunday for walks. Great memories…
So happy to have found this! Where do you live?
Thanks for messaging!
I live in St Louis now, but am moving back to England in August…
Ahhh, I am in San Francisco and hope to never move back to England
I like it in the USA, and my better half is back there so I knew it would be temporary. I was in SF last year on a road trip. I can see why you want to stay there!
I googled your site because I am reading another book which talks about “Hester” cooking “Monk” some bubble and squeak. Sounds good and I’ll be making it If I ever have leftover beef (my family loves beef). We all love leftover cabbage and mashed potatoes, so it should be a big hit. Marilyn McMorris Gottwald, Peoria Illinois.
Hello Marilyn. Hope you give it a go. It’s great comfort food. I actually forgot to photograph the finished thing, but I’ll be rectifying that when I cook it next.
Let me know how it turns out!
As someone not British but very interested in British cooking, I absolutely love both of your blogs! I plan on picking up Jane Grigson’s English Cooking as soon as I can.
I’m glad you like them both! They’re a little quiet at the moment, but they’ll be getting busy soon….
Thanks for your thorough posts on eels, and pie and mash. After a trip to London and F. Cooke in Hackney I am writing up the experience for LTHforum, the Chicago-based food chat site. Your eel history is an excellent source which I will cite. BTW-I am also a St. Louis resident with a WashU better half!
Glad you like the posts – I’ll be adding more eel posts in the next few days.
A St Louis resident? It’s a small world. I do miss Wash U – you always feel very looked after there.
Neil
Funny how becoming an expat makes you obsess about British Food. when in France I crave a pork pie, I come back to Jersey eat one and it smells like my dog after it has eaten a bone. Being originally from the West Country I love Faggots but have given up on finding any like Bainbridge the Butcher used to sell in Stroud on a Wednesday. Perhaps somethings are best just left and remembered with affection, a bit like an old lover.
Hi Andy
Well i thnk you are both right and wrong! Some things are definitely left forgotton, but others are just waiting to be rediscovered; and a really good pork pie tastes nothing like a wet dog munching on a chewie!