There is great joy to be had from the simple pleasures of British food. From sitting at the local cafe for a full-English breakfast, to the anticipation of sitting down to a Sunday roast; the delight of fish and chips on the harbourside; hot cross buns at Easter and coronation chicken sandwiches in summer, and delicious cakes, bakes and puddings enjoyed all year round: from Eton Mess or Bakewell Tart to Christmas pudding.
In The British Cookbook, food historian and writer Ben Mervis tells the story of British food through 550 home-cooking recipes. Tasty, diverse, and inextricably linked to its roots, British cuisine is steeped in history and is a varied as the landscape to which it belongs. The book is the culmination of several years of research by Mervis, an American who arrived in the UK as a student and remains enamoured with British food – its rituals, its history, and the myriad stories surrounding the dishes. Today, Mervis still calls the UK home.
The British Cookbook is organised following traditional ingredients and dishes with introductive texts. The dishes appear alongside stunning food images and beautiful landscapes of the countryside of the UK by photographer Sam Harris. There is a foreword by Jeremy Lee, head chef of Quo Vadis and a true champion of British food.
The design of the book reflects the very essence of British culture and provides the perfect complement to the dishes inside.
The British Cookbook features more than 550 classic recipes from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Well-known favourites – Lancashire Hotpot, Roast beef, Chicken tikka masala and Victoria sponge are detailed alongside lesser-known regional specialities such as Welsh cheese pudding; Scottish clapshot and Northern Irish treacle bread. Mervis has unearthed the dishes steeped in history: junket, haggis and devils on horseback and others which were originally created abroad and then adapted to local tastes and adopted into the canon of British cooking including Curried goat, Lamb Vindaloo and Sesame prawn toast.
Readers are invited on a culinary tour of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with dishes from the various regions and counties. Mervis consulted a number of food writers, chefs, bakers and home cooks for recipes, dishes and stories which have all been curated and presented by the author. The book records the stories behind beloved British dishes, the origins of their names and the rich and varied history that links them all.
For a long time, British food has been overlooked and often derided. Yet in recent years there has been something of a revival, a new-found pride in this interesting, innovative and diverse cuisine. Part home-cooking bible, part visual and cultural tour of the UK, The British Cookbook brings together the vast range of dishes – new and old – encompassed in this wonderful cuisine.
The British Cookbook
Author: Ben Mervis
Price: £39.95