Traditional British Food

Posted by
Cathy Smith
Feb 27, 2008

I’ve always loved good food. By ‘good’ I don’t mean haute cuisine. I mean well prepared tasty food. My grandmother in the north of England, cooked dishes that working people had been eating for centuries: such as cowheel, tripe, black puddings and, believe it or not, they were delicious.

Black pudding can still be bought in butchers’ shops and is popular with people who enjoy the Great British Fry Up - in other words ‘The Great Cholesterol Binge’. A huge plate of sausages, fried eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, and black pudding, which is sometimes known as ‘blood pudding’. It is traditionally made by mixing together pigs blood, boiled oats, onion and seasoning and the pudding is then put into skins (as sausages are).

Not for me, do I hear you say? Well, black pudding along with the tripe, cow's heels etc. has made a comeback. The packed out St. John restaurant in London has pioneered the return of ‘nose-to-tail’ eating. In earlier days when working people had to watch every penny this is the kind of food people ate. Nowadays, well-off people are flocking to this restaurant to eat spleens, livers, stomachs, pig’s feet. This type of food is known as ‘offal’ , it is not only very tasty but also very nutritious.

Other restaurants are following as traditional dishes seem to be making a comeback .My articles on Suite101 about British Food have been close to the top of my hits list for months. Now why do you think that is? Could it be that a delicious meal of tripe and onions is on the dinner menu tonight? Read more about Traditional British Food: