Maligned British Cuisine Gets Some Respect

LONDON, Feb. 19, 2009 — -- Among the abundant sources of English national pride, food is seldom mentioned. But a recent revival of England's culinary heritage and a spate of Michelin stars may now be changing that.

"Potted meat, soggy pastry and vegetable mush" has long been the popular stereotype, as The New York Times wrote earlier this month. Hard to believe then that 200 years ago, English food, specifically country estate fare of hearty pheasant feasts, refined afternoon teas and rich dairy treats, was the toast of the continent.

In January, Great Britain earned a record number of Michelin awards (the goldstandard of cooking accolades), including four new two-star restaurants. Significantly, many of the newcomers won for their traditional English ethos of simple cooking with superior native ingredients.

"English food's reputation for drab stodge was once justified but no longer," said author and food critic Tom Parker Bowles. "We've always had incredible raw materials, as befits a temperate island."

As stepson of the Prince of Wales, and food editor of The Sunday Mail, Parker Bowles has tried the full gamut of British food -- from boarding school gruel to regal banquets. For him, English cuisine "is all about good ingredients, cooked with respect. Done lazily, oruncaringly, it becomes stodgy and bland," he said.

His favorites. he said, include "Dover sole, whole braised oxtail, potted crab, rare roast beef, skate and samphire, homemade cracklin' cockles cooked in cider, gull's eggs, fresh asparagus draped with good butter and good black pudding."

"Simple food, simply served has become a mantra for many more Britons over the past decade, and quite right too," said Tony Turnbull, food editor of The Times of London, who favors "freshly picked crab and a simple roast chicken.

"We should be proud of Shepherd's Pie and of Lancashire Hotpot. They are great dishes that stand up to world scrutiny," he said.

Big-name British chefs such as three-star Gordon Ramsay ("Hell'sKitchen"), Jaime Oliver ("The Naked Chef"), and Nigella Lawson ("Nigella Bites"), who all host popular television shows, are also helping spread the popularity of higher-quality cooking as lesser-known chefs raise standards by reworking old classics into delicious modern dishes at restaurants throughout the British Isles.