Cuizine: A deep dive into the history of British food

The Brits can thank the Romans for introducing our island to cherries, stinging nettles (a staple diet in salads back then), cabbages and peas. They also improved our ways of cultivating crops like corn. Most importantly for some though, it was the Romans who brought us wine.

Elnecot in Ancoats, Manchester boasts a menu that not only features ‘Sexy Greens’ but ‘Disco Cabbage’ too! Plus this award-winning neighbourhood bar and kitchen also has an impressive wine list featuring English wines, such as Chapel Down English Rosé and By Golly Pinot Noir.

We can thank the Saxons for today’s farmers because they were the best at it and introduced us to their cultivating skills across a wide variety of herbs. These weren’t just used for flavour as they are today, but were used to pad out stews.

If they were good enough for the Saxons, then they’re good enough for The Gate in London. They’ve been plant-based pioneers in the capital since 1989, with an exquisite all-day menu that features veggie pizzas as well as mouthwatering mains such as the Green Dragon Salad and the Wild Mushroom Risotto Cake.

The Vikings and Danes were the people that brought us the techniques for smoking and drying fish; even today the North East coasts of England and Scotland are the places to find the best kippers – Arbroath Smokies, for example. “Collops” is an old Scandinavian word for pieces or slices of meat, and a dish of Collops is traditionally served on Burns Night (25th January) in Scotland.

Glasgow’s The Prancing Stag champions Scottish produce and cuisine. They’re renowned for their very own kiln smoked salmon, which comes served with caviar, Katy Rodger’s crème fraîche, salsa verde, quail’s egg and pickled cucumber ribbons. Other delicacies on the menu include local monkfish, prime Scotch beef and Stornoway black pudding mash.

The Normans invaded not only our country, but also our eating habits! They encouraged the drinking of wine (remind you of anyone?) and even gave us words for common foods – mutton (mouton) and beef (boeuf) for example.

“British customers love theatre and they love a bit of old school glamour, so I try and put a bit of glamour in my restaurants,” Executive Chef Mike Robinson, the UK’s leading authority on wild food and game, tells us in an exclusive chat with Dish Cult. “England has always been a melting pot of cultures, because of our colonial past and now with immigration. And I think that we really embrace new things and so I think no one’s afraid to push boundaries.” Mike’s restaurants across the UK include The Woodsman in Stratford-Upon-Avon, which features Sophie’s Lavinton lamb on its menu, with lamb fat hasselback potato, smoked aubergine, goat’s curd and green sauce.

In Tudor times, new kinds of food started to arrive due to the increase in trade and the discovery of new lands. Spices from the Far East, sugar from the Caribbean, coffee and cocoa from South America and tea from India. Potatoes from America began to be widely grown, too. Eccles Cakes, however, evolved from Puritan days when rich cakes and biscuits were banned.

The classic Eccles cake is the pride of Manchester and since 2014, Pot Kettle Black has been the city’s go-to bakery. Whether you’re after something sweet or savour from their range of baked goods, a coffee to takeaway or a sit down brunch with a friend, this place has it all. Set in a beautiful Victorian Arcade, situated between St Ann’s Square and Deansgate, Pot Kettle Black is a must in Manchester.

The growth of the Empire brought new tastes and flavours – Kedgeree, for example, is a version of the Indian dish Khichri and was first brought back to Britain by members of the East India Company. It has been a traditional dish at the British breakfast table since the 18th and 19th centuries.

Located central to Edinburgh old town, next to Capital Theatre, City Restaurant serves up traditional Scottish breakfasts. This includes haggis (vegetarian version also available) and potato scones. In case you’re unsure what kedgeree is, it’s a is a dish made up of cooked, flaked fish (traditionally smoked haddock), boiled rice, parsley, hard-boiled eggs, curry powder, butter or cream, and occasionally sultanas.