What does it mean to be British?

[brixtonbrood]

Actually, this is not a really tedious essay on national identity, but a request for recipes. Small's school is doing a Food of All Nations special and wants us to bring our "traditional cultural dishes".

The school is about 40% English speaking, but most of that 40% will have more interesting culinary traditions to call on than steak and kidney pie, so I feel some need to make a showing. I am in strong denial about my English heritage, so feel the need to go Welsh (my genetic majority), He is not in denial about his English heritage (having no other choice) but only if it is West Midlands orientated, and suggests pork scratchings, or possibly a Balti.

I have no idea where one buys laverbread or how (or indeed whether) one cooks it, so unless anyone has any brillianter ideas it's going to have to be Welsh Cakes (which do have the major advantage of being fun for Small and her little Welsh mate to help cook). I could perhaps have my arm twisted to do English British food, but can only think of scones, which are no improvement on Welsh cakes (and mine never rise).

Comments

[qatsi.livejournal.com]

Maybe try Great British Kitchen. The BBC also has quite a good food site, though it will be variable as to whether it matches your theme.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Apple cake, blackberry and apple crumble with clotted cream, Yorkshire pudding (good cold IMO, or it can be gently reheated to go with hot sausages and gravy), shepherd's pie/cottage pie (lamb/beef&veg), Lancashire hotpot, Cornish pasties, cheese and onion pie (with mashed potato), summer pudding...

[brixtonbrood.livejournal.com]

Blackberry and apple crumble is well worth a thought, cornish pasties would be good if I can find decent ready made pastry (I can bake cakes as long as you don't mind them being flat, but my pastry is truly appalling).
Stews and hotpots might be tricky to eat under the circs - finger-type food seems more plausible.

[juggzy.livejournal.com]

Welsh cakes are great. Does it have to be fingerfood or transportable in tupperwear? Given that lamb is the national meat of Wales (sorry if you're veggie) - how about minced lamb samosas, to make a point about the cultural fertilization of the English - as an English person your son is bringing Welsh and Asian into it.

leek sausage rolls?

[brixtonbrood.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, your educational expertise is showing - I'd worked out that my basic beef, carrot, onion, mushroom, barley, stock, shove it in the oven for two hours could have lamb and leeks substituted for the beef and mushrooms, but I don't think it's going to be the sort of do where people will be tempted to pick up a plate of hearty stew - finger food seems more plausible.
Samosas are a trifle beyond my capabilities but I've got some puff pastry in the freezer and could probably do some chicken and leek puffs.
Sausage rolls would work well as long as they're not doing a health check (you have to tell them what you're bringing in advance).

[example22.livejournal.com]

If you have puff pastry you could make Eccles cakes...

[celestialweasel.livejournal.com]

I bring you the Bedfordshire Clanger
http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/BedsCC/SDclanger.nsf/Web/ThePage/Bedfordshire+Clanger (the 2nd link on Google is to the great british kitchen site anyway)

[k425.livejournal.com]

Sausages.

Seriously.

I was talking to a friend over lunch recently and he pointed at the menu and said "look at that, every culture has its processed pork product, or equivalent". He had the Swedish meatballs, but there were also pork and apple sausages available. Pork and leek sausages, for the Welsh bit?

[zengineer.livejournal.com]

Most of our cuisine is regional - Lancashire hot pot, Cornish pasties, Bakewell tart atc. For national dishes I'd agree with other commenters - either sausages or roast beef.

[brixtonbrood.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's sort of the problem - I don't think I could honestly present a Yorkshire pudding as representing the kids' traditional roots which are Welsh/Somerset/West Midlands; at least as far as ethnicity is concerned.

finger food

[smallbeasts.livejournal.com]

For this sort of do, I've generally found that sticking to finger food is best. For some reason, people find it rather difficult to simultaneously control their children, make small talk AND use a knife and fork.

Welsh cakes sound like a good idea to me. Or shortbread (a bit too Scottish?), victoria sponge, fairy cakes, cocktail sausages, pork/game/bacon and egg pie, scotch eggs, lemon meringue pie, lemon curd tarts....

- Jo