Well, you would not expect me to do an international food column each week and not speak about my own country now, would you? British food has unfairly been given bad press over the years. True, it is not considered one of the world's great cuisines like French or Chinese, but I rate it highly when it comes to comfort food. British cuisine is good old-fashioned cooking: it may not be fancy, but it is simple and satisfying. Recently in the UK, there are many restaurants and gastro pubs, posh pubs which serve good food, and which are going back to the roots, so to speak, by promoting classical British fare, from the farm to the fork.

Each region in the United Kingdom produces something wonderful. Scotland is renowned for its great whiskeys and good quality salmon, Ireland the best stouts such as Guinness - you should try beef or mussels cooked in Irish stout - and many adore the famous Irish creams such as Baileys - their whiskey isn't bad either. In England you will find great ales in the north and crisp, refreshing ciders in the West Country, as well as quality white wine, yes, you read right. Due to global warming, some areas of the west coast are experiencing ideal climates to grow vineyards.

Beer-battered Fish and Chips. (Photos: Joseph Wellington)

France, Spain and Italy aren't the only ones to produce wonderful cheeses. England produces blues such as Stilton and Cheshire, good old Cheddar, one of the world's most famous, and the tangy Wensleydale. The British love a good roast and produce excellent roast meats such as beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast lamb and roast potatoes or roast pork with apples. When in season, game meats like partridge, pheasant and venison make a lovely celebratory meal.

One of the most common fast foods you will find in a typical bakery are homey pies made with a buttery crust such as steak and kidney, steak and mushroom, chicken, and pork. Pasties are a type of pie similarly shaped as the Jamaican patty, but thicker, the most popular being the Cornish which contains chuck steak, swede, potatoes and onion, followed by cheese and onion pasty. British people love their "puds" and yummy desserts like spotted dick, sherry trifle, banoffee pie, bread and butter pudding and delicious fruit crumbles are sweet treats which are eaten with much enthusiasm.

London restaurants are classified as some of the finest in the world, and we have produced Michelin-starred world-renowned chefs like Marco Pierre White, who was recently in Jamaica, and Gordon Ramsey. I am biased too, and think our food programmes featuring Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Anthony Worrall Thompson and British Jamaican Ainsley Harriott can match or surpass many of those you see on the American Food Network, in fact, as those of you who watch this channel can see, they are importing the Brits!

Cottage pie.

There is a renaissance going on in the UK which is developing a passionate food culture. Presently there's an increased pride in the preparation of food and a growing organic movement. The supermarkets battle fiercely to keep up with modern food trends. Many of us pop into our local Marks and Spencer's at lunchtime for their consistently delicious sandwiches and prepared salads. Everybody has their favourite local chippie for fish and chips. Brighton is a seaside town famous for good fish and chips.

On many high streets you will find a butcher and fishmonger, so you will find that food shopping over there can be a fun experience. When I resided in London, I made a weekly trip to the famous Borough Market to buy fresh produce, artisan cheeses and sausages, plus other goodies. For fish, I would wake up before the crack of dawn and with a group of friends go to Billingsgate Market, the famous seafood market where food supply wholesalers, restaurateurs and passionate foodies gather to buy the freshest bounty of the oceans from around the world. We would buy the stuff in bulk and split it amongst ourselves.

There are many things I miss about Britain, like going to the pub with the lads after a football match and having a couple of pints, or my favourite summer pastime, the picnic. Picnics are a great British tradition. Remember, we don't have much of a summer, so when the weather is superb we exploit it to the max and stay outdoors. I thoroughly miss summertime and going to a park and having a picnic. I lived in between two beautiful green spaces, Regents Park and Hampstead Heath. My friends and I would pack up a picnic hamper with loads of fruit, assorted salads, different sorts of bread, pates and cold cuts, a couple of pies, bottled water and we would NEVER venture out without a bottle or two of Pimms and lemonade, the fizzy kind, the ultimate summer refresher. Pimms is a gin-based alcoholic beverage and to this we add the fizzy lemonade with some slices of fruit and mint.

Other British classics include bubble and squeak (a cabbage and potato dish), smoked eel, Lancashire hot pot, steak and kidney pie, bangers and mash, mushy peas, the classic spread Marmite which you either love or hate, baked beans on toast and bacon butties/sarnies which are bacon sandwiches. I miss British bacon!
Today I will share with you 3three traditional British classics, Shepherd's/Cottage pie, Fish and Chips and Apple Crumble.

Beer-battered Fish and Chips

In the old days, this dish would be served wrapped in newspaper. To cut back on fat, I prepare my chips in the oven. Remember to have some salt and malt vinegar on hand or you won't have that authentic taste.

Beer Batter
Ingredients:
375ml beer, ice cold
225g self-raising flour or plain flour with 1 tbsp baking powder
1 egg, whisked
Method:
In a bowl place flour, add egg, then mix well, add beer and whisk until smooth. Chill for 30 minutes.
The Fish
Ingredients:
8 white fish fillets
salt and pepper
lime wedges for garnish
Method:
Dip fish fillets in beer batter and make sure they are well coated, drain off excess.
Place enough oil in a large frying pan to cover the fillets or use a deep fryer and make sure the oil is very hot.
Add the fish to the oil and cook until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with lime wedges and chips.

Shepherds/Cottage Pie

This is the ultimate comfort food and a complete meal. Serve with a green salad if you wish or steamed green vegetables. The main difference between a shepherd's and cottage pie is that the former is made with lamb and the latter beef. Everyone has their own version; here is one I like to do from time to time.
Ingredients:
500g minced lamb (you can substitute beef)
200ml lamb or beef stock
200ml red wine
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, diced
1 tsp dried thyme
100g sweet green peas
1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
50 ml cooking cream
1 egg yolk
50g butter
salt and pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 360ºF
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender.
Drain and crush the potatoes, beat in egg yolk, add cream and butter.
Season minced meat with salt and pepper.
Sauté onions and carrots over high heat for a couple of minutes, add garlic for one minute.
Add minced meat and cook until browned then add the purée, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, mix well then pour in the wine and reduce by half then add the stock and reduce heat to a simmer and allow the sauce to thicken.
In a large ovenproof dish, add the meat, stir in the green peas and layer the mashed potato mixture on top.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is bubbling and golden brown.

Apple Crumble

Crumbles are easy and delightfully delicious! Serve hot with custard or vanilla ice cream. You can cheat and purchase a pre-prepared crumble mix and apple filling, but I prefer to make mine from scratch. Use a tart apple such as Granny Smiths which are available here. In the UK, the Bramley variety is used as a cooking apple.
Ingredients:
7 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
50g brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
300g flour, sifted with a pinch of salt
175g sugar
200g unsalted butter
Method:
Preheat oven to 360ºF
Layer apples in a baking dish and sprinkle the spices, flour and sugar on top.
To prepare the crumble, mix the sugar and flour together then gradually add in the butter with your fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs.
Layer crumbles evenly on top of apples.
Bake for 45 minutes.

Bon Appétit!

Jacqui Sinclair is a Cordon Bleu-trained chef/food stylist & hotelier. She has worked in the world of food photography and film in Europe. A bon vivant, she is passionate about sharing her food secrets with enthusiastic home cooks.

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