In 2005, Jacques Chirac said of the British: "You can't trust people with such a bad cuisine." To this day, the cliché of the Briton unable to cook remains. Tinned beans poured on flabby slices of white bread, jelly (originally made with gelatin from beef bones) with an ominous fluorescent hue. Food on the other side of the Channel is often seen as quick and nasty, or industrialized.
The mistrust is rooted in history. In his book British Food. An Extraordinary Thousand Years of History (Columbia University Press, 2003), historian Colin Spencer explained that British cuisine indeed got worse in the 19th century because puritanical Victorian society took a dim view of the pleasures of eating. In a monarchy hard hit by shortages after World War II and relying on imports, dishes long lacked imagination and freshness.
But today, as Arnaud Bachelin, owner of the Thé-ritoires ("Tea-ritory") tea house in Paris, who has translated a classic of English home cooking, popular since 1861 (Mrs. Beeton, Les Editions de l'Epure, 2022), said, the younger generations have less prejudice about our neighbors' crockpot. This is thanks to the success of books, films, and TV series (such as Downton Abbey) that showcase local dishes. "In my tearoom, scones have become an essential part of teatime," he said. Porridge (sweetened oatmeal porridge) no longer frightens us. Soon, haggis (stuffed sheep's stomach, a Scottish specialty) will find favor in our eyes."
British gastronomic scene has made a spectacular leap forward. For proof, you need only visit London, where most of the kingdom's top chefs work. "When I moved to London in the 1980s, there wasn't much choice when it came to exceptional meals," said Eric Treuillé, who runs Books for Cooks bookshop in Notting Hill. "You mostly went to the restaurants of the big hotels. Nowadays, very good restaurants abound. Of course, all the world's cuisines are represented – much better than in France. But some local restaurants have become hype, such as St. John, created by chef Fergus Henderson, who ensures that every part of the animal is worked on, from snout to tail. There, even a simple dish like beef marrow served with a little parsley on toast is a delight!"
The British food revival began in pubs some 30 years ago. A few of them, especially in the countryside, became "gastro pubs" as their focus shifted to food. In London, The Harwood Arms has essentially become a gourmet HQ. This austere, clay-colored building, in a suburban area in the west of the city, reveals lighting fixtures decorated with ostrich feathers and a cozy, wood-paneled interior.
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