British Food

By Food & Wine
Updated May 10, 2017
Recipes from across the pond, including a zucchini-and-watercress soup and the classic Pimm's cup.
Start Slideshow

1 of 16

Beans and Bacon on Buttered Toasts

Go to Recipe

This hearty fork-and-knife dish from Hugh Acheson is perfect for a quick, easy dinner for two or as a starter for four.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 16

Hot-and-Sticky Lemon-Pepper Chicken Wings

Go to Recipe

Richard Blais explores his British roots at his Atlanta restaurant, The Spence. Lemon curd and malt liquor—both British in origin—are the surprise ingredients in his stellar chicken wings.

3 of 16

Coronation Chicken Salad with Mangoes and Almonds

Go to Recipe

This sweet-tangy curried chicken salad, tossed with mango and crunchy toasted almonds, was invented to honor the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and served at her coronation luncheon. While chef Tom Aikens follows the original recipe closely, he brightens the dressing with minced hot chiles and chunks of sweet mango.

Advertisement

4 of 16

Caramel-Croissant Pudding

Go to Recipe

"We Brits consider this 'pudding,'" says cookbook author and TV star Nigella Lawson of her buttery, sweet dessert. "Think bread pudding, only so much more luxurious. When I make this for supper, we eat nothing else. Why would one need to?"

5 of 16

Bacon, Fennel and Apple Chutney

Go to Recipe

Chutney is a favorite British condiment for everything from cheese to roasts. This sweet-and-smoky version is perfect with crackers as a starter, spread on a grilled cheddar sandwich or served with roasted pork.

6 of 16

Raspberry-and-Pistachio Eton Mess

Go to Recipe

Eton Mess is a lightly sweet, old-fashioned British dessert made by blending whipped cream with freshly crushed berries and crisp meringue. As a shortcut, use store-bought meringues instead of homemade.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 16

Warm Pumpkin Cake

Go to Recipe

Tom Fundaro asked his pastry chef Susan Masch for a pumpkin dessert that "wasn't the ubiquitous créme brûlée." Masch came up with this riff on a traditional English steamed pudding. Warm, soft, spicy and simple, it may be one of the best pumpkin desserts you'll ever eat.

8 of 16

Zucchini-and-Watercress Soup

Go to Recipe

Sophie Dahl likes eating peppery watercress in the spring and has figured out a way to highlight its bright flavor in this silky soup. A single tablespoon of cream gives the vivid green soup a touch of richness.

9 of 16

Berry Fool with Black Pepper

Go to Recipe

Black pepper is an unlikely and stimulating addition to this dessert of fresh strawberries in whipped cream flavored with raspberry puree and Grand Marnier.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 16

Duck Breast, Lentil and Parsnip Salad

Go to Recipe

The Stirling area of Scotland has an abundance of Mallard ducks, which are so accustomed to the presence of people that they're almost tame. They produce a lean, richly flavored breast that's smaller and slightly gamier than Pekin or Magret (which are more common in the United States). This main-course salad combines that fabulous duck with French green lentils and sweet pan-fried parsnips.

11 of 16

Orange-Cranberry Scones with Turbinado Sugar

Go to Recipe

Cooks are discovering that agave nectar, Indian jaggery and other natural sweeteners have nuanced flavors that white sugar doesn't; plus, unprocessed sweeteners may be richer in minerals and less likely to cause spikes in blood-sugar levels. Mani Niall's pleasantly dense cranberry-studded scones get a toffeelike flavor from light brown turbinado sugar, which has large, crunchy crystals. Sugar in the Raw is a good brand.

12 of 16

Pimm's Cup

Go to Recipe

The drink to order at polo matches, this fruity concoction gets its name and its alcohol content from Pimm's No. 1, a British spirit. You can find it at any well-stocked liquor store.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 16

Nutmeg Shortbread

Go to Recipe

Nutmeg makes a scintillating addition to rich, buttery shortbread. Though these cookies bake for about fifty minutes, the actual work time is amazingly brief for something so special. If you cook the shortbread in a black pan, check it after forty minutes since the color of the pan will cause the dough to cook more quickly. Shortbread keeps well stored in tins.

14 of 16

Polenta-Crusted Fish Cakes with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Go to Recipe

"Fish cakes are perceived as being quite British, and they're always a bit brown and a little dull," Yotam Ottolenghi says. To make the cakes more vibrant, he adds plenty of herbs and serves them with a tarragon-infused tomato sauce spiked with fresh red chile.

15 of 16

Winter-Vegetable Shepherd's Pie

Go to Recipe

You have considerable leeway in assembling the ingredients for this English-inspired meal in a dish, but there should always be carrots, onions, and at least three other vegetables, one of them green. Leftover mashed potatoes work fine to top the vegetable stew, which can be browned under the broiler or in a hot oven.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 16

Raisin-Studded Apple Bread Pudding

Go to Recipe

David Page tosses sweet golden raisins into his apple bread pudding, which he developed years ago with baker Melissa Murphy of Brooklyn, New York's Sweet Melissa's Pâtisserie.

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next

By Food & Wine