Fish and chips, cheese toasties and mushy peas have long been scorned across the Channel, but the first signs of a culinary thaw could be in sight after French critics declared ‘British cuisine is not that vile’.
After centuries of berating Bakewell Tarts, forgoing fish and chips and shunning Shepherd’s Pie, British fayre is waging its very own French revolution, thanks in part to a newly-published cookbook that has piqued the attention of Gallic gastronomists.
The British Cookbook is a hefty tome compiling 550 of the most quintessential recipes and includes everything from Welsh Rarebit, Scottish Crumpets and Victoria Sponge to Sherry Trifle, Tattie Scones and Sticky Toffee Pudding.
Those wanting to rustle up something different are treated to recipes for the more obscure Bonfire Night Black Peas and Dublin Bay Prawns.
But there’s also a nod to recipes steeped in history, such as Haggis and Devils on Horseback, alongside more contemporary dishes with origins outside the UK such as Chicken Tikka Masala, Curry Goat, and Sesame Prawn Toast that have become part of the British repertoire.
When the title was published in France earlier this month as Le Livre de la Cuisine British, author Ben Mervis steeled himself for the inevitable backlash – but quite the opposite has happened.
Aside from assuring readers that British cooking is not ‘vile’, French heavyweight Le Monde invited people ‘to take a new look at this cuisine and to discover that it is far richer, more diverse and singular than it seems.’
The Liberation newspaper meanwhile questioned whether it was time for the French to rethink its ‘scornful’ view of British food as bland and unsophisticated.
It’s an opinion that Jacques Chirac, the late French president, was famously heard sharing in 2005.
According to the story, Mr Chirac thought he was off-microphone when he made a joke about British food to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and the then German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder.
He was heard saying: ‘You can’t trust people who cook as badly as that. After Finland, it’s the country with the worst food.’
Now however, the French seem to be shaking off their blushed cheeks and starting to see British cuisine through fresh eyes, according to Mervis.
Speaking to The Times, he said: ‘If these last years … have taught us anything about being nourished, it is about the enjoyment of food and British food is all about enjoyment.
‘The main reason we are moving in this direction is we want to be true to what we want and not so much to all these pretences about what things should look like.’
It’s not only over the English Channel that British food is gaining new fans.
According to a recent survey, Gen Z are increasingly trying their hand at nostalgic dishes like Shepherd’s Pie, Toad-in-the-hole and Coronation Chicken thanks to a resurgence of the recipes on social media platforms like TikTok.
The survey by baking brand Camp Coffee revealed an 84 per cent rise in retro dishes, with amateur cooks trying their hand to create everything from beef wellington to black forest gateau.
84 per cent rise in retro dishes, with amateur cooks trying their hand to create everything from beef wellington to black forest gateau.
A staggering 91 per cent of under 30s describe themselves as a ‘foodie’, with 56 per cent saying they love to cook. 88 per cent love cooking so much that they admit their ‘for you’ page on social media is filled with recipes and food images.
Meanwhile, 93 per cent say they are cooking more from scratch now compared to five years ago because their cooking skills are better (51 per cent), it’s cheaper (49 per cent), their cooking knowledge has improved (39 per cent) and they are more adventurous (38 per cent).
In fact, the British public spends six hours a week cooking up a storm, with 84 per cent spending more time in the kitchen now than five years ago.
Eight in ten (82 per cent) believe that younger generations are more passionate about food than previous generations.
1. Shepherd’s Pie – 29%
2. Toad-in-the-hole – 21%
3. Beef Wellington – 20%
4. Rice Pudding – 20%
5. Jam Roly Poly – 17%
6. Coffee and Walnut Cake – 16%
7. Trifle – 16%
8. Prawn Cocktail – 13%
9. Black Forest Gateau – 12%
10. Pineapple Upside Down cake – 12%
11. Coronation Chicken – 12%
12. Meatloaf – 10%
13. Quiche Lorraine – 10%
14. Bubble and Squeak – 10%
15. Arctic Roll – 9%
16. Treacle Tart – 9%
17. Baked Alaska – 8%
18. Steak Diane – 8%
19. Devilled Eggs – 8%
20. Steak and Kidney pudding – 7%
21. Spotted Dick – 7%
22. Pea and Ham soup – 6%
23. Semolina – 6%
24. Liver, Bacon and Onions – 6%
25. Lancashire Hotpot – 6%