Product Description

Celebrated restaurateur and food writer, Mark Hix, has toured the country with leading photographer Jason Lowe to re-discover forgotten, traditional dishes and start putting British regional food back on the map. Each chapter celebrates and examines a particular region, introducing the reader to its landscape and indigenous products, and includes fascinating information and anecdotes about the traditions behind some of the country s most beloved meals. Find out why the Cornish Pasty was Britain s first convenience food, why the Welsh were eating seaweed long before sushi became fashionable, and how Lancashire came to be the birthplace of all manner of confectionery including treacle toffee. With over 100 recipes, the book provides a rich treasury of regional dishes, some totally true to tradition, others cleverly and sympathetically adapted to make them simpler and more suited to today. Thus Bubble and Squeak, Kedgeree and Roast Lamb sit perfectly alongside the more fantastically named London Particular, Liverpool Lobscouse, and Dublin Coddle. Throughout the book there are also features on the best artisan food producers throughout the country who are working to re-kindle all that s best in British food, from celebrated local cheese and ham producers whose produce rival the very best from France and Italy, to farmers who are working to revive rare breeds and forgotten varieties of fruit and vegetables.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #112240 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Review
You can trust Mark Hix when it comes to writing recipes --The Independent

Winner of the Michael Smith Award for Work on British Food at the Guild of Food Writers Awards 2007 --Guild of Food Writers

The Bookseller
In search of the best British Food.

TELEGRAPH , REVIEW
Beautifully presented and illustrated,
This book should inspire anyone to begin cooking the locale they live in

Customer Reviews

What's it for?
The book is well laid out, has great pictures, and is a pleasure to dip into. Some of the write ups are really interesting.
Q: So why the low rating?
A: Because it takes me longer to read Observer Food monthly which a lot cheaper - it's a bit expensive as a [brief] read, some of the articles are a bit like that essay `What I did on my holidays' and it is no use as a cook book, since there is no proper recipe index, which is the main reason for low rating. Shame, I like Mark Hix generally, but apparently his publishers think we should buy British Food as well if we want recipes.

A little less of London please
The book is ok, but...whilst it does give information about food in the various regions around the country there is a constant harking back to London, London chefs and Borough Market. Oh and don't forget the cheese man who sells cheese in, yes you've guessed it Borough Market. He makes a regular appearance.

I also found it a little light on the variety of food stuffs and the range of markets, both traditional and the newer farmer's markets available in the areas. That is with the exception of the wonderfull one in London.

Most of us don't live in London and Mr Hix should remember that.

Charming culinary bumble around Britain
You can't help wondering how Mark Hix found time to write British Regional Food. As chef director of Caprice Holdings that includes The Ivy, J. Sheekey as well as Le Caprice, Mark also writes a weekly column for The Independent on Saturday.

Nonetheless, he sets off on a cook's tour around Britain, to meet, eat, greet and cook some of our finest. A very personal recollection emerges that is endearing and informative.

Dividing Britain into 9 regions, each follows a similar format. While in The North, Mark flags up such well known and favourite producers as Peter Gott from Sillfield Farm, Barry Pugh of Pugh's Piglets and Andrew Sharp of Farmer Sharp. He encourages us to cook a mixture of traditional - Liverpool Lobscouse or Goosnargh Cakes, and modern - Wild Boar stew with Hawkshead Beer or Fillet of Sea Bass with Samphi (sic), Shrimps and Cockles.

Whether Mark will be successful in persuading anyone to try cooking Cow Heel and Black Peas, or Tripe and Onion I'd love to know. But his meeting with Jack Curvis, one of the few "proper" tripe dressers remaining in The North makes fascinating reading and should not be missed.

Altogether a charming culinary bumble around Britain and with photographs that capture our best treasures, British Regional Food is a reminder of what there is to enjoy about buying and cooking our own. It is as irresistible as the author himself.