What’s up with British pub food?

A few years ago the common thought was that British cuisine was bland and drab and, for some simple reasons, that was true, then. The UK suffered greatly during World War II, with rationing starting in September of 1939, and not ending until July 4, 1954. Rationing was briefly reintroduced in 1956-57 during the Suez crisis. Even after rationing ended, some foods remained scarce, particularly cheese, which remained so into the 1980s. As a result of this scarcity, the British cuisine had to be plain and simple. When we lived there in the early ‘70s there were few good restaurants in our area, so we mostly ate at home.

The primary cuisines available in the ‘70s were Indian, including curry and some Anglo-Indian dishes like chicken tikka masala. You would also occasionally see an Italian or French restaurant in larger cities, but the rest of the restaurant food was simple: the traditional Sunday roast, steak and kidney pie, shepherd’s pie, and bangers & mash (I’ll explain each of those later). Desserts, or “puddings,” were simple as well.

One distinction in the UK is that, while there are restaurants in the larger cities, most of the eating places in the smaller cities and villages are the “public house” or pub in the local area. “Pub grub,” as it is called, has definitely moved upscale in the last few decades, to the point where some gastro-pubs are gaining a world-wide reputation for having great food. In this section we are going to introduce you to a few eateries that we have found and like, but we do want to encourage you to try the local cuisine when you can.

Let us relate one story that may inspire you to be adventurous. A few years ago we were booked into a small six-room hotel near Taunton, about 150 miles west of London. When we checked in we asked the hotelier for his recommendation for where we could get dinner, as the hotel had no dining room. He pointed us to two pubs, each about two miles away, in two different directions. We thanked him, got settled in and chose the one we wanted to try. We ended up trying both on two consecutive nights. When we arrived at the pub on the second night, the landlord offered us the menu and we could tell right away that the options were quite different and unique. Jake ordered “lamb in lavender sauce” having never heard of lavender sauce. When presented with his dinner plate, there were lovely cuts of lamb placed on four round slices of sweet potato, cooked to perfection, covered with an absolutely amazing sauce that smelled (and tasted) heavenly. The chef took the time to come to our table to explain the inspiration for the dish. He had discovered that King Henry VIII (yes, the one with all the wives) came to the area to hunt and to stay in one of the local public houses. As this particular pub was there during that time, it was highly possible, though not proven, that the King had stayed or eaten at that particular pub. The chef was on a mission to find and cook recipes from that time period—the early 1500s. The lamb in lavender sauce was one of those historic recipes! So, Jake ate and enjoyed a recipe that dated back 500 years!

To gain the full British food experience, we recommend that you forgo fast-food, familiar or American eateries, (or whatever your home cuisine may be) and look for where the locals eat. Ask for advice from other travelers or do some research online before you go. Plan ahead—you won’t be disappointed!