British Cuisine

Welsh Rarebit – toasted cheese with a delicious twist

When I come across the name of a dish that is unusual, especially if the name bears little resemblance to the dish itself, I simply have to discover its origin.

I talked last week about my lifelong obsession with cheese. It’s of no surprise then that toasted cheese is one of my special standbys. It’s what I turn to when I need something delicious and comforting but can’t be bothered to cook.

But if I’m making toasted cheese and are prepared to offer a tad more effort it becomes Welsh rarebit. What, you may ask, does a name like that have to do with toasted cheese? There are a few theories floating around and no apparent definitive answer as to how it came to be in its present form.

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Strawberry Fool – a sweet treat for your Valentine

Valentine’s Day has an interesting history that dates back centuries. Many stories exist that are linked to this famous holiday, although it’s thought the firm attachment to romantic love began around the time of Geoffrey Chaucer in the fourteenth century. Chaucer wrote a poem to celebrate the engagement of England’s Richard II.

I suppose I have always thought of Valentine’s Day as a celebration of young and new love. When my husband and I celebrated our first Valentine’s Day we were living in London at the time. He booked us on the Eurostar and whisked me off to Paris for the weekend.

Well . . . how do you top that?

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Lemon Posset – three ingredients, one perfect dessert

Cream – a wonderful ingredient that is used in so many dishes. Especially desserts. Many desserts involve nothing more than flavouring the cream or using it as the base of a custard. The Italians have their panna cotta and the French their crème brûlée. Both of which are divinely luscious.

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Posh Pub Grub – and the charming English county of Suffolk

A trip to the United Kingdom would not be complete without a few – or many – trips to the pub. Each time I visit I am reminded of how much character and tradition they add to the country. To my knowledge I’ve never visited an English village that doesn’t boast a charming local or two. There is something extremely satisfying about settling in a warm, cosy pub and ordering a plate of hearty pub grub.

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The Inspiring North Devon Coast – and how to make delicious homemade fish and chips!

During the years I lived in London it wasn’t easy to convince my husband we should see more of England. A born and bred Londoner, he couldn’t see the appeal of travelling around England. “I thought you wanted to see Europe,” he would say. And of course I did, but there was also much of England I wanted to see. Fortunately I did manage to get him out and about in his own country, perhaps more so on trips we’ve made back to the UK since our move to New Zealand.

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