Bring back the best of British
When was the last time Umble pie was seen for sale in the supermarket? Would the average home cook know what a Wet Nelly is, let alone how to make one? Mutton, quince, tripe, hare, frumenty and Sussex pond pudding are all truly British foods which have been hugely popular at times in our history, but have since disappeared from our culinary consciousness.
Changes in farming as well as the decline of specialist local shops means once commonplace ingredients are no longer available. And if you can't get bere barley, you can no longer make bere bannocks (large scones).
Economics often dictate these changes. Mutton -- three-year-old lamb -- ties up farmers' capital for much longer than lamb and therefore is not so profitable. It also needs to be hung for at least 14 days, making it unpopular with the supermarkets. Some foods, however, just fall out of fashion. It's hardly surprising that muggerty pie, made from a calf's umbilical cord, no longer appeals to modern Britain's sanitised tastes.
It's not all bad news though. Recent years have seen the revival of some specialities. Mutton Renaissance, an organisation backed by the English Beef and Lamb Executive and HRH The Prince of Wales, is aiming to bring mutton back on to the British dining table. And with support from chefs such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Gary Rhodes and Michel Roux, they seem to be winning the battle.
There has also been renewed interest among consumers. When the delicatessen A. Gold opened in London in 2000, people laughed when the company said it was going to specialise in traditional British food. It now regularly sells out of clootie dumplings and Scotch black buns.
Why the revival? It seems to be part of the trend in the UK for 'proper, authentic' food which has seen a rise in farmers' markets and food festivals. Bringing back these foods helps British farmers and canny food manufacturers would do well to capitalise on the public's renewed interest in these long-lost British traditional foods.
Hopefully, it won't be long before we see biffins and clapshot on shelves.
Joanne Finney is a food writer at Good Housekeeping Magazine
