For the last three weeks I have been in England visiting my dear friend, researching gastropubs for Mutineer Magazine and fulfilling a life long dream. As you can probably imagine, I had a wonderful time. People often exclude England in their travel and culinary plans and the reasons are ridiculous. Many believe since we speak a similar language (different dialects, leave this one alone please), that our countries are the same. When in reality, they couldn’t be more different. Also, many people still believe that British cookery is all boiled meat and un-seasoned sprouts, which as I can attest couldn’t be further from the truth.
I have a special place in my heart for British cookery. Lovingly prepared potted beef with a dish of handmade piccalilli with toasted brown bread is now one of my personal favorites, and nothing is more satisfying after a long hard day than a plate of perfectly cooked sausages and mash. On this trip, I had the opportunity to experience British cookery at it’s finest in the form of the gastropub, two of which were experiences that will stick with me for a very long time.
The first was The Bull at Broughton located in North Yorkshire where the food was so fresh and local that I actually saw the pasture where the lamb they serve was raised. I experienced gorgeous ham, scotch eggs, venison with juniper sauce, dock pudding, fish pie, grilled lamb, flat mushrooms, pork pie and local cheeses from Swaledale and Wensleydale, all washed down with various pints of Yorkshire’s finest bitter. This is also the place where I discovered piccalilli and I will be forever grateful. Everything at The Bull was executed flawlessly, the staff was amazing and I can’t stress this enough the food was beyond fresh and of the highest quality. It’s no wonder Yorkshire is making such a name for itself in the culinary scene these days.
The second was the Princess Victoria located in a refurbished gin mill in the Shepherd’s Bush neighborhood of London. After a long chilly day of sightseeing and visiting with friends Debbie and Wayne, I settled in with a pint next to the fireplace at the Princess Victoria. I was treated to a terrine of rabbit confit, jamon serrano and carrots with toasted brioche, a glass of my favorite Manzanilla sherry and a gorgeous celeriac apple remoulade. Sitting there next to the roaring fire with such fine food and drink was a singularly satisfying experience, and I hope to have it repeated. I continued of with a wild mushroom ravioli and finished with a caramelized rice pudding with a stewed bramley apple and cinnamon gelato. I can’t believe I didn’t pop. It was a wonderful way to spend my last evening in England.
No one who has dared venturing away from the tourist zone on London or pulled off to a country pub in Yorkshire will say that British food is in anyway lacking. I even stumbled upon it by accident while touring Yorkshire. We stayed a night in a little pub whose rooms were cozy, even if the bathrooms needed a bit of work . The beer they brewed was fantastic and food surprising. As we settled in the breakfast room, my friend noted that the milk was very rich and farmy which was my first indication that something good was about to happen. Our full English breakfast was fabulous, especially the bacon which was the perfect marriage between Canadian bacon and streaky bacon and heaven on my plate. When it came time to settle up I got to chatting with the manager/chef who was preparing the Sunday roast and I found that even the littlest pub in the Dales often gets food from the local farmers and producers. I won’t deny that I was tempted to put off the tour for another day to stick around for a plate of his fall off the bone tender leg of lamb full of garlic and rosemary. Alas, it was not to be, as the fells were calling my name. Besides I had a new pair of Wellies to break in.
On a slightly different note, I mentioned in the first paragraph that I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream on this trip which will expose me yet again for the nerd that I am. When I was a kid PBS used to air episodes of All Creatures Great and Small on Sunday evenings at 6:00pm. I remember watching it in the kitchen as my parents prepared dinner. I was five and I wanted to be Helen Alderson. I even went through a phase where I made everyone call me Helen and renamed my father James. As I got older I dropped the alias, but was still in love with the books and world that Mr. James Herriot inhabited. I was not disappointed. The Yorkshire Dales are officially my new favorite place on earth. The rugged with beauty, unpredictably insane weather, gently lilting accents and pure food all contributed to my idealistic vision of the Dales becoming my reality. The funny thing about it is that it felt like home. So much about it reminded me of my grandparents farm and things I was surrounded by growing up it just seemed to fit.
Phil and I are already planning to rent a little cottage there in the next year or so.
Anyway, I am now officially back, if a bit jet lagged and will be armed with a new recipe for you on Friday. For now, I would love it if you shared a memorable meal or your favorite place on earth with me.
Thanks for visiting The Endive Chronicles.
Erin, your trip seems to have been a wonderful experience! Welcome home. I hope you are peacefully napping right now. One of my favorite places on earth, also a place where I enjoyed several memorable meals, was on the Aeolien island of Salina. We stayed in a small inn named Mama Santina. Oh, such wonderful memories!
http://www.mammasantina.it/aeolian_cuisine_dishes.asp
Denise, the food! How did you ever leave?
Jet laggy land has been especially harsh this time. I thought I was kicking it until I woke at 3:30 this morning. I will be napping soon so I can go out tonight for our anniversary. Thanks for commenting!!
Sweet dreams and happy anniversary!
Sounds wonderful Erin. I’ve only ever spent 4 days in the UK when we went over for a wedding. We did stay in a cute English pub in the country though. Good to hear you spent time with Debbie and Wayne. Were you all on motor bikes?
Barbara, I think so too, they are wonderful people. I almost missed out as we were supposed to meet up in Paris, but circumstances were not in my favor. Thankfully they ended up heading to London for a wedding. I wish we were on motorbikes, then my feet wouldn’t have hurt so much that day!
Happy Anniversary! Glad you enjoyed your time over ‘ere, even if you weren’t well for some of that time.
Yes, Yorkshire is beautiful, but there’s also the Brecon Beacons of Wales, Northumberland and all the way down south, my county of Sussex (even if I’m living in Leicestershire at present). Sussex is picturesque and has gentle rolling hills. So don’t settle for Yorkshire alone just yet. Come back and have a look around elsewhere too. I do pity you tho’ having to research gastropubs… it must have been hell out there!!! But so good of you to suffer so that others may benefit. You are just sooo brave!
Ah, good, so you did get tomeet Debbie and Wayne in spite of Eurostar-stuf -I’m glad! They are wonderful people indeed.
Favourite place on earth – I can’t pick just ONE!!! Big cities (Londen, Paris, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, HongKong, NEW YORK!!!) are a far cry from, for example, the loneliness, emptiness and beauty of Antarctica, and still, I love them both. One of the most memorable meals: The one you had to miss in New York with David, Judy and Greg. I gueass it’s not just the food but very much the company that makes the meal as well.
So…if your next travels bring you to Asia, or to Europe and I’m around, or if I’m anywhere in your direction…we’ll try again!
Happy Anniversary.
blush
You are so sweet Erin.
I was so disappointed that you didn’t make it to Paris, but fate smiled on us in the end!
Don’t know how you fitted in all that food after lunch!!!!!! But am jealous that you had a glass of sherry. I had absolutely no room to squeeze a bottle in my bag after the wedding.
See you soon Barbara!! Will ring you friday from Brisbane.
Hi Erin, glad to hear that you had such a good time in England. I lived in London for about a year, many years ago, and have very pleasant memories of that time. As for memorable meals, I’ve had too many to recount – we just had a quick get-away at a country inn (Manoir Hovey in North Hatley, Quebec) where the food and service were excellent. It is off season and there were only two or three rooms occupied – it was like staying in our private country manor with servants to cater to our every need.
Griffin, not to worry, I would never discount any part of our earth. Only this was the place of my childhood fantasy, and it was better than I imagined. I had braced for disappointment, but it was better than I imagined, which is a rare occurrence. I definitely plan to visit Wales, though you wouldn’t know it to look at me, I have a great deal of Welsh in my heritage.
Thank you! We had a wonderful day!
Mickey, Well, I certainly hope to be able to do as much research on the matter as you! Are you still in Hong Kong? How is married life treating you?
Debbie, I walked around the city until dinnertime and built up an enormous appetite. Though admittedly I only ate a portion of each plate to ensure room for dessert! Have a safe trip!
Carla, I haven’t been to Quebec, but some friends went recently and fell in love. I wish we’d taken advantage when we lived out east. It sounds like a wonderful experience, I’ll have to look it up for the future.
Erin, if you’re a nerd, well then so am I… I also loved All Creatures Great and Small as a child and have wanted to visit the Dales for as long as I can remember. (And yet I never once went during my 7 years in England. Shameful!)
Memorable meals – I’ve had many, but one that particularly sticks out is dinner at the Meson San Basilio in Cordoba, during a trip around Spain with my mom. We ordered several different types of seafood, super-fresh and simply prepared, but best of all were the gambas al ajillo. They were so very garlicky I felt as if I was exuding garlic from every pore! If you’re ever in that part of the world, do go…
I love the photos! It sounds like you had a wonderful time!
Rachel, It is so rugged and beautiful. Next time you visit definitely plan for a few days up there, it will be worth it.
Thanks Bekah, I really did!
Your trip sounds fantastic. I’m envious of the great pub food and splendid local drinks you enjoyed. Stunning photos as well. Reminds me of Ireland and makes me want to discover more of the UK. Oh, and I love-love that second picture of you!
Bordeaux, I’ve never been to Ireland, but my parents spent some time at a manor in the Irish countryside. My photos of the Dales reminded my dad a lot of Ireland.
Thanks, I love that one too! Leslie took so many shots of me it was like traveling with a fashion photographer.