The New Improved British Food?

They say British food has gotten better but does that mean dumping the traditional dishes like fish and chips, pie and mash, bubble and squeak, toads in a hole?  Or can they be made lighter and more exquisite, more Frenchified?  I'm hoping that the list at Visit Britain can help.  It is there that they say that a Brit's favorite comfort food is a good pie and they recommend the Ginger Pig, but it looks more like a butcher shop than a restaurant, so that doesn't help us at all.  For the Sunday Roast Visit Britain recommend Hixter but the menu says "Brunch" not "Sunday Roast" and "All our beef is aged in a Himalayan salt chamber and comes from Shorthorn, Hereford and Aberdeen Angus breeds."  Himalayan Salt Chamber?  Don't the Brits have their own salt?

Full Borough Breakfast

For the full English breakfast Visit Britain recommends Roast in the Borough Market, but that comes at a price:  16.50£ instead of the 5.50£ at the Chelsea Bun.  I'll save Roast for Sunday Dinner since the full breakfast doesn't look that different from the Chelsea Bun.   That's about it from Visit Britain but they do mention that one must have afternoon tea and they have only one to recommend, The Thames Foyer at the Savoy.  I like to have a choice so Olive Magazine has a list of Afternoon Tea Spots in London, but they also give recipes in case you want to bake your own scones.  Maybe we can pick up some scones and clotted cream and tea and make our own Afternoon Tea.

Beef & Yorkshire Pudding

Visit Britain does recommend Rules Restaurant for Olde-Worlde British Dining and their menu is quite interesting, although beyond our means.  They have grouse (watch for lead shot), rabbit, venison, steak and kidney pie, steak and kidney pudding, shepherd's pie, leg of lamb, pork cheeks, duck breast, dover sole, beef.  The photo at the left is roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for two but the pudding looks a bit dark to me.  And then for dessert: spotted dick, sticky toffee pudding, rhubarb and raspberry fool.  The desserts I could go for but everything still looks a bit dark and heavy, like persimmon pudding and the interior of their restaurant.  Time to find a place that is nice and airy, with dining al fresco, and still has locally sourced British products.  Are we across the Channel yet?...

For lighter food we might have to go to a cutting-edge restaurant like Restaurant Gordon Ramsey, which is actually in Chelsea down by the Physic Garden, but the only price that is listed is 120£ for 3 courses.  Gulp.  Oh wait!  It's only 70£ for the 3 course lunch menu (and I was worried about a prix fixe price of 45£...).  You have to admit that the dishes look absolutely lovely and fresh.  Especially the desserts.  We'll have to find a cheaper venue.

Which brings us to Medlar, also in Chelsea with 1 Michelin Star but offering a 3-course dinner menu for 49£ and a 3-course lunch or Sunday dinner menu for 35£, plus a 12.5% discretionary gratuity.  Two years ago SheerLuxe had a helpful article: "How To Eat At The Best Restaurants For Less", that said you could get 20% off your Monday night dinner there.   I wonder if that discount is still operational.

And, in case you don't know, the medlar is a fruit that has to be "bletted" before it is eaten, kind of like a Hachiya persimmon.  Even the English don't eat medlars anymore and Shakespeare called them "open-arse" according to The Independent: "Medlars: the 'open-arse' fruit that could be making a comeback". 

Now I'm going back to that SheerLuxe article to see if I can ferret out some more light airy cuisine.