The Taste of Britain. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
one like this, which had something squashy in the middle and what felt like wires sticking out each side, you called the security desk and they sent a copper in a flak jacket who took it away.
Eventually the copper brought it back. It contained a piece of marmalade toffee with a dental brace, complete with two teeth embedded in it. And a very large orthodontist’s bill.
Prue Leith
COOKERY EDITOR, FOOD COLUMNIST AND BROADCASTER,
AND FOUNDER OF LEITH’S RESTAURANT
TECHNIQUE:
A lightly kilned ale malt is used for Thomas Hardy’s Ale. The wort is hopped with English varieties, and a top-fermenting yeast is used for a primary fermentation which lasts for approximately 10 days. After this, the beer is re-yeasted for a secondary fermentation and warm-conditioned for 3-6 months, after which the beer is drawn off the sediment and given a further conditioning in cold store for 1-3 months. Yeast is added several times during this time, as the high sugar and alcohol content affect it significantly. When considered ready to leave the brewery, the beer is re-yeasted again and bottled for distribution. It will improve up to its best in the bottle at 5-7 years and will keep for 25 years.
REGION OF PRODUCTION:
SOUTH ENGLAND, DORSET.
Elderflower Cordial
DESCRIPTION:
A PALE STRAW COLOUR AND TRANSPARENT. IT HAS A STRONG AROMA OF ELDERFLOWER AND MUSCAT AND IS BOTH SWEET AND SHARP TO THE TASTE.
HISTORY:
Most British soft drinks are fruit based; this is singular in being made from flowers. Rather aptly, the elder was once considered of value for treating the heart and circulation. Its being used to make a syrup (for it had hitherto flavoured vinegars and wines) was the result of the set of influences mentioned in the entry on elderberry cordial, p. 428.
TECHNIQUE:
Elderflowers, gathered when fully open (late May to late June), are steeped with sugar, lemon and citric acid for 5 days, before the cordial is strained and bottled. Commercial producers use methods which are a scaled-up version of this. There are differences in the treatment of the flowers after picking: one producer mills and presses them to produce a juice which is used to flavour the essence; another stores them in a solution of sugar and citric acid. Dried flowers are also used in some cordials.
REGION OF PRODUCTION:
SOUTH ENGLAND AND NATIONWIDE.
Single-Variety Apple Juice
DESCRIPTION:
FRESH PRESSED APPLE JUICE IS OFTEN PALE YELLOW-GREEN AND CLOUDY. SOME IS FILTERED. THE FLAVOUR DEPENDS ON THE VARIETY OF APPLE. MANY HAVE COMPLEX FLORAL, FRUITY, SPICY AND NUTTY OVERTONES. PRODUCTION FROM INDIGENOUS VARIETIES IS AS PARTICULAR TO BRITAIN AS THE APPLES THEMSELVES.
HISTORY:
Apples have been pressed for juice, primarily as the first step in cider-making, for centuries. Commercial juice production in England began in the 1930s and by the 1970s had become a large industry. At this time, most so-called juice was made from concentrate mixed with water. The development of single-variety juices has arisen from a growing interest in the different flavours of apples and from a need to diversify into new markets for agricultural produce. Cox’s Orange Pippin and Bramley’s Seedling, favourite long-keeping English apples, are much used (and often blended together when a single-variety juice is not required); other varieties are pressed when available.
TECHNIQUE:
All producers begin with milling and pressing the apples as if for cider. The juice may then be left to clear and be filtered before pasteurizing. Both flash-pasteurizing at a high temperature and a lower-temperature, longer method are used. Some add vitamin C as an antioxidant.
REGION OF PRODUCTION:
SOUTH ENGLAND.
***
Also produced in South England
DOUGH CAKE (P. 38)
FAGGOT (P. 146)
HASLET (P. 147)
HOG’S PUDDING (P. 26)
WORCESTER PEARMAIN APPLE (P. 165)
Blenheim Orange Apple
DESCRIPTION:
A LATE-SEASON APPLE SUITABLE FOR DESSERT AND COOKING. DESCRIBED BY MORGAN & RICHARDS (1993) AS MEDIUM-LARGE (5-8cM DIAMETER); FLAT-ROUND, WITH ROUNDED RIBS, SLIGHTLY CROWNED; HAVING A BROAD DEEP BASIN, WITH A LITTLE RUSSET; THE EYE LARGE AND OPEN, THE SEPALS SEPARATED AT THE BASE; THE CAVITY OF MEDIUM WIDTH AND DEPTH, RUSSET LINED; THE STALK SHORT AND THICK; THE COLOUR IS CHARACTERIZED BY AN ORANGE-RED FLUSH WITH A FEW RED STRIPES OVER GREENISH YELLOW OR GOLD, WITH RUSSET PATCHES AND VEINS; THE FLESH IS PALE CREAM AND SLIGHTLY CRUMBLY; THE FLAVOUR IS DESCRIBED AS ADDICTIVE, PLAIN, FLAVOURED WITH NUTS, QUITE SWEET.
HISTORY:
This apple was discovered in the mid-eighteenth century growing against a boundary wall of Blenheim Park, the seat of the dukes of Marlborough in Oxfordshire. A local workman moved it into his garden and the tree became famous for the colour and quantity of fruit. Initially it was known as Kempster’s Pippin but was renamed in the early nineteenth century with the consent of the Duke of the time. It was then widely grown and considered one of the finest of English apple types. It declined in importance when production for market became more methodical as it is biennial in habit. Interest in old varieties has led to new attention being paid to this and other less well-known apples.
Early in its season, in late September, Blenheim Orange is often chosen for cooking: it keeps its shape well and is used for dishes where appearance is important or a firm purée necessary. Later, during the following month, it has developed in flavour sufficiently to be offered as a dessert apple, thought also excellent with cheese.
TECHNIQUE:
Optimum pollination time for this variety is mid-May. The tree is vigorous. Blenheim Orange is described by experts as easy to grow but difficult to crop, as it is biennial in habit, cropping heavily every other year. Fruit buds are produced partly at the tips of new growth. The variety is resistant to mildew. Picking is by hand in late September and early October. Little organized storage of this apple takes place because it is not widely grown on a commercial scale; it used to be stored for use as a dessert apple in late autumn.
REGION OF PRODUCTION:
KENT.
Grenadier Apple
DESCRIPTION:
EARLY-SEASON COOKING APPLE. DESCRIBED BY MORGAN & RICHARDS (1993) AS LARGE (DIAMETER 7.5-8CM); THE SHAPE IS ROUND-CONICAL, QUITE IRREGULAR, FIBBED AND FLAT SIDED, WITH A NARROW, QUITE SHALLOW BASIN THAT IS RIBBED AND PUCKERED; THE EYE SMALL AND CLOSED, THE CORE OPEN, THE CAVITY BROAD AND QUITE DEEP AND THE STALK SHORT AND THICK; THE SKIN IS GREEN-YELLOW WITH SCARF SKIN AT BASE, AND THE FLESH WHITE; IT IS SHARP-FLAVOURED.
HISTORY:
The