Eat like the English?

Good Food Blog

What is RSS?

Posted at 12:02PM, 11 November 2011 by Roxanne Fisher - Writer/Sub-editor, bbcgoodfood.com

When I think of English cuisine, traditional battered fish & chips , crumbly Cornish pasties and deep-filled apple pies immediately spring to mind. Therefore the recent headlines suggesting we can improve our health by 'eating like the English' came as a bit of a surprise.

Sadly, pastry hasn't suddenly become virtuous and deep-fried is still off-limits to the health conscious. Instead, research funded by the British Heart Foundation has found death rates for heart disease and cancer are higher in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as a result of a diet higher in saturated fats and salt than their English neighbours who, the research tells us, enjoy a more varied diet that's richer in fruit and veg.

Although the headlines imply otherwise, we don't need to forgo traditional British fare to be healthy

Although the headlines imply otherwise, we don't need to forgo traditional British fare to be healthy - we just need to make sensible choices and include a little more green and a little less grease on our plates. With this in mind I delved into our troves of traditional favourites, suggesting a few lighter alternatives where desired...

Eat like the Irish:

Soda bread Be sure to use a recipe that includes wholemeal flour to get some good grains inside you:

Irish soda bread recipe

Lamb stew Use less lamb and more veg in your traditional stew to see you on your way to five-a-day:

Minted lamb & pea stew recipe

Champ Forgo the double cream and full-fat milk and make this classic better for you:

Herby parsnip champ recipe

Eat like the Scottish:

Fish o'leekie Swap the traditional fowl for fish in this low-fat supper:

Fish o'leekie recipe

Healthy oats Start the day the super healthy way with a big bowl of porridge using wholesome Scottish oats:

Porridge plus recipe

Cranachan A healthier version of the traditional recipe, make this pud really nourishing by adding more of your favourite fruits and use fat-free Greek yogurt and fromage frais in place of half the measurement of whipping cream:

Orange cranachan recipe

Eat like the Welsh:

Welsh cakes Low in salt and sat fats - reach for these lovely cakes when you want a guilt-free treat:

Welsh cakes recipe

Glamorgan sausages If you can't resist this Welsh favourite, enjoy in bite-sized pieces made with reduced fat cheese:

Glamorgan cheese sausage rolls recipe

Bacheldre Welsh clay-pot bread A hearty, wholemeal bread packed with good grains and irresistible straight from the oven:

Bacheldre Welsh clay-pot bread recipe

Everything should be enjoyed in moderation of course and even the guiltier classics taste great every once in a while. Take a peek at our British collection and let us know your favourites.

Comments

Corinne

11 November 2011, 2:55PM
Corinne

I think we forget that our traditional diets reflected our lifestyles at the time, we worked long physically demanding hours burning up calories, we didnt waste food because we couldnt afford to. Those traditional meals can still be enjoyed we just need to adjust them, swapping olive oil for lard etc. We shouldnt throw out out traditional foods, they were based on what was fresh, local, and seasonally available, usually organically grown (in our gardens). Meat dishes were padded out with veg and potatoes, all the mantras of modern eating. I wont give up on my tradtional foods, I make wonderful homemade soups, stews and casseroles, I

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Corinne

11 November 2011, 2:55PM
Corinne

I think we forget that our traditional diets reflected our lifestyles at the time, we worked long physically demanding hours burning up calories, we didnt waste food because we couldnt afford to. Those traditional meals can still be enjoyed we just need to adjust them, swapping olive oil for lard etc. We shouldnt throw out out traditional foods, they were based on what was fresh, local, and seasonally available, usually organically grown (in our gardens). Meat dishes were padded out with veg and potatoes, all the mantras of modern eating. I wont give up on my tradtional foods, I make wonderful homemade soups, stews and casseroles, I

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Greengrocers

12 November 2011, 1:19PM
Greengrocers

Lets be honest. Most traditional british foods aren't that great culinarily, but they are much more healthy than modern covenience foods. There does seem top be a turn against this now though. The main problem however is that cheap food convenince food will always be cheaper than going to the local <a href="http://www.thefruitman.co.uk">Greengrocers</a> for large families with low / medium incomes. On another note I think soda bread is actually quite disgusting !

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:

Your binder

Here are three other great reasons to sign up:

You get an online binder, where you can store all your favourite recipes and create menus.
You can add your own recipes to this site for others to try; plus, rate and make comments on recipes, and share your views on our blog.
You can sign up for our weekly newsletter (sent out on Wednesdays) - it's packed with recipes, special offers and competitions.