Traditional British Pub Food.

See that title, well, it’s not 100% correct.  When it comes to the word “traditional”, it’s geared towards the foods that are well known for that part of the United Kingdom.  Also, it has to be taken into account that other countries influenced each other.  Those, in England, did not stay put, as could be said for Scotland, Ireland and Wales, with a smattering of isles here and there.

Oh, and don’t forget all the invaders from Northern Europe (those Vikings were a randy bunch), and the Romans that marched through (the originators of the One World Order ideal).

When I write about British recipes, they are the typical ones I have seen depicted in television shows, movies, or written in one of my favorite genres, British mysteries.  I have already shared a few, San Juan Record, July 03, 2018 – The Cornish Pasty; June 26, 2024 – English Style Fish and Chips; and March 19, 2025 – The Ploughman’s Lunch.  When it comes to Shepherd’s Pie though, do a search on my food blog and you will find recipes that use the traditional ground lamb, and the not so traditional ground beef, elk, venison and alpaca.  Remember though, when I say “British”, it also refers to the influences from the surrounding countries of the United Kingdom.

So, if my kitchen was a typical pub kitchen, what would be on the menu?  Besides what I mentioned above, there would be: Bangers and Mash, Bubble and Squeak, Toad in the Hole, Yorkshire Pudding, and variations of Shepherd’s Pie, one featuring chicken.  Reading the first three recipe names, I bet you are wondering if I am cooking up food, or creating a weird new comic series. Yes, they are actual names of recipes which I will share with you.  By the way, the main meat ingredient for those three recipes is sausages; oh, those Brits just love their sausages.

 

Bangers and Mash

Bangers and mash is a traditional dish consisting of sausages and mashed potato. The dish is usually served with onion gravy, but may also include fried onions and peas.

 

 

 

 

Bubble and Squeak

Bubble and squeak is a dish made from cooked potatoes and cabbage, mixed together and fried.  Since cabbage contains a lot of water, it tends to make "bubbly" and squeaking noises as it wilts and cooks.

If, after making the first two recipes, you happen to have loads of mashed potatoes and chopped cabbage available, how about going Irish?  Colcannon, aka Irish Mashed Potatoes, is an Irish mashed potato recipe made with greens (cabbage, kale or mustard greens), scallions, and plenty of butter and cream.

 

 

 

Toad-in-the-Hole

 Toad in the hole is a traditional dish consisting of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with onion gravy and vegetables. Historically, the dish has also been prepared using other meats, such as rump steak and lamb's kidneys.

 

 

 

Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire pudding is a baked pudding (more a bread than a dessert pudding) made from a batter of eggs, flour, and milk, traditionally served with roast beef or as part of a roast dinner in British cuisine. It's known for its puffy, crispy exterior and soft, slightly doughy interior. The batter is similar to pancake batter but thicker, and it's often cooked in hot fat, traditionally beef drippings, which contributes to its savory flavor. 

 

Yes, I have a traditional Yorkshire Pudding baking tin which consists of 6 cups/compartments, that are not attached like a typical muffin tin pan.  Metal rods hold each cup separate from each other.  They are deeper than muffin tins, so the puddings can rise up higher, crispier on the outside, and fluffier, yet still doughy, on the inside.

 

 

 

Shepherd's Pie/Cottage Pie

Cottage pie is a meat pie, traditionally made with ground beef, vegetables, and gravy, topped with mashed potatoes. In the USA, cheddar cheese is often mixed into the mashed potatoes.  While the terms cottage pie and shepherd's pie are often used interchangeably, shepherd's pie is traditionally made with ground lamb or mutton, and parmesan cheese is mixed into the mashed potatoes.

 

Traditional Shepherd’s Pie/Cottage Pie

Ingredients:

The Filling:

2 ½ lbs. ground lamb or beef (depending on which pie is being made)

1 large onion, diced

1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms, diced

2 Tbsp. tomato sauce or ketchup

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 (16 oz.) bag frozen peas and carrots

1 Tbsp. each crushed dry thyme and marjoram

1 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. flour

1 cup beef stock

The Topping:

6 large potatoes, peeled and cut up

4 Tbsp. butter

1/2 cup milk

6 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Paprika

Preparation:

In a large skillet, high heat, brown the meat and drain excess oil.  Add the onion and mushrooms, letting cook till the onion softens.  Add tomato and Worcester sauces, frozen vegetables, herbs, pepper, flour and beef stock; mix thoroughly and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes.

While meat mixture is simmering, boil the potatoes in salted water until tender.  Drain and mash the potatoes, add butter, milk, grated cheese and pepper to the potatoes.

Preheat oven to 375F.  In a 3-quart rectangular baking dish, spread 1/2 potatoes on bottom of baking dish; spread out the meat mixture; top with the other 1/2 of potatoes; sprinkle paprika over top.  Bake for 30-40minutes; potatoes should be lightly browned, and the pie heated throughout.

Makes 8 – 10 servings.  

When it comes to pure comfort food, this mixture of baked potatoes, meat and vegetables is definitely a must have. 

Creating the chicken cottage pie, cooked and chopped chicken breasts were used, instead of beef.  Whole kernel corn was added to the vegetables, instead of mushrooms.  Instead of tomato sauce or ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, I used 1 (10.5 oz.) can of cream of chicken soup, plus ½ cup milk for an extra creamy sauce.  When it comes to shepherd’s pie/cottage pie, not everyone eats a red meat of some type, so chicken is a great substitute.

There are so many cookbooks geared towards English pub foods, and if you’re wanting to purchase one, I say go for the older editions.  They have the more traditional recipes listed, instead of being updated to more modern trends and fads.  "Pip pip, cheerio, and all that rot!"

Mary Cokenour 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cabbage Patch Goodness

 Coleslaw, a salad, primarily using shredded cabbage, served cold and a frequent side dish at picnics and barbeques.  Researching its origin began with dissecting the name and finding out what it actually meant.  At first, I began with Cole’s Law, and wondered who the heck was this Cole guy, and what Law did he generate about a cabbage salad?  Now, now, do not be rolling those eyes at me; just doing a little tongue-in-cheek joking around with this.

Cole is Greek, meaning "victorious people" while in England, and taken from the Old English word “cola”, means "swarthy, black coal."  No filibustering, about salad, in any courts or political arenas.  Time to trace the true origins of coleslaw, and the Greeks must have been referring to the Romans, for this was a very victorious culture. 

The Roman period in the Netherlands began in the year 19 BC, when two or three legions established a camp in Nijmegen. The southern region remained under Roman rule for approximately 450 years, all the while influencing culture, cuisine and lifestyle.  In Rome, a common dish, served at meals, consisted of cabbage, vinegar, eggs and spices.  Since the Romans were guarding the Rhine, and cabbage happens to like growing along river banks, it made sense to introduce it to the populace living there.

Between the 1600s and 1800s, many Dutch immigrated to the New World (America) to escape religious persecution; settlements mainly in New York and Pennsylvania.  The word “coleslaw” is an English translation of the Dutch “koolsla”, with “kool” referring to “cole”, and “sla” meaning “salad”.  Which now brings us back to the name origin of “cole”, but in Dutch, it refers to cole crops such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, and kohlrabi.  Cole crops are cool season vegetables that grow best at temperatures between 60F and 68F.  World languages can be so fascinating, with one word having so many different meanings, dependent on where, and the cultural lifestyle.

An original coleslaw recipe can be traced back to 1770, in the cookbook, The Sensible Cook: Dutch Foodways in the Old and New World (Translated and edited by Peter G. Rose). The recipe is credited to his Dutch landlady who mixed thin strips of cabbage with melted butter, vinegar and oil; frying the cabbage and still creating a creamy concoction.  Sort of reminds me of the Irish dish, Colcannon, made with mashed potatoes, fried cabbage strips and crispy bacon.   

Today, coleslaw has grown as a simple salad. Dressings can be a vinaigrette, or sour cream or mayonnaise based.  Other shredded vegetables are added, not just a mixture of white with purple cabbage, but with carrots, bell peppers or hot peppers.  While is it often looked at as a mere side dish, it makes a creamy, crunchy topping for sandwiches such as fried fish or shredded pork barbecue.

 

 

Now the weekend will be here before you know it, so here is my homemade recipe for coleslaw, for your dining pleasure.

 

Coleslaw Dressing

 Ingredient

2 cups mayonnaise

2 and ½ Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp.  lemon juice

3 Tbsp. white vinegar

½ tsp. ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

½ tsp. celery seed

Preparation:

Whisk all ingredients together in bowl until smooth and creamy.

 

 

To Make Coleslaw

In a large bowl containing 1 lb. shredded white cabbage (or ½ lb. white plus ½ lb. purple) plus ½ cup shredded carrot, pour dressing over; toss until all vegetables are coated.

 

Makes 8 servings of Coleslaw.

 

Oh, before I forget, all the while I was writing it out as cole slaw, Merriam-Webster dictionary has schooled me, the proper spelling is coleslaw; all one word.  The more you know…

Mary Cokenour

Stir Fry or Soup; it's Both.

This week's Bountiful Basket had an extra veggie pack, if you decided to purchase it, with an Asian theme.  Inside was a beautiful head of Chinese cabbage, also called Napa cabbage; green onions, ginger root, garlic and two of my all time favorites; Bok Choy and snowpea pods. Oh you know I was wokking this weekend!

It just happened I had also gone grocery shopping at the WalMart in Cortez, Co; purchased some shrimp and a pork tenderloin. The pork was simply seasoned with ginger, garlic and teriyaki sauce; roasted and ready for slicing. The fun part was cooking in my wok; the hard part was coming up with a name for the dish. With the ingredients, it was "Shrimp, Pork, Asian Vegetables...."; with the techniques it continued with "...Stir Fried Soup". Ridiculously too long; so I simply cut it down to "Asian Stir Fry Soup". I didn't use the green onions though; it was just an unnecessary addition that wouldn't have added much more to the dish itself.

Oh, and to my friend Heidi's mom, Trish; yes, I used the Calphalon Wok!

...and here you go.

Asian Stir Fry Soup

Ingredients:

¾ lb (12 oz) medium sized raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 ½ tsp cornstarch
1 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp sesame oil
¼ tsp ground white pepper
4 Tbsp canola oil plus 2 Tbsp
½ lb each chopped boy choy and shredded Chinese (Napa) cabbage
¼ lb snowpea pods, strings removed
¼ lb mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger root
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp oyster sauce
½ lb (8 oz) roasted pork tenderloin, sliced thin

Preparation:

Mix together shrimp, cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper in sealable plastic container; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In Wok or large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons oil on high heat; add bok choy, cabbage, pea pods and mushrooms; stir fry for 5 minutes; remove. Add 2 tablespoons oil; cook shrimp until pink; about 2 minutes; remove. Add in garlic and ginger root; stir together until they begin to sizzle. Add in broth, cornstarch and oyster sauce; stir and let it come to a boil. Add back shrimp and vegetables; add in pork and mix thoroughly; let cook additional 3 minutes together.

Makes six servings.

Mary Cokenour

Think Hot Sides for a Barbequed Meal

As the weather gets warmer, barbeques and smokers come rolling out; and so do the recipe books. However, one of the mistakes, well I think it's one, is that cold side dishes are always being served. Potato and macaroni salads, cold cole slaw; ok, maybe baked beans make a showing, but not always.

Well lets put a twist in them old knickers and consider some hot sides for those hot burgers, brats and ribs. First we're gonna turn cold cold slaw upside down, and heat it up a bit.

Hot Slaw

Ingredients:
1 small head white cabbage shredded
1 small head red cabbage shredded
3 carrots cleaned and grated
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
2 cups sweet onion relish (jarred or homemade)

Preparation:
In large skillet, on medium heat, mix together the cabbage and carrots, but do not let the vegetables get limp or burned; approximately 5 minutes on heat. Add the brown sugar, water and relish; mix thoroughly, remove from heat and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

If you can't find the jarred sweet onion relish, than try my
Sweet Onion Relish recipe .

Now this second recipe is one I learned about when living in New York; the majority of folks, in the areas I lived in, were either of Italian or Hebrew descent. My mom had sent me to a daycamp, managed by some wonderful Jewish people, and when we had sandwich day for lunch, "Noodle Kugel" was served as a hot side. It was sweet and savory, and oh so delicious.

Noodle Kugel with Raisins

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) package wide egg noodles, cooked and drained.
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon plus ½ tsp
1 Tbsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
½ cup raisins
½ cup butter; cut into small pieces and divided in half

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 2 qt round casserole dish with nonstick spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the noodles with sugar, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, raisins and ¼ cup of cut up butter. Spoon mixture into casserole dish; sprinkle ½ tsp cinnamon and other ¼ cup of cut up butter over top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes; serve hot.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Mary Cokenour
April 14, 1985