Jamie Oliver to G20 World Leaders: You’ll Eat British and Like It!
Travel Blog • David Farley • 04.02.09 | 4:13 PM ET
Photo by In the 1970s and ’80s, Great Britain had a reputation for bad teeth and even worse food (I wonder if there’s a connection?). Dentists were finally imported from parts of the erstwhile empire while British chefs began looking outside Britain for influences. They found it in France, the Mediterranean and even Southeast Asia. The results, however, were anything but British. Nonetheless, it helped bring England out of its culinary cellar. Five years ago, Gourmet magazine proclaimed London to be the best food city on the planet. This wasn’t a surprise to those who had been paying attention to global dining trends, but most people were caught unaware of London’s “new” prowess in the dining sphere.
Quietly creeping up alongside the Michelin-starred Mediterranean and French restaurants in London were chefs who were returning to the roots of English cuisine. The gastro-pub is one example. This week celeb chef Jamie Oliver was given the task of cooking for the G20 world leaders (and their spouses). What did he serve them? Confidently, Oliver announced he’d serve an all-British menu. The politicos started with Scottish salmon with samphire and sea kale before moving on to slow-roasted lamb shoulder (from the Elwy Valley in North Wales). The meal concluded with a bakewell tart paired with custard.
We’ve come full-circle now, with chefs elevating what was once a staid cuisine. Ironically, the most tiresome cuisine on the planet today is French. Hopefully, chefs will start infusing a bit of “English” into French dishes.