EAT LIKE A ROYAL
Allison Foat digs into the best of English cooking (no longer an oxymoron)
IT’S Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday year and the United Kingdom is celebrating. Her actual birthday was April 21 and yesterday, June 11, marked her “official” one.
After the fanfare in April, myriad events will be keeping the festive atmosphere alive all the way through to January 2017. Not to be outdone by all the parades, the culinary scene has upped its game, well aware of the 65 million visitors expected to descend on the UK over the next few months.
On a recent blitz tour through London and Edinburgh, I got a little taste — and was not disappointed.
In pubs, cafés and restaurants across the land, the Queen is being saluted over pints of ale or flutes of champagne. The British being British, though, it’s also a special time for tea.
“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me,” said CS Lewis. If you feel the same about the former, pinkies up chaps — Great Britain is leading the way as one of the world’s greatest tea consumers per capita.
It can be drunk the blue collar way, “builders’ tea”, on a quick break at the office, a takeaway cuppa on the street or at a “greasy spoon” café — always in a mug, with milk and two sugars, according to chauffeur Chris Wills.
A more sophisticated option, usually associated with a special occasion, is afternoon tea, that quintessential British custom introduced to England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in 1840. Usually taken between 3.30pm and 5pm, it also serves as a stop-gap between lunch and dinner, the perfect antidote to that “sinking feeling”, as the Duchess called it.
The afternoon repast is not to be confused with high tea in the Britain of old, when workers would settle down for “tea” straight after work, a filling meal of meat, veg, bread, cheese and, of course, a cuppa. Today, we simply call that supper.
There are countless elegant places to enjoy a beautifully appointed afternoon tea in London.
At Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly, you can book a table and enjoy Fortnums Famous Teas and rare looseleaf blends in exquisite St James Eau de Nil china then shop in the store afterwards. The vast selection of delectables includes Highgrove, the Prince of Wales’s own brand, shortbread, and the Royal Blend Tea Bags Decorative Caddy, presented in seductive packaging and holding a royal warrant (a seal of approval from the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh or Prince Charles).
At The Rubens opposite Buckingham Palace, the Royal Afternoon Tea Experience is a three-tiered tray with savoury treats such as coronation chicken rolls; and finger sandwiches with cucumber and cream cheese, or egg mayonnaise and cress.
Numerous tartlets and éclairs beckon, as well as miniature darkchocolate-biscuit cakes made with McVities, the outsize version of which was served at Prince William’s wedding.
The orange-scented scones spread thickly with lemon curd and topped with a generous dollop of Devonshire clotted cream are particularly divine. At the B Bar next door, the afternoon tea has a uniquely South African twist — mini bunny chows stuffed with boerewors, chakalaka and crispy onion, and a tea list that includes interesting rooibos blends with enticing names such as sunshine orange and Totonac vanilla.
Watercress soup was a lovely discovery, a slightly peppery dish found on most menus I happened across. The delicate little plant, which has been around Britain since the late 1800s, packs 15 essential vitamins and minerals and has undergone a bit of a renaissance as a superfood.
When cocktail hour comes around, a Dubonnet-and-gin, Her majesty’s favourite tipple, is a must. Dubonnet originated in France and is a blend of fortified wine, herbs and spices, mixed with gin and poured over ice (70ml Dubonnet, 35ml gin), and garnished with a twist of lemon rind.
Sip one at the B Bar or at the Green Bar at Hotel Café Royal on Regent Street, perhaps after you’ve had afternoon tea in their lavish Oscar Wilde Bar.
The Leopard Bar at The Rubens has a selection of “Royales” signature cocktails, which includes Rubens Royale Tea: Champagne with Bacardi Oro, Cointreau and Martell VS.
For dinner afterwards, The Library, the hotel’s award-winning restaurant, showcases several menu items created with Her Majesty in mind.
In Scotland, there is no shortage of exceptional venues in which to savour wonderful food.
From drinks in the 800-year-old Cave Bar at the 13th-century Meldrum House in Aberdeenshire, to lunch at La Cucina in Edinburgh, at the G&V on the Royal Mile, afternoon tea in the Royal Deck Tearoom on the Royal Yacht Britannia, and dinner in the Italian Room at the opulent Prestonfield House, the cuisine was almost upstaged by the gorgeous décor and designer crockery.
All these fine establishments also serve afternoon tea, guaranteed to be a refined and satisfying experience.
And, of course, there is whisky, the national drink of Scotland. The amber drink, be it a blend or single malt, takes centre stage everywhere and a visit to Royal Lochnagar, the distillery near Balmoral Castle that holds a royal warrant , will unpack all one would ever need to know about this drink, from grain to cask.
Or, visit the Scottish Whisky Experience just down from Edinburgh Castle. Have a dram and appreciate the flavours and a combination of fragrant aromas, as the liquid slips down, leaving an afterglow.
As Mark Twain said, “too much of anything is bad but too much of good whisky is barely enough.”
Great Britain has something for everyone, on every budget. A visit at this time means you’re in for a fine time with excellent fare in a jolly atmosphere — a winning combination. — © Allison Foat