re: #971 The Ghost of a Flea

Ever seen the old cooking show “The Two Fats Ladies”? Right entertaining. Also, tasty(-looking) food. The ladies themselves are an absolute hoot.

There’s actually some tasty British food. It’s a bit heavy (and sort of kin to German food) but nonetheless not quite the horror people imagine. Lots of good recipes for venison and game birds; a lot of perfectly tasty stuff that’s gone out of style—terrines, potted meats, savory pies. In bygone age Britain was considered to have some of the highest-quality meat and best butchers in the world, and developed some of the best-tasting and most famous pig and sheep breeds. What most people think of British food is basically what was scraped together after the war. Pretty much the only artisanal British food that didn’t thin out to nothingness was cheese-making.

Also, bangers are fantastic, and I’ll track you down and cut you if you disagree.

English cuisine has made a *huge* comeback since my first visits in the late 70’s.. And yes, the mixed grills are lovely. But every year I spend at least two weeks in the UK and bangers are still finely minced gristle and fat with a modicum of “meat” and almost no spice.

I will put a traditional American breakfast sausage of ground pork, redolent with thyme, rosemary, and sage, against your pitiful pudding of a link anytime! And you won’t have to hunt me down. I will meet you at Grosvener Square at dawn. Bring your claymore!