Traditional British pub food

The title of this article isn’t 100 percent correct. The word “traditional” is geared to the foods that are well known for that part of the United Kingdom.
Also, you have to take into account that other countries influence each other. Folks in England didn’t stay put, nor did they in Scotland, Ireland or Wales.
Oh, and don’t forget the invaders from Northern Europe (those Vikings were a randy bunch), and the Romans marched through.
When I write about British recipes, they’re the typical ones I have seen depicted in television shows, movies, or written in one of my favorite genres, British mysteries. I shared a few in the San Juan Record in July 2018, June 2024, and recently in March.
When it comes to Shepherd’s Pie though, do a search on my food blog and you’ll find recipes that use traditional ground lamb, and not-so-traditional ground beef, elk, venison, and alpaca.
Remember, “British” also refers to influences from other nations in 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’re wondering if I’m cooking up food or creating a weird new comic series. They are actual names of recipes which I’ll share with you here.
By they 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 potatoes. The dish is usually served with onion gravy, but may also include fried onions and peas.
Bubble and Squeak
Bubble and Squeak is 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.
After making the first two recipes, if you happen to have loads of mashed potatoes and chopped cabbage available, how about going Irish? Colcannon, aka Irish Mashed Potatoes is an Irish recipe made with greens (cabbage, kale, or mustard greens), scallions, butter, and cream.
Toad-in-the-Hole
Toad in the Hole is a traditional dish with sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with onion gravy and vegetables. Historically, the dish has been prepared using other meats such as rump steak and lamb 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. Often cooked in hot fat – traditionally beef drippings – which contributes to its savory flavor.
I have a traditional Yorkshire Pudding baking tin which consists of six cups/compartments, that are not attached like a typical muffin tin pan. Metal rods hold cups separate from each other.
They are deeper than muffin tins, so the pudding can rise up higher and crispier on the outside, and fluffy yet 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 interchanged, Shepherd’s Pie is traditionally made with ground lamb or mutton, and parmesan cheese is mixed in the 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 onion and mushrooms, cooking until onion softens. Add tomato and Worcester sauces, frozen vegetables, herbs, pepper, flour and beef stock; mix thoroughly and to a boil. Reduce heat to low and 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.
To create chicken cottage pie, use cooked and chopped chicken breasts instead of beef. Add whole kernel corn to the vegetables instead of mushrooms.
Instead of tomato sauce or ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, use 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 red meat, so chicken is a great substitute.
There are so many cookbooks geared toward English pub foods. If you want to purchase one, go for the older editions. They have the more traditional recipes instead of updating to modern trends and fads.