The Really Quite Good English Cookbook

According to colleague Emma, I’m a sucker for anything related to England. Admittedly: my absolute biggest example is Diana Henry; put a roast in front of me and I instantly transform into a beaming Sunday child, and whenever possible, I travel back and forth to London to eat with my brother. But a weakness? No, I didn’t quite see it that way. Until I got The Really Quite Good British Cookbook in front of me.

There’s something about English food culture that holds an enormous attraction for me. Not that I can specifically name what it is. Perhaps it has something to do with the pub culture that remains vibrant to this day, where, alongside a pint or two, you can enjoy an ultra-comfy plate of bangers and mash and a traditional Sunday afternoon roast.

At the same time, I’m almost irritatingly overflowing with enthusiasm when my brother takes me to the latest hottest place in town – once the annoying little sister, always the annoying little sister. We’ve even managed to top off a dinner at Ottolenghi with a salt beef bagel from Beigel Bake. With extra pickles, of course.

London: these are my favourite places

The English do it better

It certainly also has something to do with the frequency and the way in which English newspapers such as The Guardian and The Sunday Telegraph devote attention to the social aspect of eating with friends and family. Every weekend, there’s a culinary supplement dripping with conviviality and cooking for and with one another. Not that we do badly in the Netherlands in that respect, but the English simply do it better. Perhaps more charmingly, too.

And Diana Henry in particular: my personal high priestess when it comes to food writing. With her focus on the melting pot of cuisines and flavours that England has to offer – from traditional English to Levantine and Indian cuisine – she conjures up the most fantastic recipes from her high recipe hat every time.

‘In this book, they share the dishes they love making most for the people they love’

The Really Quite Good British Cookbook

But anyway, before I digress any further; we were talking about The Really Quite Good British Cookbook by William Sitwell, a huge tome featuring culinary contributions from one hundred famous and lesser-known English chefs, bakers and cooks. Sitwell: ‘The dishes in this book are an example of the British cultural mix – from Ukraine and the Middle East to Spain and the various British regions, and will inspire every enthusiastic home cook.’

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, Nigel Slater, Yotam Ottolenghi, Antonio Carluccio, Ruth Rodgers… In this book, they share the dishes they love making most for the people they love. The chicken with roasted Jerusalem artichoke by Diana Henry is an excellent example, although today I’m first going to get started on Allegra McEvedy’s Cornish saffron bread – another favourite woman of mine. Plenty of butter on it, a steaming cup of Lady Grey alongside it, and the weekend is really quite good. Or, well, almost. Because that weekend supplement of The Guardian still isn’t available to buy in the Netherlands…

Title: The Really Quite Good British Cookbook
Author: William Sitwell
Publisher: Veltman Uitgevers
Price: €30,-
Available from 12 March