In honor of St. George’s day, Sam from Beck’s and Posh has asked our assistance in helping prove that English Food is not a joke.
I took the opportunity to sit down with Nick Perry, owner of two well known English food restaurants in New York City: Tea & Sympathy and A Salt & Battery. She shared her thoughts as a leading English gastronome.
BS: How did English food get such a bad rap in the first place?
For much of its past, England has lacked the restaurant culture found stateside. The English don’t dine out as much as Americans. Times are changing; superstar chefs like Gary Rhodes, Marco Pierre White, and Heston Blumenthal are helping put us on the map.
BS: And the stigma that English food is a joke?
Many Americans had their first taste of England in the years following World War II. At the time, food was in short supply. Even staples like sugar and eggs were hard to come by - I feel a lot of the negative opinions originated then.
BS: Do you think Americans have a proper understanding of what constitutes English Food?
I don’t think they did fifteen years ago, but most do now. When I opened Tea & Sympathy, many Americans didn’t even recognize common English curse words. They’re much savvier nowadays.
BS: What foods do you feel define English cuisine?
They are the dishes that I serve in my restaurants; the ones most recognizable as English: Shepard’s Pie, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Welsh Rabbit, and Fish & Chips.
I focus on tradition, and authenticity. It’s not always possible in the U.S. I find everything is slightly different over here - the butter and eggs are different, the milk is more pasteurized, I need to import clotted cream.
England is a much more pastoral economy. The animals are typically grass-fed, and since we’re such a small nation, the produce tends to be fresher.
I’ve adapted, of course, my recipes, and sought out fruits and vegetables from local suppliers whenever possible. I buy my meat from Piccinini Brothers - a family owner and operated butcher in the City.
BS: A Salt & Battery bills itself as an authentic chip shop - what’s the craziest thing you’ve deep fried?
We do a fried Mars Bar - the inspiration for that originated in Scotland. Around the holidays we’ll deep fry mint pie. Easter calls for deep fried Cadbury Creme eggs. We also serve something called the Belt Buster. It consists of bread and butter, fried, then made into a chocolate sandwich with clotted cream.
BS: How will you celebrate St. George’s Day?
We typically decorate our restaurant with flags and work hard to accommodate the influx of English who tend to frequent our restaurants on the holiday. The wait staff will probably go out and get pissed up.
Find: English Restaurants in New York or English Restaurants in San Francisco