Cuisine

British Food

Traditions shared across the UK: baking, puddings, pies and the Sunday roast.

Brussels sprouts and bacon being fried in a cast-iron pan — Photo: Wheeler Cowperthwaite via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped

Some dishes don't belong to one nation. Scones, Victoria sponge, crumble and the roast dinner are eaten and argued over across the whole of the UK. This hub collects those shared traditions.

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Home-baked fruit scones cooling on a wire rack

British Baking

Sponges, scones, shortbread and bakes, with the tins and tools they need.

Sticky toffee pudding with ice cream and butterscotch sauce

Traditional British Puddings

Steamed, baked and set puddings, and the custard that goes with them.

A slice of shepherd's pie with a golden mashed potato crust, served with salad

British Comfort Food

Pies, stews and oven bakes for cold evenings.

Recipes

British Food recipes

A brandy snap filled with cream on a plate of sauce

Recipe · 50 min

Brandy Snaps

Lacy, golden ginger biscuits rolled into tubes while warm and filled with cream: a classic British party treat that is easier than it looks.

Recipe · 25 min

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Chestnuts

The recipe that wins over sprout sceptics: crisp-edged sprouts fried with smoky bacon and sweet chestnuts in 15 minutes.

Recipe · 1 hr 30 min

Chocolate Yule Log

A light chocolate sponge rolled round whipped cream and covered in glossy chocolate bark: the Christmas cake for people who do not like fruit cake.

Recipe · 45 min

Pigs in Blankets

Often the first thing to disappear from the Christmas plate: chipolatas wrapped in streaky bacon, roasted until sticky and crisp.

Recipe · 1 hr

Apple Crumble

Soft Bramley apples under a buttery, golden crumble: the easiest and best-loved British pudding.

Scones split and topped with clotted cream and strawberry jam

Recipe · 30 min

Classic British Scones

Tall, light scones for afternoon tea or a cream tea, ready in about 30 minutes.

Recipe · 2 hr 45 min

Cornish Pasty

Beef skirt, potato, swede and onion, baked raw inside a crimped pastry case: the traditional way.

Roast potatoes served with roast duck, parsnips and broccoli

Recipe · 1 hr 25 min

Crispy Roast Potatoes

Fluffy inside and shatteringly crisp outside: the essential Sunday roast side.

Recipe · 30 min

Cucumber Sandwiches

The essential afternoon tea sandwich: thin, crisp and never soggy.

Recipe · 1 hr 30 min

Lemon Drizzle Cake

A soft lemon loaf soaked with a crunchy sugar-and-lemon drizzle while still warm.

Recipe · 1 hr 20 min

Shepherd's Pie

Lamb mince in a rich gravy under a golden, fork-ridged mashed potato crust: a British family classic.

Recipe · 1 hr

Sticky Toffee Pudding

A soft date sponge soaked in hot toffee sauce: one of the best-loved British puddings.

Recipe · 4 hr 30 min

Traditional Christmas Cake

A rich, dark fruit cake baked weeks ahead and fed with brandy until Christmas.

Recipe · 1 hr 15 min

Victoria Sponge

The classic two-layer sponge with jam and buttercream, named after Queen Victoria.

Recipe · 20 min

Welsh Rarebit

A savoury sauce of cheese, ale and mustard, spread on toast and grilled until bubbling and golden.

Recipe · 1 hr 5 min

Yorkshire Puddings

Tall, crisp Yorkshires: a simple batter, very hot fat, and an oven door kept shut.

Part of British Isles cuisine.