"traditional british foods" news and stories

Nicole mentioned the Independent article concerning the decline of jam in popularity in the UK. (And thanks also to EatingLeeds for the heads-up). This has been put down to a more health conscious consumer (OK, it is full of sugar but it tastes great!) and the ending of 'afternoon tea'. Personally I don't know anyone who has afternoon tea anymore - apart from tourists in posh hotels.

But the rest of the Indies article I found more interesting as it continues my post of declining 'traditional' food items in the UK. Salad Cream was saved from the culinary history books by a combination of national press pressure and consumer demand a few years ago but sales are still low in comparison to its 1970's highs. Heinz, incidentally, have introduced an Extra Light version to pander to the health lobby. Personally I prefer mayonnaise.

But then we get to products that I couldn't eat unless you paid me a huge amount of cash - tripe (oh, god no!), jellied eels (I'll really have to pass on those thanks) and lard. Now lard I do believe has a place in everyones kitchen despite its high cholesterol and fat content. It is all in the flavour after-all.

While I am a great fan of the UK's traditional dishes I won't miss the demise of tripe or jellied eels.

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