Brits lose touch with basic cooking skills
Traditional British food may be making a comeback in our restaurants, but when it comes to replicating traditional dishes at home, many people are finding it increasingly difficult to do.
According to a poll carried out by toptable.co.uk on behalf of the London Restaurant Awards, three of the top 10 things people find most difficult to cook from scratch at home are yorkshire pudding, joints of meat and gravy.
Bread topped the list with 43 per cent of respondents finding it difficult to cook, followed by meringue (38 per cent) and pastry (37 per cent).
Margaret Clancy of the London Restaurant Awards said: “It is a little bit worrying that it appears that people have lost touch with basic, traditional cookery techniques, which our mothers and grandmothers would have simply taken for granted.
“Eating out has opened people’s eyes to a whole world of new cuisines, but knowledge of the basics is still fundamental to getting a family meal on the table. Today’s fast paced society means the simple, classic recipes, which are the corner stone of our home cooking, are simply dying out.”
Arbutus and Wild Honey owner Anthony Demetre, who has been nominated for the Outstanding London Chef award said: “Simple, classic dishes, focusing on great ingredients are definitely back in fashion across the London restaurant scene. I hope the revival of dishes such as roast rib of beef and lemon meringue pie will encourage the public to spend time getting back to basics in the kitchen at home.”
Food % of respondents who found it difficult to cook
Bread 43
Meringue 38
Pastry 37
Risotto 27
Yorkshire Pudding 25
Sponge cake 23
Joint of meat 14
Gravy 9
Pasta 7
Boiled rice 6
The 10th London Restaurant Awards will take place on September 1 at Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London.
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