United Kingdom Recipe Sites
I have included British, Scottish, Irish, and other recipes from the general area on this page. No political implications are intended (just because I grouped them here I'm not advocating any kind of unifying theme nor am I implying any cultural similarity ... other than physical proximity). Gosh I hate all this political correctness we're forced into these days.
- Helen's Internet Book of British Cooking
- ** Site has been removed--try the Great British Kitchen link further on in this review. ** If you have the common misconception that British food is overcooked and boring, you MUST see this site. You will have to be patient when you peruse this site; the author has a photo of nearly every recipe which can slow you down if you have a slow internet connection. You can find a recipe by category or from an alphabetized list. The recipes range from "A Lovely Pot of Tea" to "Yorkshire Pudding" and a large variety in-between. She also provides a guide to British foods for those of us who do not know what Caster sugar is. FYI -- there is another site out there that I just discovered The Great British Kitchen which has, more or less, a duplicate of this site. Apparently Helen has joined forces with this group to further promote British food and cooking. I'm noting the URL in case the original site disappears. (Last reviewed: 18 May 2005)
- Old Scrote's Real Food Cookbook
- A small, but very enjoyable site. I've included it in the British section because there are a large number of British recipes and the site is UK based. There is a wide variety of traditional English dishes plus many international recipes. Be sure to read "Who is Scrote?", "How He got that way", and Scrote's other bits of wisdom; it's part of the charm of this site. You may find the recipes a bit difficult to follow, but I still think this is a MUST SEE site. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)
- British Recipes by Helen Watson (britannia.com)
- There are loads of the traditional recipes here (bubble and squeak, toad in the hole, bashed neeps), but apparently the censors got to them because I didn't find a recipe for spotted dick. There are also plenty of lesser known dishes that look worth trying such as Kentish Pigeons in a Pot with Plums or ... for the less adventurous ... Pork Fillet in Mustard Cream Sauce. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)
- British Turkey Information Service
- This is a great source for interesting things to do with turkey. The styles are variable -- Moroccan, Thai, Indian, healthy (i.e., low fat). Servings, prep time, cooking time, and fat content are provided. You'll thank me for this one when you're trying to figure out what to do with the turkey leftovers. Note that although I open this in a relatively small new window the turkey site re-sizes it for you. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)
- IrishFood.com
- You have to register to get to the recipes, but I've never had any unsolicited e-mail (at least so far). There are six categories of recipes to choose from: fish, stews, breads, meat dishes, desserts, other; and you can also supply a keyword to narrow the search. There aren't thousands of recipes so I just left the keyword blank and looked through all the recipes in a category. The site is reasonably fast once you've logged on and navigation is good, too. There are plenty of very interesting recipes so it's not just the basic Irish stew and soda bread stuff. Melon Delight (fish, prawns, fruit with an avocado cream dressing) sounded very appetizing. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)
- Delia Online
- From what I've heard, you either love her or hate her (kind of like Martha Stewart). There are hundreds of recipes (with pictures), but I found the navigation a bit tiresome and slow. I'd say it's an upscale kind of site, I couldn't find bubble and squeak or bangers and mash. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)
- Haggis Recipes
- If you don't know what haggis is, I'm not going to tell you, you'll have to look at the recipes for yourself. All I'll tell you is that I've never tried it, nor have I ever had the opportunity. There are a dozen recipes that, according to the site author are "sorted in order of increasing use of animal parts that would normally be thrown away". The recipe instructions are clear, but you may have difficulty finding some of the ingredients. The site got a slightly higher rating than you might expect due to the uniqueness rating factor. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)
- Laura's Recipes (Laura's Traditional Family Recipes from Scotland)
- The URL changed again, but I found it. Some "down home" Scottish recipes. You may need some help with terms if you haven't looked at other recipes from the UK, but otherwise most of these look interesting and easy to make. There is a nice, small section of whisky recipes that may interest some of you such as a Casserole of Beef with Herb Dumplings (with a wee bit of whisky). There are some standard recipes such as Scotch Broth and Scotch Eggs and a few I haven't encountered often such as Black Pudding Fritters and a side dish called Skirlie. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)
- Taste
- A British site that is difficult to classify, but appears to be run by Sainsbury and Carlton Entertainment. They have many British recipes and also a large number of others. The search concept is interesting because you can search by recipe name, a course, or by ingredients you have in your fridge. The site can be a bit slow at times. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)
- The British Barbeque Pit
- Tips on barbecuing and "grilling" (and the author knows the difference). There are detailed plans for building a smoker, recipes, tips, and a separate area on sausage making. Definitely worth a look although I find that when it loads the pages are sometimes a bit out of whack (probably because they make extensive use of layers in their html code). They also have some irritating music on the pages. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)
- Yorkshire Recipes
- A small but interesting site comprised of mostly family recipes (a few from Mrs. Beeton's cookbook). There are multiple renditions of Yorkshire Pudding, a number of Trifle iterations, some wonderful candy recipes, and a few of the "old standbys" such as Toad in the Hole and Pork Pie. Some of you might also be interested in the Brews section which contains assorted wine and beer recipes. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)
- Authentic Cornish Recipes
- ** Site is gone -- will look for it ** This isn't a big fancy site, but does have contributed recipes for pasties, main dishes, desserts, beverages, and Christmas. There are six different pasty recipes, a couple of saffron roll recipes, plum puddings, spiced Cornish mead, and Christmas puddings. The recipes vary quite a bit in measurement precision, but that's to be expected with family recipes. You'll just have to figure it out. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)
- Connie's Cornish Kitchen
- A dozen and a half recipes that seem to be good old family recipes -- most of them sweets of one sort or another. There's a pasty recipe, one for "Figgie Hobin" and another for "Fuggan" (both appear to be a cookies or sweets of some sort), several cakes are included and also a couple of rather potent sounding beverages (Ginger Wine and a drink called Mahogany). Watch out for the flashing ads at the top of the page ... they drove me crazy. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)
- Scotia's Scottish Recipes
- A bit haphazard in organization and the music might drive you crazy, but some nice recipes. You'll find Baps (Scottish Yeast Rolls), Forfar Birdies, Shepherd's Pie, a variety of curries, Cullen Skink, and more. The recipe instructions are clear, but I'll emphasize, again, you just have to look around since I can't find any organizational theme. (Last reviewed: 26 Dec 2004)