From Bath Chaps To Bara Brith: The Taste Of South West Britain

by Laura Mason, Catherine Brown, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Foreword)

This volume is from The Taste of Britain series that describes British foods – both raw ingredients and products – that belong to their region in the same way as French foods are linked to their terroir (soil). Surveying the foodstuffs of South West England, the Channel Islands and Wales, the authors delve into the history and culinary traditions of local fare such as Dittisham plums, Plymouth Gin, Caerphilly Cheese and the mighty Jersey Royal Potato.

Genres: Food

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Lee Broderick]

This book is one of four culled from Traditional Foods of Britain: An Inventory . Since that book owed its genesis to an EU funded project it's perhaps no surprise that the "South West" region is the one generally promoted by the modern British government rather than the traditional peninsula defined region and, as such, this includes foods from Wiltshire and Herefordshire, even though the map at the front of the book does not place these counties in the region. Additionally, the Channel Islands (just four items) and Wales (seventeen), as suggested by the title, if not the subtitle, are included in the book.

This is not a recipe book but a very well researched catalogue of regional British gastronomic specialities. Each item has its physical appearance described, its history and the outlines of its production. The original project investigated regional foodstuffs across the EU and the intention was obviously to identify foods that were in danger of being lost to global production. It's both a fascinating read and a worthy reference work - I now planning on buying its parent volume.