If you are a foodie and you travel in Europe, then the great food markets are a must. Paris seems to have one on every block. Italy, Turkey, … Each nation has shining examples. My favorite? It is in London: Borough Market. A must stop. And a protected place. An act of Parliament states that the space can only be used for selling food.
And eating.
Iqaul Wahhab, from Bangladesh no less, has established London restaurants of incredible quality. For his second venture, Iqual wanted to create a great British restaurant. He notes the irony that in London, if you asked your hotel for a list of the best restaurants, they once would be happy to supply with the names of splendid Indian, French, or Chinese establishments. A great British place? Well, that could cause some head scratching. Until 2005 when Roast Restaurant opened in Borough Market.
This cookbook is by the second chef at Roast, Marcus Verberne. A native of New Zealand, Marcus has since moved on to the private club 67 Pall Mall. In his years at Roast, he accelerated the program to showcase British ingredients, British recipes, and British culinary skills.
Roast is the ultimate British cookbook. The first chapter? All about ingredients? No, it’s about carving: roast chicken, prime rib of beef, leg of lamb, saddle of lamb, and pork loin. You immediately realize that protein is on the menu.
Roast Restaurant is open from early morning to late at night. You can get breakfast there, a very British breakfast with offerings like Black Pudding Hash with a Fried Egg and Girolles [that’s sausage and Chanterelles for Americans]. Or if you have morning sweet tooth, there is the Eggy Bread with Crispy Bacon and Roast Bananas in Golden Syrup.
Beyond breakfast, the chapters include:
- From the Sea
- Poultry
- Lamb, Mutton, and Goa
- Pork
- Beef
- Game
- Vegetables
- Puddings
- Basics
So, there is more here than Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding, though those two do of course appear. The very British suggestions here include:
Baked Goose Eggs with Chicken Livers, Bacon and Sourdough Sliders
Beef Shin and Ale Pie with a Suet Crust and Baked Bone Marrow
Blood Orange, Honey and Mustard Salad Dressing
Mixed Bean and Bleed Orange Salad with Foraged Herbs and Goat Cheese
Chicken, Leek and Oyster Mushroom Pie
Gin-Cured Salmon with Soused Cucumbers
Lancashire Hotpot [lamb neck and lamb stock with potatoes and onions]
Wild Rabbit and Cider Pie with Snails and Ramsons
Gamekeeper’s Terrine [partridge, pheasant, duck, and rabbit]
Plum and Almond Tart with Bay Leaf Ice Cream
Sticky Date Pudding with Poached Autumn Fruits and Clotted Cream
The odds are that you have never sampled any of these dishes. The odds are certain, dead certain, that you should. As you page through this book, there is no confusion. This is not French food, not Italian. It is definitively European and distinctly British.
How hard are the recipes here? This is not a weeknight cookbook. The ingredient lists are long, often 20+. The instructions come in three columns of print set with a small font. That means the instructions are dense, both to read and to execute. These are recipes for your weekend, when you have some time and perhaps a lovely bottle of wine to serve as your afternoon’s companion.
This book is a journey across Britain, featuring the products of fields and farms from across the nation. It features the best. It is the best.
Roast Restaurant is located in the Borough Market complex. If you ever can, do.