Miles Collins

Celebrating all things English

April 23rd is St.George’s Day in England. St.George is the patron saint of England (and others) and, I am sad to say is not celebrated with the same enthusiasm as that of the patron saints of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Quite why St.Patrick’s day is considered such an event in England by non-Irish revellers puzzles me in the same way we turned half of our pubs into Irish themed bars in the early nineties. Not that I have anything against the Irish, or anyone else. More the point that the English do not celebrate their identity and heritage in the way other countries do.

Saying that we seem to be going through a bit of a British revival in food terms at the moment. How long that will last is anyone’s guess but we should make the most of it whilst we can.

I was discussing the similarities of tea breads with my French and German pastry chefs the other day. We were enjoying a slice of that wonderful French invention ‘Pain d’ Epice’ with a cup of tea. I talked of the use of spice in baked goods from the three countries we were born in and how methods and ingredients had resulted in similar recipes. Each of our countries had invaded the other at some point in history and I suppose it was inevitable that dishes have evolved as a result of those early occupying armies and their servants.

So what should we eat on St.George’s Day? Well much depends on your circumstance I suppose. A pie or stew would be suitable as would a roast, fish was traditionally eaten on a Friday so that’s out. You could boil a ham or leg of mutton and cover it with parsley and caper sauce respectively. If you’re on your own then make a soup; watercress, mulligatawny, pea or oxtail would be fine.  

Me, I’m thinking a slice of seed cake and a cup of tea, a five minute respite during a busy day. I’ll raise my cup in the direction of our George and England, my country and what it means to me.

Happy St. George’s Day for the 23rd.