Great British Food

Written by (Cass Titcombe, Dominic Lake & Patrick Clayton-Malone)

Canteen took the London restaurant scene by storm in 2005. Their no-nonsense, modern-meets-classic menu has brought British cooking to the High Street once more.

Unapologetically nostalgic, their first cookbook is a splendidly comforting collection of 120 British recipes, paying homage to their signature dishes and resurrecting the country’s honourable tradition of affordable honest food. 

With chapters dedicated to classic British institutions, the book opens with the ‘all day breakfast’, along with recipes ranging from rhubarb compote with yoghurt and granola, to hot buttered Arbroath smokies. Their champion signature dish, the unassuming pie, features regularly too with varieties from the time-honoured steak & kidney to some more adventurous and inspiring creations such as duck, chestnut & prune, or squash, chard & sage. Sweet dishes are similarly irresistible – apple brandy syllabub and chocolate beetroot cake are just two mouthwatering examples.

Featuring original photography and innovative design, the content of the book reflects the team’s devotion to quality and excellence in all that they do. Authors Cass Titcombe, Patrick Clayton-Malone and Dominic Lake are the people behind the Canteen operation and by celebrating their modern take on traditional recipes in this stylish collection, this book looks set to be one of the most talked-about recipe tomes of 2010.

**Reviewed by:** Carine Seitz