Dishes Unique to Southern England

If you live in the South of England there are certain wonderful dishes that are unique to the area.  Dishes made of cabbage and broccoli are quite common in the area just simply because these are major produce grown there.

Broccoli is used in a lot of dishes in the South of England and often just cooked plain with bacon or made more delicious with the addition of a creamy texture. An unusual dish in the area is Broccoli flan, which uses cream and broccoli to make a creamy pie that sits in a bed of rolled oats.  Chicken and Broccoli pie, especially the deep-dish variety topped with potatoes, is also a local favorite.

Cabbage and Hazelnut buns are also a specialty.  Hazelnuts, also known as filberts or cobnuts, are grown in the Southern English county of Kent. These are rolls made of potatoes, chopped hazelnuts and breadcrumbs that are rolled up together in big leaves of cabbage and then baked.

Another traditional dish made with hazelnuts is the Hazelnut Cartwheel.  This is cake crumbs, hazelnuts and raisins that are coated with eggs and sugar and then baked in the oven.

Oats are used in a lot of dishes and many pies and breads are made with oat rather than wheat or rye.  Oast Cakes are a traditional baked good. These are thin, fried  scones that are dredged in sugar and dotted with cherry ham.

There is a very old traditional pigeon pie called Kentish Pigeons in A Pot With Plums that is also still served in the area.  Fruit is widely used in Kent in many stews and casseroles. This dish is made with pigeons, flour, herbs, port, plums, nutmeg and whole fried pigeons. The game is touched off with a generous grating of whole nutmeg.

Another wonderful and very simple dish that makes great use of the local produce is warm watercress potato and bacon salad.  The bitter watercress is slightly wilted and the entire dish is bathed with a mix of butter and vinegar.

Another dish unique to the area is as soup called London Particular. This is the Southern England version of pea soup. It is made of spit dried peas, ham stock, yogurt, bacon rashers and a lot of butter. It is one of those thick and salty meals that served with a thick slice of oat bread can make a meal.