British cuisine, a treat? It would not take much. The coronation of Charles III, which will take place on May 6, offers in any case the opportunity to highlight the exceptional terroir of the country. And not just its fish and chips, made up of breaded fish and chips, which would make 56% of Britons happy to belong to the United Kingdom according to the National Health Service (NHS) - that's more than Queen Elizabeth II (49%) or James Bond (42%).

The bad reputation of English gastronomy, which would like it to be, apart from fish and chips, very bland and tasteless, does not do justice to the richness of local productions. Between the Jersey potatoes grown on the British island since the late nineteenth century, the Scottish reefs where scallops and lobster are caught or the wagyu and lamb cattle that graze in the English countryside with green grass, the United Kingdom knows how to delight the taste buds.

A rich marine terroir

In London, Michelin-starred chef Clare Smyth, the former lieutenant of Gordon Ramsay's three-star hotel, has long staged Her Majesty's terroir. At her Core by Clare Smyth table, as the gourmet plates unfold, customers are told where the ingredients come from and the story of their producers. There is the scallop nut from the Scottish island of Harris. There are the small shrimps of Morecambe Bay, an opening to the sea located in the northwest of England, from where excursions to the Isle of Man depart. There are Porthilly oysters, born in the estuary of the River Camel in Cornwall. The rich marine terroir of the United Kingdom had not escaped the attention of the three-star chef Anne-Sophie Pic, when she opened her restaurant La Dame de Pic, at Ten Trinity Square in London in 2017. The table, starred since, offered at its opening Cornish crab. Now, the menu offers a bird's eye view into the iodized flavors of Cornish mackerel and Scottish lobster. Another French chef who has made his breakthrough in England, Hélène Darroze, triple starred since 2021 at the restaurant "At the Connaught" in London also. The Michelin Guide praises: "a more feminine and less formal face", "a seasoned team to ensure that we take care of everyone" and dishes that "focus on their main ingredient, always of exceptional quality, from Cornish lobster to Welsh grouse".

Quality English meat

Of course, the English agricultural model is not anchored in the same way as that of France in French culture, especially since the United Kingdom is very dependent on imports, as the French Ministry of Agriculture writes. The agricultural sector represents only 0.7% of the country's GDP while 20% of farms use nearly three quarters of the usable land. British agriculture is also struggling to get rid of the health crises that have deeply affected it, such as mad cow disease in the 1990s.

If in the east of the kingdom, we focus on crops, in the west the advantage is given to livestock. And there are highly sought-after quality meats such as pre-salted lamb, raised on the coast of Wales, in the Gower Peninsula, and benefiting from a Protected Geographical Indication. The animals feed on crystal sea, sea lavender or sorrel, which makes their flesh delicious. In Wales, there are various recognized farms, such as Gloucestershire pork (Old Spot). It is said to be the oldest breed in the world; its pedigree dating back to 1,790. In the pork section, do not miss the Cumberland sausages, which have a Protected Geographical Indication. Finally, in London, at Clare Smyth's table, you can enjoy wagyu beef raised on Scottish soil. In Perthshire, a couple farms 10,000 hectares of a farm for their herd built up since 2011.

The range of British terroir would not be complete without a mention of its rich cheese platter. If the France boasts of presenting a variety of more than 1,200 names, the kingdom of Charles III can boast of making about 700. Because no, it's not just cheddar from the other side of the Channel. The English countryside is conducive to the production of different blues, including the iconic Stilton. But you also have to taste the Exmoor Blue produced in Somerset or the Buxton Blue.

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