Regional Foods of South East England
The South East of England benefits from a warm, moist climate and fertile soil, allowing its farmers to grow and raise almost anything, which is just as well, because the ever-expanding capital city of London has an enormous appetite.
From this soil and the people of the South East comes some delicious fare and the fantastic regional foods of South East England. Learn more about the South East and its fabulous food in our food guide.
Kent
The lush green county of Kent has long been known as ‘The Garden of England’. Also farmed extensively are the rolling hills of Sussex and the plains of Hampshire. All of these counties border onto the English Channel, which is a valuable source of an enormous variety of fish and shellfish. Many varieties of apples, pears, plums, cherries (introduced by the Romans) and soft fruits have been cultivated in Kent since at least Tudor times. This may have influenced the region’s love of a pudding: there are hundreds of Kentish desserts, many incorporating fruit or the locally grown hazelnuts, also known as Kentish cobnuts. One creamy favourite is Kentish pudding pie (page 160), which is similar to a baked cheesecake.
Eve's Pudding
Just like the people of Kent, we love a pudding. And this Eve's Pudding is a great one.
Puddings
The neighbouring county of Sussex has a quintessentially English steamed pudding named after it. Sussex pond pudding (page 158) is made with butter, brown sugar and lemon in a suet pastry case, the delicious dark oozy contents earning the dish its name. Substitute dried fruit for lemon, and the name changes to Kentish wells pudding. Other famous sweet fare from Sussex include lardy Johns and Sussex heavies. Across the border, Hampshire offers an equally intriguingly named dessert in the form of friar’s omelette, in which the soft flesh from baked apples is mixed with spices and egg yolk before being baked until set firm.
If you fancy trying out any of the recipes mentioned, use the page numbers provided for where to find the recipes in the Around Britain cookbook, which includes more regional recipes from across Britain.
Shrimp Noodles
From Mexican to Japanese, London showcases a variety of cuisines from across the world. But you can bring the variety to you with these tasty Shrimp Noodles!
The coast and the capital
The coastline that surrounds the South East, together with the rivers that weave across it, provide an enormous amount of fish and shellfish. It is well known that oysters were once so ubiquitous that only the poor bothered to eat them, but other freshwater produce included eels and trout. Meanwhile, the sea offers shellfish, the delicate Dover sole and other flatfish. What was once transported to be sold from London’s fresh food markets now travels in to meet the capital’s need for food. The abundant choice of the city’s restaurants allows you to choose authentic fare from all around the globe. Whatever you are looking for, you are bound to find – and with a choice.
Famous food
Finally, several dishes from this region rejoice in famous names. The strawberry, meringue and cream of Eton mess (page 148) was created for visiting parents to picnic on, while Boodles orange fool (page 146) gets its name from the St James’s club where it originated. London particular (page 30) is a pea and ham soup created by chefs at Simpson’s in the Strand and named using the term for London’s smog coined by Charles Dickens in his novel Bleak House. Meanwhile Brown Windsor soup bears the name of the royal castle in Berkshire. If you have any pictures or videos of the South East and its delicious food, or if you have a go at making one of the regional foods of South East England, feel free to share it with us on Instagram and Facebook!
