Liverpool is known for a few of our own unique meals, some of them brought by foreign sailors, such as Labskause, today known as Scouse. Scousers and tourists alike can order a bowl of Scouse in venues and restaurants across Liverpool including Maggie May’s Cafe, Ma Boyle’s Alehouse and The Cavern Club Restaurant, to name just a few places.
Looking more broadly at the UK, Toad In The Hole may sound strange to the average person and even more foreign to Gen Z, but in most places in the UK it remains a popular evening meal. Although restaurants in Liverpool such as The Philharmonic Dining Rooms serves Toad In The Hole, the question is, if these type of dishes are popular amongst a younger audience?
According to research, Gen Z are at risk of archiving more of these classic dishes. Puddings as an example are in danger of extinction with 18% believing the spotted dick is imaginary, and 13% believing that Eton Mess doesn’t count as an actual dish.
In addition, people aged between 18-30 say that old school staples like pie, mash and liquor and a simple Ploughman’s lunch could be non-existent over the next few decades because Gen Z have never tried them.
To ensure that these treasured dishes are not forgotten chefs still include them in their menus today. Gordon Ramsay serves Spotted Dick at his restaurant aptly named Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill.
With a dwindling popularity rate, some classic British recipes are seeing their way into history books rather than cook books. Delicacies such as Laverbread saw a decline around the mid-20th century. The decline was so much that in the 1970s BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming program saw it as a food that was to be assigned to the history books.
With a decline in favour of more classic dishes, it cannot go unsaid that the British food scene is trying to integrate and keep the older recipes alive in the form of newer and innovative ways. Modern takes on our favourites are getting a revamp and the interest in reinvigorating these dishes is growing. This can be seen through the multicultural diversity in eateries that are in and around England.
Local Liverpool restaurants like Fodder will serve you Wet Nelly and at Baltic Bakehouse you can try a Chelsea Bun, and other UK delicacies.
If you are interested in trying new ‘old’ dishes, Gala Bingo has listed 10 classic British meals on their blog, and if you find any of them interesting, you can most likely try them at pubs and restaurants around Liverpool. The list can be found here.
