Classic British recipes that are said to be at risk of becoming extinct in a few years time. A surprising list of great British recipes at risk
20 Traditional British Recipes at Risk
I was shocked to read a list recently, online, of what I would call traditional and classic British recipes that are at risk of becoming extinct over the next few years.
Included in the list, shockingly, were Victoria sponge cake, rock cakes, scones and jam tarts.
Surely not I thought, as these are the mainstay recipes of an afternoon tea (or cream tea), quaint English tearooms or the family tea time table.
Also included in the list were Chelsea buns, and rhubarb crumble, which also seemed unbelievable, as who doesn’t love a bowl of rhubarb crumble doused in creamy custard, or a squidgy fruited bun with a cup of tea.
I regularly bake all of these historic recipes, and I’m now on a mission to make sure they most definitely won’t die out – not on my watch anyway!
My plan is to bake them for the Warm Space Hub I volunteer at every week, as well as make sure they are regular guests on my weekly Sunday tea tray.
Other “at risk” dishes which appear on the savoury list of recipes, are regional favourites I grew up with such as shepherd’s pie, cheese & onion pie.
As well as pan haggerty and panackelty, both of which hail from the North East of England.
It seems incredible that these comforting family meals are on their way out, and I’d be very upset if they ultimately fell out of favour, as they represent the communities in which they originate from.
There are a few traditional Welsh dishes and bakes on the list, all of which I have made and have shared the recipes on my website in the past.
Namely Glamorgan sausages, Welsh lamb, and Teisen Lap, which is a delicious Welsh fruit cake.
Food trends come and go, but some of the recipes listed seem all together totally out of tune to what home cooks regularly bake, and what you’ll find on a quintessential British tea room menu or in a pub.
I’m aghast at the what appears on these lists and plan to save them all with the help of my website, here, and on my social media accounts – what are your thoughts?
List of British Recipes at Risk of Extinction
List of British Baked Recipes at Risk of Extinction
Recipes at Risk on Lavender & Lovage
- Glamorgan Sausages (Selsig Morgannwg)
- Country Cottage Comfort Food: Nanny’s Pan Haggerty
- Cheese & Onion Plate Pie
- Panackelty – Store Cupboard Hot-Pot
Read my interview with Country Living magazine here:
20 traditional British dishes at risk of extinction – and the dates we might lose them
Gail Rogers says
Several of the recipes mentioned for extinction wre childhood favorites. My grandmother ran boarding house. She would bak up lots of goodies for her boarders and us. How coukd anyone even think of losing these fabulous foods.
Karen Burns-Booth says
I’m also very surprised at how many of these recipes are supposed to be on the way out – I make so many of them regularly.
susan says
Unfortunately th e American bakes seem to be taking over but hopefully those of us who love British recipes can keep them alive. My grandmother was a cook and she must be turning in her grave she taught me all of these recipes. I Intend to carry on baking British!
Karen Burns-Booth says
I agree! I refuse to call small buns cup cakes, they’re fairy cakes, buns or butterfly cakes to me!
BudgetMart says
Explore the unique charm of traditional cuisine with this insightful article on Classic British Recipes That Are Said to Be at Risk of Becoming Extinct from Lavender and Lovage. It highlights the cultural significance of these dishes and why we should preserve them for future generations. And for all your cooking needs.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thank you so much – I intend to carry on baking and cooking these recipes!
Luca says
That article must have been written either as a joke, or by a very bored writer – none of this data is useful, even if 2,000 people was anything close to a large enough sample size. No, Victoria Sponge and Shepard’s Pie are not going extinct, that’s ridiculous, and neither are any of these other things. That’s not even how recipes work lol