The online magazine
dedicated to the
discussion & revival
of British foodways.

NO.72
FALL/WINTER2023

A Dinner from Bristol

with Recipes for Simmered Bacon and Bristolian Seed Cake

The southwest of England is justly famous, at least within Britain, for a number of foods; crabs and cream from Devon, pasties from Cornwall, apples, their cider and recently apple spirits from Somerset, buns and chaps from Bath, cheddar from Cheddar and many more. Few foods, however, historically have been associated with its cultural capital. Here are two Bristolian dishes, one old and one (relatively) new, courtesy of Jane Grigson. We have adapted both recipes from her 1984 book on regional foods, The Observer Guide to British Cookery. Measurements for these two recipes are by weight rather than volume unless otherwise noted. Start dinner off with a cold crab dish of your choosing.