Flavours of England: Soups and Starters

A warming bowl of soup for winter or a cooling bowl of iced soup for summer, England can boast the best of both with recipes such as thick, rich Split Pea and York Ham soup or cool cream of Watercress for a warm summer’s day. For a sophisticated starter, why go further than a plate of smoked salmon. The Foreman family have been curing and smoking fish in the East End of London since 1905 and their London Cure Scottish Smoked Salmon is said to be the finest in the world. For a taste of the sea to start your meal perhaps a devilled crab from Northumberland or across on the west coast even some of the famous Morcambe Bay potted shrimps. Then there is always the delicious Cumbrian Ham produced by the Woodall family or even some beetroot salad with warm black pudding a product synonymous with Lancashire cuisine. East Anglia produces some of the best asparagus ever and this teams up well with local cheese, but there again, wild mushrooms and Kentish cobnut pate might fit the bill too. The recipes collected here utilise the finest ingredients sourced from across England to help you create a delicious range of diverse and versatile soups and starters. Recipes included: Traditional Smoked Salmon with Dill Blini, Cream of Watercress Soup, Wild Mushroom and Hazelnut Pate, West Country Fennel and Apple Soup, Beetroot Salad with Warm Black Pudding, Morcambe Bay Potted Shrimps, Split Pea and York Ham Soup, Cumbrian Ham with Fresh Figs and Parmesan Crisps, Devilled Northumbrian Crab, Asparagus and Suffolk Gold Puffs.

Gilli Davies is the author of 20 books, including Graffeg's Flavours of Wales series and Celtic Cuisine,and has made numerous appearances in the media, on regional and national radio and TV, and in newspapers. Along with running restaurants in Oxford, Berlin and an organic café in Cardiff, Gilli has 40 years of experience giving cookery demonstrations. Huw Jones is a food photography specialist. His specifically designed studio is among the best equipped in the UK, with all dishes prepared and photographed on site using the high-est standard industry equipment. His stunning images complement Gilli s recipes in Graffeg's Flavours of Wales series, and the range of seasonal cookbooks from Angela Gray's Cookery School.