Channel Islands cuisine is the cooking styles, traditions and recipes of the Crown dependencies of the Channel Islands, namely the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and of Jersey.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Pais_au_fou%2C_Jersey_bean_crock.jpg/300px-Pais_au_fou%2C_Jersey_bean_crock.jpg)
Among the islands' specialities are locally-caught seafood, rich Channel Island milk, Guernsey Bean Jar, and Jersey cabbage loaf.
Shared
editLocally-caught seafood has traditionally been important to the cuisines of both Guernsey and Jersey: mussels (called moules locally), scallops, oysters, lobster and crabs — especially spider crabs which are considered a particular delicacy. Ormers are conserved and fishing is restricted; they were made into Ormer casserole.[1][2] A speciality is conger eel soup.[3]
Channel Island milk being very rich with a higher fat and protein content than milk from Holstein Friesian cattle, cream and butter have played a large part in insular cooking.[4]
The "gastronomic hotspot"[5] islands of Guernsey, Jersey, and Sark have 16 restaurants listed in the Good Food Guide.[5] Jersey's Bohemia restaurant has a Michelin star and five AA Rosettes.[5]
Guernsey
editDishes traditional in Guernsey cuisine are the Guernsey gâche, a rich fruit bread,[1] gâche mêlaïe, a dense apple cake,[1] and Guernsey Bean Jar, a type of cassoulet of pork and beans.[1]
Jersey
editBean crock (les pais au fou) can best be described as a sort of Norman cassoulet. It is a slow-cooked pork and bean stew, most authentically containing a pig's trotter, water and onions.[6]
Cabbage loaf is the traditional Jersey bread baked between two cabbage leaves, while Jersey wonders are a kind of doughnut, not filled with jam.[1]
Jersey Royal potatoes are the local variety of new potato, and the island is famous for its early crop of small, tasty [citation needed] potatoes from the south-facing côtils (steeply-sloping fields).[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "10 Most Popular Traditional Foods in the Channel Islands". TasteAtlas. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Jersey food culture". Jersey.com. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Conger soup". BBC. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Market Prospects for Channel Island milk". Milk Development Council. 18 January 2010. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^ a b c Smithers, Rebecca (10 September 2019). "Channel Islands crowned gastronomic 'hotspot'". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Bean Crock (Un Poit et des Pais au Fou)". BBC. Retrieved 18 September 2021.