The race is on to find the official Capital of Cuisine. Which town produces the finest food? The best cheese...? The most delectable wine...? The finest sweetest ham...? The most accredited restaurants....? At least it is in food-loving France where a government committee, the French Mission on Food Culture and Heritage, have been assigned the frankly not-very-onerous task of deciding upon the town with the most to offer food tourists of the world. And to settle once and for all who’s the best in the world, ever ever ever (because the French really really care about that).
As you might expect, the competition is already pretty fierce and the French are no slouches when it comes to defending ‘la belle cuisine’. In the running are Lyon, with its 64 Michelin-starred restaurants and pike quenelles; Dijon making its claim with mustard, Boeuf Bourguignon and snails, Beaune, home to the excellent Burgundian wine and even Tours in the Loire Valley, boasting proudly of its goats cheeses. Even Rungis, the world’s biggest food market, is in with a chance, on the slightly unfair basis that it has more fresh produce than any other town...
It’s been a long time coming, but such a mission raises an interesting question about Britain too. Given that we are really catching on to this ‘good food thing’, starting to value and even seek out our own local and artisanal products as well as welcoming an absolute cornucopia of global cuisine to our shores, could we go about naming the town, or even region, with the best food? And should London even be part of the debate? Let’s face it, it has the population to justify the experimentation, but it’s not the only swinger in town.
If you take into account indigenous produce, then surely Lincolnshire rates with its ways with a pig? Or Nottingham for the innovation of Sat Bains? Or Cornwall for its seafood? Or somewhere in Scotland for the same and game? Or Ludlow for its food festivals and restaurants? When you really start to chow down, you realise that there’s barely a market town or shire in the country that isn’t, in some small way, contributing to the greater good of your stomach. And even more excitingly, we are not – as the French are – as wedded to our traditional dishes. Sure they’re brilliant when well done, but let’s not forget our willingness to sample the strange and different – it says a lot for our inclusive appetites.
So let’s hear it – what would be your nomination for the British Capital of Cuisine? There has to be some element of local produce/good restaurant/local dish involved otherwise it’s just not cricket. It might be that some hot-to-trot food truck is making waves in the community, or your way with a prawn just defies description – enthusiasm is what counts, so who would you vote for?
