British food is the latest novelty dish in domestic restaurants

New British food specialising in local and seasonable ingredients is challenging the decades-old dominance of French cooking in the country's restaurants, a new guide concludes.

Although the top restaurants are still based on French training and techniques, Which?'s Good Food Guide says that there has been a rapid growth in recent years of cooks who reinterpret traditional British dishes for modern diners.

For instance, the acclaimed The Three Fishes in Lancashire serves lamb hotpot with pickled red cabbage, while the Buttery in Glasgow mixes Mull mussels and haddock with bacon, shallots and parsley.

Some of the top chefs in the country, such as Heston Blumenthal, are now also making a point of championing old and sometimes long-forgotten dishes. Mr Blumenthal, the experimental wunderkind of British cooking, will next month introduce Lancashire hotpot to the Fat Duck in Bray, becoming the only three-Michelin-starred restaurant to have the hearty meat dish on its menu.

Mr Blumenthal has also been working with historians at Hampton Court to reintroduce recipes from bygone centuries at his Hinds Head pub, which is devoted to British cooking. One of the dishes is Quaking Pudding, a white jelly from the 16th century made with eggs, milk and breadcrumbs.

"Because our food culture was not really as rich as the Mediterranean countries like France, Spain and Italy, we have taken on influences from the outside much more than we have looked at our own," the chef said. "But over the last few years, I think we have become a lot more confident in our cooking."

Andrew Turvil, the editor of the new guide, said: "The term 'British cuisine' might conjure up spam fritters, soggy cabbage and overcooked potatoes, but times are changing.

"Many restaurants are name-checking locally produced and regional produce on their menus. It seems to be something that they are caring passionately about and about which they want to alert their customers. And they are placing themselves very much in their environment.

"There has been a good increase in British cooking in some of the more provincial parts of the country like Cornwall, where now a lot of the restaurants opening don't have any specific cuisine style but, broadly speaking, are British.

"It's not Ye Olde British food, but taking the best local ingredients and allowing them to shine."

The four restaurants that score top marks for cooking in the guide - Gordon Ramsay's eponymous restaurant in Chelsea; the Fat Duck at Bray; Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons at Great Milton, and Winteringham Fields, Lincolnshire - still have a strong French theme.

However, even in these and other fine restaurants the degree of Britishness is rising. "They may have their roots in classical French training, but they are making the most of locally produced and seasonable produce," said Mr Turvil.

"A lot of the chefs who have been trained and passed through the kitchens of the Roux Brothers or Marco Pierre White, and have had a grounding in French food, are now running their own restaurants and are looking for their own identity. Paul Heathcoate, who does scallops with black puddings, has his roots in traditional cooking, but is delivering it for the modern age."

Mark Hix, the Independent's cookery writer, and author of the book British Food, is touring the country to write a book on the growth of British regional cuisine. He said many cooks were beginning to discover excellent local cheeses and meats made by small producers.

"Cities like London have taken on so many other types of cuisine - Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, Portuguese, Spanish - and we are surrounded by that now. And I think a lot of chefs are thinking 'What next?', and the answer is on our doorstep," he said.

The new menu

STARTER: Seared Cornish squid and scallops with dill, honey and mustard dressing.

MAIN: Oven roast, hand-reared rump of lamb, lavender and garlic jus.

DESSERTS: Strawberry meringue, lavender ice cream, blackcurrant coulis, toasted nuts.

Source: Percy's in Virginstow, Cornwall

Interesting? Click here to explore further