Has traditional cooking gone up in flames?

08:46 07 July 2009

Most of Britain’s kitchens have a designated place for recipes – be it books on a shelf or a page torn from a magazine; the vast majority of us have turned to them at some point – for inspiration, novelty or to impress that certain someone.

Despite the continuing sales of the Delia, Jamie and Nigella era cookbooks, a new generation of food lovers are going online to expand their culinary repertoire.

Two-thirds of women and more than a third of men have used the internet to find a recipe, while a fifth of us have watched an online cookery show. This trend is particularly strong among the young (nearly a third of 16-24-year-olds have clicked on an online cooking tutorial), but by no means exclusively so.

While the recession is forcing many of us to think twice about dining in our favourite restaurants, recent figures have highlighted that some consumers are prepared to spend more money on food and drinks products with a quality stamp of approval.

Furthermore, the rise of online food blogging and sharing of recipes and cooking ideas means weÂ’re getting more creative in the kitchen - particularly when it comes to entertaining guests.

One in five budding chefs now consider the internet to learn about food in order to impress.

Recipes aren’t the only source of important food information –issues of quality and production are also key, as are the history and provenance of what we eat. While poorer quality substitutes can be tempting for their price, our European neighbours are well-known for their food for a reason.

From Burgundy and Douro Valley wines, Port to Parma Ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, knowing where our food comes from and that it is of the highest quality and flavour is essential, which is why the Discover the Origin scheme is educating people on the EU’s ‘PDO stamp of approval’ attributed to these five food and drink products certifying that they are unique to a particular region and of the finest standard.

Fine food and wine are one of life’s great pleasures and should be explored in all their glory through whatever means – online or otherwise.

Here are some fantastic European recipe ideas which, according to Peter Gordon, Head Chef of two eminent London restaurants, can “help create a restaurant style meal within your own home”, put together by two top chefs.  

Kevin Dundon cooks Parma Ham wrapped pork:

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For more information visit www.discovertheorigin.co.uk