 The French term "haute cuisine" used to describe elaborate, skilfully prepared food. It is now part of the English language. Its assimilation, however, into the gastronomic vocabulary of the British public, has been a gradual and tentative affair, spanning a period of nearly two hundred years.
The description has its origins in late sixteenth, early seventeenth century France where, as early as 1604, the publication of Ouverture de Cuisine by Lancelot de Casteau defined the strict rules for preparing and presenting food to the country's aristocracy. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, a flurry of culinary guidelines followed. Significantly, most were compiled by famous French chefs, well versed in the complexities of satisfying the exacting tastes of the upper echelons of French society.
The British, meanwhile, remained largely untouched by the niceties of haute cuisine. That is, until the appointment of French chef, par excellence, Antonin Carême, by the then Prince Regent. Carême's task was to take charge of the kitchens at the Brighton Pavilion and to pander to the hitherto undemanding palates of the British nobility. The employment of a French Master Chef was, indeed, a great culinary coup and a defining moment in the history of British cooking. Haute cuisine had arrived on British territory.
Elaborate 100-course banquets, at the Pavilion, became commonplace - once or even twice daily! Antonin Carême, often referred to as the "founder of French gastronomy", embraced his mission of tantalising the taste-buds of the British aristocracy with a passion and fervour, as yet unwitnessed in courtly circles. Rich, sugar and fat-laden dishes, with elaborate, sculpted centrepieces became the order of the day! During this era, however, the joys of haute cuisine were confined to the British nobility.
Carême only worked at the Brighton Pavilion for two years. But, during that brief period, he succeeded, in establishing a gastronomic benchmark to which future generations of wealthy British would aspire.
From then on, French chefs with their menus, written exclusively in a foreign language, became highly coveted, in wealthy circles. Later, in 1890, a fanfare of publicity accompanied the arrival of the "chef of kings and king of chefs", Auguste Escoffier, to head the kitchens of the Savoy Hotel, in London. This did a great deal to broaden the appeal and promote the virtues of French-style haute cuisine to the British, dining public.
There followed several decades of gastronomic deference to all things French. Top restaurants employed French chefs; menus were written entirely in French; wine lists were uncompromisingly French. Who cared if the bouillabaisse or boeuf en daube, in certain lesser establishments, was occasionally uninspiring or the wine list, depressingly drab; the cooking was French so it had to be good!
Then, in the mid-1960s, the British dining scene and London, in particular, witnessed a bit of a shake out. The arrival, in Britain, of the talented young Parisian chef Albert Roux and his brother Michel, four years later, marked a turning point in the history of British haute cuisine. In 1967, the Roux brothers opened Le Gavroche. This fine restaurant became a benchmark of culinary excellence and a training ground for famous names such as Pierre Koffman, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing, Marco Pierre White and others.
Thanks to the inspiration of such talented chefs, haute cuisine, in Britain began to diversify and assume its own distinct identity. In many ways, the emerging, British-style haute cuisine, of the latter part of the twentieth century, had succeeded in absorbing all that is inspirational about traditional French cooking, while transforming it into something with much broader appeal.
Although modern French-style cuisine still tends to dominate the menus of many top-notch restaurants, European and global influences are now equally evident. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, 68 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HP and Le Gavroche, 43 Upper Brook Street, London W1 1PF, are both examples of some of the finest French style haute cuisine available in London today. For a taste of modern French haute cuisine, with global appeal, you may wish to try Capital Hotel, 22/24 Basil Street, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1AT, or the Criterion Grill, 224 Piccadilly, London, W1J. Roussillon, 16 St. Barnabas Street, London, SW1W 8PB and Embassy London, 29 Old Burlington Street, London, W15 3AP are also examples of modern French cuisine, at its very best. Or, for superb Indian haute cuisine, look no further than the Cinnamon Club, 30 Great Smith Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 3BP.
Nowadays, the term haute cuisine has become synonymous with quality cuisine, regardless of nationality. The only proviso is that the food is prepared and presented, according to exacting standards. French influence, however, is still at the heart of the matter; the only difference is that French talent no longer has exclusive rights to gastronomic excellence, in modern British restaurants.
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