The Best of British Food in Amsterdam -The Cottage
British Classics in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
You might be surprised to find a restaurant just outside of central Amsterdam serving classic British food. Especially considering British cuisine has long been the mockery of the culinary world. But for those in the know (and those who grew up there) the food scene has come on leaps and bounds. Modern takes on beloved classics have made British food in Amsterdam something to embrace.
Roasted root vegetables, earthy buttery mash, steamy stuffed pies – they all feel uniquely British and are the definition of comfort food. The Cottage magically concocts the homely essence of British food while serving slightly modernised versions of the well-known classics. This contemporary upgrade can be something as simple as salad on the side of a hearty cottage pie. Or the use of the more robust scone in their bread-and-butter pudding, rather than the often-sloppy white bread-and-butter original.
All Day British
Where The Cottage menu shines brightest is not only in the classics but their own inspired recipes using British ingredients. The pea and mint spread with goat labneh zings of British summer time – peak pea picking season. Their Bombay eggs are an ode to the British love of Indian cuisine.
Incidentally it’s not only the British dinner standards The Cottage is dishing out. Breakfast and lunch specials, which are as British as pie and mash, are featured too. The veggie cottage breakfast is a play on the full English with the welcomed flavourful additions of pickled chillies and fresh herbs. For lunch, much like the Dutch, the British love a simple sandwich (boterham). The Welsh rarebit (essentially super-charged melted cheese on toast) delivers a sharp savoury bite that is amplified with the addition of stout.
Pub Grub
Without doubt our favourite part of this all-day restaurant is the Sunday roast. We challenge you to find a plate of food more akin to a warm fireplace in a cosy living room than the classic British Sunday Roast. Even though it may sound simple to some (and a veggie roast an abomination to others), The Cottage keeps it traditional with their take on this British favourite.
In what can (admittedly) often be a chaotic mush of boiled veg – The Cottage serve properly roasted veg in their roast. You can taste the distinctive flavour of the produce on the plate. Usually served with a wellington (or something similar) in place of the meat.
Tip: make sure to go full veggie otherwise you may end up with meat juice gravy and duck fat roasties.
If you’re an expat living here and miss the food of your local pub, you won’t be disappointed. But if not and you’re still a little curious as to why a Dutch person would choose British cuisine over all the others on offer to feed a neighbourhood with. Then we encourage you to try for yourself what you might have been missing.
