Bizarre US recipe mistaken for classic British dish sparks 'diplomatic incident'

30 April 2023 , 05:38

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Bizarre US recipe mistaken for classic British dish sparks 'diplomatic incident'

Brits are in uproar over New York Times recipe, which claims toad-in-the-hole is actually egg on toast.

One of the newspaper’s cookery experts has adapted an American chef's eggy dish and tried to pass it off as the British classic, which is traditionally made with sausage and Yorkshire pudding batter.

US chef Kyle Connaughton apparently dreamt up his egg on toast concoction as 'homage' to TV cook Heston Blumenthal, who he previously worked with.

Writing for the New York Times, food critic Florence Fabricant said: “Among the breakfast options at SingleThread is an English menu, with toad-in-the-hole as its centerpiece.

“Mr. Connaughton calls it an homage to Heston Blumenthal — the innovative English chef and owner of The Fat Duck — for whom he worked for several years.”

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Chef Kyle Connaughton originally wrote the eggy recipe in homage to Heston Blumenthal

Connaughton - of the SingleThread Farm, Restaurant, Inn in Healdsburg, California - once worked with innovative chef Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, as head chef of research and development.

The original recipe, from Connaughton's Californian restaurant, was called 'The Mad Hatter's Toad In The Hole' and featured eggs served on top of a slice of toast with a hole in it.

It seems the actual ingredients and joke name of the dish didn't register with the New York Times sparking uproar on social media from angry Brits.

One commenter wrote: “I don't think the New York Times has ever done a worse thing to our country.”

Toad-in-the-hole (getty)

Another joked: “America and the New York Times begin hostilities against us with this recipe for how they think we eat. Toad in the hole... without any actual frogs. Hint: It's egg and cheese on toast.”

A third said: “This is now a diplomatic incident and I hope our government are taking it seriously”, while a fourth simple uploaded a picture of British Redcoats marching into battle.

Sophie Goodall