News From London

The British have given the world good chefs . There were the Two Fat Ladies, Nigella Lawson, Tamasin Day-Lewis and Jamie Oliver. Now a new and fresher generation of  chefs and food bloggers are making their mark -and a healthy one at that too.

Surprisingly it was the Sunday New York Style section that featured them (as opposed to the Wednesday Food section) with a write up by Marisa Meltzer. Unlike the British chefs that ushered in a new century of British cooking, these offer a fresher, more organic spin on cooking and baking. It's reflected in some London foodie hot spots such as  26 Grains, an artisanal porridge shop and the cold pressed juice bars that are popping up all over the capitol  city. These young women, sometimes nicknamed "queens of green" and dubbed "Superfoodies" by the Telegraph promote a dairy free , plant based diet, chock full of of fresh picked produce. This is a far cry from Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Patterson, The Two Fat Ladies who cooked with copious amounts of red meat, sugar and fresh whole cream. They don't rely on processed or frozen foods as Jamie Oliver did when he was their ages. It's healthier,  and maybe to a few critics  - not as flavorful. Yet Britain is embracing them, and this new crop hope the US will too.

Who are these dietary Emiline Prankhursts? There is Ella Woodward, daughter of Sainsbury  food store scion, Camilla Sainsbury and British politician Shaun Woodward. She and her fianceegolfer  opened up Mae's deli where she can sell her sweet potato (!) brownies . They also have ground almonds, buckwheat and raw cacao in them, Getting on the healthy bandwagon are the sisters Helmsley, Jasmine and Melissa whose signature dish is a cauliflower crust pizza with Parma ham, arugula and Parmesan shavings. They're also big on the spare but nourishing Paleo bone broths too.Jamie Oliver's former stylist is getting her due too. Anna Jones is the opposite of her former boss and believes in no meat ever. A strict vegetarian, she wrote "A Modern Way To Eat 200+ Satisfying Vegetarian Recipes That Will Make You Feel Amazing" which has twists on the veggie burger. Her signature dish is kale and coconut salad with miso and roasted tomatoes. Prince Charles' former assistant Amelia Freer is also getting England to eat better.as is restaurant heir Natasha Corrett. The first promotes forgoing processed and packaged foods while the second advises to  strive for alkaline eating to balance the body. That means cutting out corn, dairy , meat and wheat for  a more balanced diet.

England will always be known for lavish beef dinners and over the top sugary sweet desserts. However there's a new generation of cooks, entrepreneurs and food writers that are trying to change all that. Instead of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding followed by sticky toffee, there'll be Paleo bone broth and kale followed by sweet potato brownies.