Prawn cocktail, steak and Black Forest gateau facts for kids
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The "Great British Meal Out" was a very popular dinner choice in British restaurants during the 1980s. It usually included a Prawn cocktail to start, followed by steak with chips, and a Black Forest gâteau for dessert. This meal became famous thanks to the Berni Inn restaurant chain. They helped make eating out a common and enjoyable thing for many people in Britain after food rationing ended after World War II. Authors Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham even called it the "Great British Meal Out" in their book The Prawn Cocktail Years.
Why Eating Out Became Popular
In the middle of the 20th century, going out to eat in Britain wasn't always a great experience. Food was often plain, service could be poor, and restaurants had strange opening hours. Also, food rationing from World War II lasted until 1954. This meant there wasn't much variety in food or places to eat. Slowly, through the 1950s and 60s, more options became available.
What Made This Meal Special?
The Great British Meal Out was designed for people who didn't often eat in restaurants. Dishes like prawn cocktail, steak garni, and Black Forest gâteau felt exciting and a bit "foreign." Chef Nigel Slater remembered his childhood in the 1970s. He said his family rarely ate out, except for occasional Saturday lunches at a local Berni Inn. He felt "Steak garni always sounded so much more exotic than plain steak."
This simple menu was good for restaurants. They could buy and prepare food in large amounts, which helped them control costs. It also made it easier for customers to choose. They didn't have to worry about unfamiliar foods or hard-to-pronounce foreign words. The names of the dishes sounded fancy: "cocktail," "prawns" (which weren't common), "steak garni" instead of just steak, and "Black Forest gâteau" instead of just cake. These names made diners feel like they were enjoying a "continental" (European) meal.
Over time, British people started to want more varied and exciting food. By the late 1980s, the Great British Meal Out became less popular. A survey in 1989 showed that Black Forest gâteau was suddenly not as liked. However, Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham wrote in their 1997 book that this meal, "cooked as it should be, is still something very special indeed."
Berni Inns and Their Famous Meal
The Great British Meal Out became very closely linked with the Berni Inn chain. This chain started in 1955. By 1970, it had 147 hotels and restaurants, making it the biggest food chain outside the United States. Berni Inns did well by offering a small menu in restaurants that looked similar everywhere. Even in the 1980s, the most popular meal at a "Berni" was still prawn cocktail, steak and chips, and Black Forest gâteau.
In 2000, The Guardian newspaper mentioned that this meal was "the Briton's favourite menu." However, by the 1980s, the Berni Inn style started to seem old-fashioned. The Bristol Post noted that Berni Inns became known for being a bit "naff" (unfashionable). The Berni Inn chain was sold in 1990 and later became the Beefeater chain.
In 2013, The Times newspaper wrote about another steakhouse chain that went out of business. They compared it to the old Berni Inns. The paper said these restaurants continued to serve prawn cocktail, steak, and Black Forest gâteau. Diners sat on velvet seats and drank Blue Nun wine, as if time had stopped.
