Are you thinking about visiting the UK for your Summer holidays?
Why don´t you try some local cuisine whilst you are there? After all, you need some wholesome food to fuel all that sightseeing. You really should experience everything British culture has to offer, so check out these 10 most loved British meals and what ingredients are in each dish. British food is not as bad as “they” say. Honest!
10 traditional British dishes you need to try
1. Fish and chips
This dish is a must try whilst you are in the UK, no matter where you are, you’ll be able to find a delicious plate of fish and chips. The very best place to eat fish and chips is in the open air, by the sea (just watch out for the seagulls). Perhaps nothing is more synonymous with British food than fish and chips. But, unfortunately, this dish can often be a bit disappointing if you don’t get it in the right place. A top tip is to look for chip shops that cook their fish fresh to order- avoid a chippy that displays stacks of precooked fish behind the glass!
2. Bangers and Mash
Also known as sausages and mash, this traditional dish consists of sausages and mashed potato, and is often accompanied with peas and gravy. This dish can usually be found on a menu in most pubs across the country, or can be made very easily at home.
3. Full English Breakfast
They say that this hearty breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which is why if you are doing something physically or mentally demanding, you need to have a full English breakfast! Also known as a “fry up”, itusually includes: bacon, sausages, eggs, baked beans, toast, mushrooms, tomatoes, hash browns and black pudding. It is popular all over England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and is often eaten at the weekend.
4. Sunday Roast
The Brits love their Sunday Roast dinners. This dish is made up of: roasted meat (beef, chicken, lamb or pork), roast potato, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, vegetables (usually a selection of: roast parsnips, Brussels sprouts, peas, carrots, beans, broccoli and cauliflower, not necessarily all) and gravy.
5. Toad in the hole
This hearty dish is another easy recipe you can make at home; it includes sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter and is often served with gravy and vegetables. Yes, you’ve probably guessed British people love Yorkshire pudding. But what is Yorkshire pudding? Well, Yorkshire pudding is a baked pudding made from a batter of eggs, flour, and milk or water. A common British side dish, normally served as part of a Sunday Roast or Christmas dinner.
6. Shepherd’s Pie
This dish actually isn´t a pie as pies in the UK are normally covered with pastry, but it is just as tasty. Shepherd’s pie consists of lamb, vegetables (such as; carrots, tomatoes, and onions), and mashed potatoes which are on top of the meaty pie like filling. A wholesome and classic British meal, Shepherd’s Pie originated in Scotland and the North of England.
7. Steak and Kidney Pie
This much loved quintessential British pie is definitely a dish you must try whilst you are in the UK. The ingredients include: beef, kidney, fried onion and gravy all wrapped up in pastry, so what’s not to love? Or any kind of pie for that matter. Whether they’re covered in pastry or covered in potato, pies feature heavily in British cuisine and are the perfect antidote to the harsh British winter.
8. Beef Wellington
Beef Wellington is a fillet of steak coated in patê and then rolled in pastry. Although the dish shares its name with the famous Duke of Wellington, it actually shares no link with the British nobility. In reality, it is thought that Beef Wellington was based around the French dish filet de bœuf en croûte (fillet of beef in pastry).
9. Chicken Tikka Masala
Although it may have South Asian roots, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that Chicken Tikka Masala was first created in Britain by a Bangladeshi chef in Glasgow. Nowadays, it’s considered one of the country’s most popular dishes and is served in curry houses all over Britain.
10. Eton Mess
The perfect treat on a summer’s day, Eton Mess is a dessert made with meringue, a variety of berries, and cream. The dish was first served at Eton College in the late 19th century at school cricket matches and is now popular all over Britain.
If you like cooking, then give this recipe a try by clicking here : Eton Mess by Jamie Oliver
A Scottish favourite
Haggis, the national dish of Scotland, a type of pudding composed of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep, minced and mixed with beef or mutton suet and oatmeal and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices. The mixture is packed into a sheep’s stomach and boiled. Yummy!
Haggis is usually accompanied by turnips (called “neeps”) and mashed potatoes (“tatties”); Scotch whisky is obviously the customary drink that accompanies Haggis.
Glossary
All the words in the Blog that are highlighted in RED, are explained below :
cuisine (n) – gastronomy
wholesome (adj) – conducive to good health and physical well-being
fuel (n) – energy to run a car or an engine
sightseeing (n) – activity of going to visit the most emblematic sights in a city
tip (n) – a good piece of advice
chippy (n) – colloquial word for a fish and chip shop
stacks (n) – large pile of something
mashed (adj) – to reduce to a puree by crushing, normally for potatoes
hearty (adj) – substantial
demanding (adj) – something that is hard and demands a lot of effort
black pudding (n) – blood sausage
stuffing (n) – filling inside a chicken or turkey normally made from breadcrumbs and fruits / vegetables
parsnip (n) – a long cream-coloured root vegetable
Brussel sprout (n) – small, round, green vegetable similar to a very small cabbage
batter (n) – a mixture of flour, water and egg used for covering fish, vegetables before frying or for making pancakes
tasty (adj) – with a good taste
filling (n) – the middle part of a pie or cake
quintessential (adj) -representing the most perfect or typical example of something
wrapped (adj) – covered
antidote (n) – a medicine taken to counteract a poison
harsh (adj) – extreme and cruel
coated (adj) – covered in breadcrumbs or batter
nobility (n) – belonging to the aristocracy
roots (n) – origin
treat (n) – something special or nice given as an unexpected present
meringue (n) -a light mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and sugar, baked until crisp
minced (adj) – cut into very small pieces, normally used for meat
mutton (n) – sheep meat
suet (n) – white animal fat
oatmeal (n) – ground oats
seasoned (adj) – to use salt and pepper to give flavour to food
packed (adj) – to be filled to the top
customary (adj) -according to the customs or usual practices associated with a particular society or place
