The Food of Britain

As I did for Germany back in January (here), below I present the foods that I'll miss from Britain.  Not intended to be comprehensive, I focus on the foods that I would go to were I to visit the country again at some future time.

Fish & Chips

The quintessential British food, fish and chips is a great (if unhealthy), fast meal.  The fish is normally haddock or cod (I prefer the former), and I love those thick-cut, soft & mushy British chips (fries to us).

Filled Pastries

I'll miss the various savory pastries so common to England.  From street food like pasties, to sit-down meals like steak and ale pie or a wellington (vegetarian wellingtons are fantastic), it's hard to beat the goodness wrapped inside that wonderful shell.

Jacket Potatoes

Potatoes are a staple, and jacket potatoes are a particular favorite.  The best way to eat them is served with "Heinz Beanz" (another thing I'll miss) and mature cheddar cheese melted all over, though tuna and corn are also popular toppings.

Indian

I didn't eat Indian food often (or ever) before living in the UK, but with a good number of Indian immigrants, this food is plentiful and fantastic.  My particular favorite: chicken korma, which is often not nearly as spicy as far as Indian goes.

Thai

More "foreign food" that is found plentifully in the UK- yum.  Coconut rice goes well with any meal.

Breakfast foods

Eggs royale (poached egg, smoked salmon, english muffin, hollandaise sauce) are great, and the traditional English breakfast (pictured at right) is pretty good, too, though I never did get used to eating baked beans for breakfast.

Cheddar Cheese

Some supermarkets have entire sections for just cheddar cheese- does life get any better?  The cheddar is categorized by strength (1-6, I think) . . . mmmmmmm.

Chutney

What better to put on your cheddar than chutney?  It also goes amazingly well on chicken- depending on the chutney style (the vinegar-based ones are better for cheddar; the sweet, for chicken, in my opinion).

Sweets

Lots in this category, thanks to an unrelenting sweet tooth . . .

Tray Bakes
Flapjacks and millionaire's shortbread (a layer of shortbread topped with caramel and chocolate)- just plain great.

Sticky Toffee Pudding
The best dessert ever made?   A moist date sponge cake with tons of toffee (caramel) sauce on it.  Best served piping hot and doused in custard.

Cadbury Chocolate
Yes, it's the "common brand," but it's my favorite here.  Many varieties are hits with me- fruit & nut and creme eggs being the favorites.

Biscuits
There's not question that America rules when it comes to soft cookies, but Brits do darn good hard/crunchy 'biscuits.'  Things like hobnobs or Maryland chocolate chip cookies are always a hit with the kids- and me.

Drinks

It's all about the cider and tea.

Cider
Alcoholic and often flavored, I loved the apple cider here.  Bulmers and Rekorderlig are my favorite brands; berry flavor is my favorite variety.

Tea
Yes, everyone drinks it here, at an astonishing pace.  Honestly, I thought it was okay, but nothing outstanding.  Enough people disagree with me, though, that I had to mention it here.  Tea is best consumed with a warm scone and clotted cream from Betty's.

Conclusion

The food here is good.