10 Quintessential British Foods?

[Contest]

List is from this Times Online article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/lif...cle5808143.ece

Have any of you lovely British members (or lurkers) eaten all 10 items on the list? Are there other more relevant food that you think should be listed? I've never heard of "Parkin" and I have no idea what "swede and onion" might be.

1) MELTON MOWBRAY PORK PIE

Made with only six ingredients (pork, salt, pepper, flour water and lard) the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie is one of the most simple of all dishes and yet, when made, along with those sold by Mrs King’s, it is the food item I crave most when I am on my travels.

2) FISH AND CHIPS

Can any dish be more English than fish and chips? Up north, it may be haddock, probably served with some bright green mushy peas. Down south, it’s usually cod, but wherever you find it, there are few things to beat the taste of fish steaming inside crunchy batter and chips doused in vinegar. The lines outside The Magpie Café are a testament to the continuing popularity of this national dish.

3) BLACK PUDDING

Like the pork pie, black pudding is a great divider with the anti camp’s regular squeals of “you know it’s made with blood don’t you?” countered by those whose breakfast fry up wouldn’t be the same without a glistening slice fried in bacon fat. The very best of course come from Bury and the very best I have tasted come from The Real Lancashire Black Pudding Company.

4) KIPPERS

The tradition of smoking fish in Britain goes back to the time of marauding Nordic invaders when the coastlines of the country used to be littered with small smokehouses preserving fish for the winter. The decline of both our fish stocks and fishing fleets may have changed the landscape forever, but the kipper, a cold-smoked herring, still remains one of the great tastes of England. Those made by L.Robson & Sons in the small Northumbrian harbour village of Craster are hard to beat.

5) PARKIN

A quintessential Yorkshire treat and, while I always associate it with Guy Fawkes Night, this rich, dark treacle and ginger cake is my chosen slice with a cup of builder’s tea. Like so many other cakes, the best come from Betty’s of Harrogate.

6) CORNISH PASTY

With so many dreadful versions on offer at railway stations up and down the country, people need to be reminded of why the real thing can be so sensational. Stuffed with beef and potato and the possible addition of swede and onions, they are perfect hot out of the oven as the steam escapes when the pastry case is broken. Those made at the Chough Bakery in Padstow are a superb example.

7) POTTED SHRIMPS

These are small, brown shrimps cooked gently in clarified butter spiked with, those most English of spices, mace and nutmeg and then allowed to set in a ramekin. It makes the perfect starter for a dinner party or even a meal in its own right with thinly sliced toast and a squeeze of lemon. It’s easy to make but I still think those served at London’s oldest restaurant, Rules are hard to top.

8) GROUSE

A short season, beginning of course on The Glorious Twelfth makes grouse one of the most eagerly-awaited treats of the year. Whether you like your game birds hung for days or not quite so high, you must have them with the traditional accompaniments of rowan jelly, fried breadcrumbs and game chips. One of my favourite places to eat it is in the traditional comfort of Wilton’s.

9) TREACLE SPONGE PUDDING

Puddings provided the backbone to the English empire, especially sweet ones like spotted dick or treacle sponge. Although they fell out of favour in recent years, mainly because people considered them unhealthy, new producers like The Proof of The Pudding are taking the old classics and giving them a lighter twist. The sight of a treacle pudding with custard being dribbled slowly over it is still enough to make my heart skip a beat.

10) CHEDDAR CHEESE

A Ploughman’s lunch, with a slab of cheddar, a spoonful of sharp piccalilli and a pint of beer is one of the most simple yet most delicious meals England has to offer. As it is a process as well as a place, you can get cheddar from all sorts of weird and wonderful places, but that made by Jamie Montgomery in Somerset is, quite simply, the benchmark for all other cheddars.

[CatInASuit]

I've tried all of them except for Grouse and they are all delicious. Swede is also a type of vegetable, not just a country in Scandanavia, and I really hope you know what an onion is.

There are several curries that are more British than they have a right to be but the principle came from abroad so I can understand why none are on the list.

They still missed Marmite though :wink:

[Petrobey]

Yes, I've had all ten. I was a bit confused by Parkin until I looked it up and realised I'd eaten without knowing its name (I'm a southerner).

Swede is a kind of turnip.

They missed out:

Yorkshire Pudding
Roast Beef
Proper Sausages

[Winston Smith]

No 'shrooms or baked beans? How about beef and kidney pie?

Is Shepard's Pie English or Irish? My grandfather was a Briton, my grandmother Irish. I always sort of figured if it was cooked in the oven it was English, if it was boiled it was Irish.

[Myglaren]

The lines outside The Magpie Café are a testament to the continuing popularity of this national dish.

The Magpie is vastly overrated. The queues are undeniable though, and an utter pain in the backside.*

Most 'Cornish' pasties are an abomination undeserving of the name. Those from the Birtley Home Bakery however...

*I R originally from Whitby. My aunt used to work there, long ago.

I am struggling to think of anything quintessentially British. Black pudding is certainly available freely in Scandinavia, as are grouse. Never sampled either though.

[vison]

Had 'em all. Made 'em all, too, except I didn't really make a proper Black Pudding.

Some of them are worth the trouble and some of them aren't. And, since I made 'em all in Canada, they're probably not quite the thing anyway.

[Wheresgeorge04]

Roast Beef
Proper Sausages

Why roast beef? Isn't it just... roast beef? We have that here, and I never considered it to "belong" to any nation.

What makes a sausage "proper?"

Joe

[CRSP]

No Lancashire hotpot?

Parkin's a northern thing, not just Yorkshire. It's impossible to find outside the north, too. Ginger cakes elsewhere taste of chemicals. Definitely not like the stuff you get on Guy Fawke's night (along with black peas and treacle toffee), back home.

[Petrobey]

Roast Beef
Proper Sausages

Why roast beef? Isn't it just... roast beef? We have that here, and I never considered it to "belong" to any nation.

I present to you The Roast Beef of Old England by Henry Fielding:

When mighty Roast Beef was the Englishman's food,
It ennobled our brains and enriched our blood.
Our soldiers were brave and our courtiers were good
Oh! the Roast Beef of old England,
And old English Roast Beef!


But since we have learnt from all-vapouring France
To eat their ragouts as well as to dance,
We're fed up with nothing but vain complaisance
Oh! the Roast Beef of Old England,
And old English Roast Beef!


Our fathers of old were robust, stout, and strong,
And kept open house, with good cheer all day long,
Which made their plump tenants rejoice in this song--
Oh! The Roast Beef of old England,
And old English Roast Beef!


But now we are dwindled to, what shall I name?
A sneaking poor race, half-begotten and tame,
Who sully the honours that once shone in fame.
Oh! the Roast Beef of Old England,
And old English Roast Beef!


When good Queen Elizabeth sat on the throne,
Ere coffee, or tea, or such slip-slops were known,
The world was in terror if e'er she did frown.
Oh! The Roast Beef of old England,
And old English Roast Beef!


In those days, if Fleets did presume on the Main,
They seldom, or never, return'd back again,
As witness, the Vaunting Armada of Spain.
Oh! The Roast Beef of Old England,
And old English Roast Beef!


Oh then we had stomachs to eat and to fight
And when wrongs were cooking to do ourselves right.
But now we're a . . . I could, but goodnight!
Oh! the Roast Beef of Old England,
And old English Roast Beef!

The French used to call us "les rostbifs".

It's definitely associated as an English thing, at least in Europe.

What makes a sausage "proper?"

Thickness and pork content (at least 80%). Looks a bit like this. Nothing special, but impossible to get where I am now.

[tunaman]

Is Shepard's Pie English or Irish?

It's English. And technically, "Shepherd's pie" is made from ground lamb, while "cottage pie" is made from ground beef. So while "Shepherd's pie" is somewhat popular in the US, it has the wrong name (since it's made with ground beef 99% of the time).

I agree that any list without Yorkshire Pudding ain't a list at all!

[CatInASuit]

Just checked the article again and it is for English instead of British Foods, otherwise Haggis would have been mentioned by now.

So, here is another one: Faggots. When I was younger I used to think that Brain's Faggots were actually made of brains.

[tunaman]

What makes a sausage "proper?"

In England, it's bread crumbs. English sausages have a... "creamy" texture that some Americans might find off-putting, since most American sausages are made in the "German style" (i.e. mostly meat). Me? I love English sausages, but will admit that they kind of taste like a snappy casing with "meat" baby food inside.

[Tool of the Conspiracy]

What about scotch eggs and jaffa cakes? They seem to be popular at B3ta, which is where I learned much of what I know about British culture.

[jali]

What makes a sausage "proper?"

In England, it's bread crumbs. English sausages have a... "creamy" texture that some Americans might find off-putting, since most American sausages are made in the "German style" (i.e. mostly meat). Me? I love English sausages, but will admit that they kind of taste like a snappy casing with "meat" baby food inside.

I'll bet they're similar to Scrapple in texture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapple, but they're in a casing instead of fried flat.
I love Scrapple, but I can't find it here in the South.

[silenus]

Only in Britain will you find a discussion of sausage that uses the words "mostly meat."

And then you bit into them, and learned once again that Cut-me-own-Throat Dibbler could find a use for bits of an animal that the animal didn't know it had got. Dibbler had worked out that with enough fried onions and mustard people would eat anything.
— (Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures)

[lust4life]

My god I cant believe that you haven't got the English Breakfast on the list,damn you all to heck and back!

For foreigners anfd other unlucky people an E.B. is Sauasage
Bacon
Eggs(Fried,poached,scrambled or all of them)
Baked beans
Tomatos(Fresh or tinned or both)
Toast(With or without Marmalade)
Mushrooms(Grilled or fried)
Fried Bread
Blackpudding
Accompanied by a strong hot cup of tea or on special occassions a pint of real ale.

I've had E.Bs all over the world and they are totally the stuff to go and die fighting on(Unless cooked by the British Army in which case you just tend to feel slightly queasy and sometimes welcome the thought of approaching death)

[silenus]

For foreigners and other unlucky people an E.B. is:
Sausage
Bacon
Eggs(Fried,poached,scrambled or all of them)
Baked beans
Tomatoes(Fresh or tinned or both)
Toast(With or without Marmalade)
Mushrooms(Grilled or fried)
Fried Bread
Blackpudding
Accompanied by a strong hot cup of tea or on special occasions a pint of real ale.

The bolded items are why you people don't have an empire anymore.

The rest of it just sounds like a Denny's MegaSlam, or maybe an "Everything" order at Waffle House.

[tunaman]

Hey! I'm an American and I like black pudding!

jali: Scrapple used to be quite common in the South. Every grocery store used to have it as a kid (I would almost always seek it out, just to get grossed out by the ingredients label!). Sadly, as the South has became more "cosmopolitan", it's getting harder and harder to find. North Carolinians still love their livermush, though - something I never head of until I moved here (and I'm from Atlanta).

[jali]

tunaman: I learned to love Scrapple before I learned to read. :wink:

How do you like livermush?

[BiblioCat]

I'll bet they're similar to Scrapple in texture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapple, but they're in a casing instead of fried flat.
I love Scrapple, but I can't find it here in the South.

Technically, I'm in the south (25 or so miles below the Mason-Dixon line), and I can find scrapple in every grocery store in town. I think it's more a Mid-Atlantic thing - MD, PA and DE.

On preview, yes.

Wiki says:
The first recipes were created more than two hundred years ago by Dutch colonists who settled near Philadelphia and Chester County, Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries[2].

Scrapple is strongly associated with Philadelphia, Baltimore, Virginia, Washington D.C. and surrounding eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and the Delmarva Peninsula.

I have some in the fridge right now. My son went to bed a while ago, and asked if he could have an egg and some scrapple in the morning.
Wanna come for breakfast, jali? :smile:

[tunaman]

How do you like livermush?

Actually, I've never had it. It's not that I wouldn't try it, but my GF is 98% vegetarian and gets squicked out by the smell of certain foods cooking. I can almost guarantee that livermush would have her opening windows, turning on fans, spraying Lysol, etc.

I'm just shocked by how popular it is here in NC. You know those large "casket freezers" at the grocery store? Our local Walmart has a large section of one of them dedicated to livermush. There must be.. I dunno... 300 packages in there? At least?

[lust4life]

For foreigners and other unlucky people an E.B. is:
Sausage
Bacon
Eggs(Fried,poached,scrambled or all of them)
Baked beans
Tomatoes(Fresh or tinned or both)
Toast(With or without Marmalade)
Mushrooms(Grilled or fried)
Fried Bread
Blackpudding
Accompanied by a strong hot cup of tea or on special occasions a pint of real ale.

The bolded items are why you people don't have an empire anymore.

The rest of it just sounds like a Denny's MegaSlam, or maybe an "Everything" order at Waffle House.

Just as you can buy burgers or kebabs on any British highstreet but that doesn't make them traditional British fare.

We exported the E.B. to the world along with Monty Python and Cricket.(Though Warm Beer and Cucumber sandwiches didn't catch on so well)

[ivan astikov]

They omitted Flapjack! How can that be less popular than Parkin?

[featherlou]

Mmm, cucumber sandwich. I almost bought a cucumber yesterday, but I didn't, so no cucumber sandwiches today. Unless I hoof it back to Safeway.

[silenus]

I like warm beer. I got extremely annoyed when they stopped importing Bishop's Finger to the US.

[MsRobyn]

What makes a sausage "proper?"

In England, it's bread crumbs. English sausages have a... "creamy" texture that some Americans might find off-putting, since most American sausages are made in the "German style" (i.e. mostly meat). Me? I love English sausages, but will admit that they kind of taste like a snappy casing with "meat" baby food inside.

I'll bet they're similar to Scrapple in texture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapple, but they're in a casing instead of fried flat.
I love Scrapple, but I can't find it here in the South.

I live in Scrapple Central. I once read an article that described it as "feisty smelling". I have no trouble believing that.

If you really really want some, let me know and you can have mine.

[Morgyn]

How did they miss clotted cream? I mean, seriously, a quintessential part of a high tea, and they don't include it?

[Orual]

What is this "treacle sponge" and why on earth does it outrank my beloved sticky toffee pudding??

[Dangerously Unqualified]

We exported the E.B. to the world along with Monty Python and Cricket.(Though Warm Beer and Cucumber sandwiches didn't catch on so well)

Ah yes, Brittania's secret arsenal. Colonize the world and, those nations who cannot be colonized, give 'em the English Breakfast, Monty Python and Cricket 'till they give in.

If all else fails, hit 'em with the Benny Hill and play Dire Straits over the PA.

[Mangetout]

How did they miss clotted cream? I mean, seriously, a quintessential part of a high tea, and they don't include it?

Scones too, in that case.

Hot cross buns

Lardy cake.

[CRSP]

I like warm beer. I got extremely annoyed when they stopped importing Bishop's Finger to the US.

You have good taste in beer. Next to Spitfire (another Kentish ale by the same brewer), Bishop's Finger's my favourite ale. I was in Norfolk two weeks ago, and they had Spitfire on tap everywhere. We can only get it bottled, up north.

[Mangetout]

What is this "treacle sponge" and why on earth does it outrank my beloved sticky toffee pudding??

Sponge cake cooked in a pudding basin with golden syrup poured in the bottom before the sponge, basin covered and cooked in a bain-marie - upturned so that the partly-caramelised syrup drips down over the dome-shaped sponge.

Sticky toffee pudding - or at least the examples I've seen/experienced has the syrup/caramel added to the cake just before serving, rather than cooked along with it.

[Morgyn]

I had sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream at a B&B out in Cornwall.

Dear HEAVENS was that good. How I wish it were available in the USA!

[BiblioCat]

I live in Scrapple Central. I once read an article that described it as "feisty smelling". I have no trouble believing that.

If you really really want some, let me know and you can have mine.

Ooooh, I love Scrapple. If she doesn't want it, I'll take it!

[maggenpye]

Jellied Eels?

I have to admit that I've only had fried eel - but it was yummy. Apparently the set of EastEnders had to have a jellied eel cart in the market because the producer (creator?) was a native and insisted.

[jali]

I live in Scrapple Central. I once read an article that described it as "feisty smelling". I have no trouble believing that.

If you really really want some, let me know and you can have mine.

Ooooh, I love Scrapple. If she doesn't want it, I'll take it!

I miss Scrapple and I'll take you both up on your kind offers.

Bibliocat - I'll definitely come to breakfast if I'm ever in your 'hood.
MsRobyn - send it!

[Orual]

What is this "treacle sponge" and why on earth does it outrank my beloved sticky toffee pudding??

Sponge cake cooked in a pudding basin with golden syrup poured in the bottom before the sponge, basin covered and cooked in a bain-marie - upturned so that the partly-caramelised syrup drips down over the dome-shaped sponge.

Hmm. That does sound mighty yummy ...

Something should be done about the name though. 'Toffee' sounds like tasty goodness, 'treacle' sounds like some kind of unpleasant oozing bodily fluid

[silenus]

What, you've never heard of treacle mines?

[lust4life]

We exported the E.B. to the world along with Monty Python and Cricket.(Though Warm Beer and Cucumber sandwiches didn't catch on so well)

Ah yes, Brittania's secret arsenal. Colonize the world and, those nations who cannot be colonized, give 'em the English Breakfast, Monty Python and Cricket 'till they give in.

If all else fails, hit 'em with the Benny Hill and play Dire Straits over the PA.

We always saved Benny Hill for the .......................more...... difficult............. people.

[Dangerously Unqualified]

We always saved Benny Hill for the .......................more...... difficult............. people.

Ok, I'll give you that one, but...
Were we really so bad in the '70s as to deserve Dave Allen?

I mean, slapping us with the Irish right after the decade of love was a little harsh don't you think?














I'm just kidding of course, I love Dave Allen. His timing was so subtle yet spot on that he could have been reading the ingredients on a box of Twinkys and get barrel loads of laughs.

[Orual]

What, you've never heard of treacle mines?

Not until now.

See, this kind of thing is the reason Britain has such a hard time shaking the "country of quaint eccentrics" rep ...

[Vox Imperatoris]

The only one of the things in the OP that I've had is cheddar cheese, but I do love cheddar cheese.

Scrapple sounds like the nastiest thing ever, though, and I refuse to eat anything made with blood or internal organs. And, of course, any sausage patty made above the Mason-Dixon line is completely wrong. Also, cucumbers are disgusting until pickled. :smile: I wouldn't have even guessed people ate them on sandwiches.

I'm also going to add tomatoes to the list of English Breakfast items that don't belong at breakfast.

[eleanorigby]

I third Yorkish Pudding---food of the gods. Should be on that list.

No scones? No crumpets? No clotted cream? And this is an English list?

What about vinegar on chips? Another food of the gods.

[Real Account]

Beer!

[Nancarrow]

MELTON MOWBRAY PORK PIE - I've had pork pies. Not particularly enamored. I was under the impression that Melton Mowbray is a brand name, or name of a food company that makes some pork pies. Any reason why this is the only branded item on the list?

FISH AND CHIPS - had plenty of times. I tend to want to eat kebabs or burgers more when I'm doing the whole 2am drunken grease-craving thang, but on the occasions I decide to try fish and chips, I'm glad I did. Cod, plaice and haddock are common. Last time I had rock salmon, which was a nice change.

BLACK PUDDING - several European countries have their own versions of blood sausage and I prefer all of those, the British version I've always found awfully bland. It damn well SHOULD have onions, a few spices, maybe a bit of heat, and LOTS of chunks of fat in it, and NOT MUCH of that rusk type stuff that seems to constitute 90% of the Brit version. Blutwurst or morcilla for the win.

KIPPERS - had, not a fan. Too bony. Tasty but not worth the sifting through bones, nor wearing a gas mask around the house for the rest of the week.

PARKIN - never heard of it. Aaah... Yorkshire, that would explain it. I keep hearing about this mythical place, but as I have never seen a 'Yorkshire' station on any tube map, I don't believe it exists.

CORNISH PASTY - had, don't care for, but then I've probably only ever had the railway station variety.

POTTED SHRIMPS - never actually got round to having, no good excuse, they sound great.

GROUSE - not actually sure. I can't remember all these game birds. I know I've had pheasant lots. And I must have had partridge and wood-pigeon at least once. But grouse? Well if I did, it must have been good, because game birds are good. The lead shot adds a certain something, I feel.

TREACLE SPONGE PUDDING - don't like sponge puddings generally. Do like treacle tart though - the fairly thin disc with cross-hatched pastry on top, and sticky gooey sickly treacle that gives you instant diabetes.

CHEDDAR CHEESE - oh god yes. But only the extra-mature brands. Also blue stilton and wensleydale. mmm.

Foods I think should have made the cut:
Roast Beef - doubleplus yum, if it's quality meat, cooked brown and crusty on the outside and red and squishy on the inside.
English mustard - good sinus clearing stuff, or brain-cavity clearing if you put as much on your beef as I do.
"Yorkshire" pud - huh, there's that funny word again. I don't actually like this.
Chicken tikka masala - like that politician said a while back - was it Robin Cook?
Steak and kidney pie - or "botulism" as the Simpsons would have it
Ales - I prefer Belgian trappist stuff but at least ales are way better than that Fosters or Heineken swill.
Bread and butter pudding - I can't get enough of this.
Full English breakfast - does this count, seeing as how it's several different foodstuffs, few distinctive on their own, all slapped on a plate? Anyway... I've had loads, and as far as I'm concerned the bacon is the deal breaker. And I absolutely do NOT understand the presence of grilled tomato on such a plate. Yuk.

I'd say jellied eels (which I've never had but really want to try some time) but they're more of a London East-end thing.

[tunaman]

MELTON MOWBRAY PORK PIE - I've had pork pies. Not particularly enamored. I was under the impression that Melton Mowbray is a brand name, or name of a food company that makes some pork pies. Any reason why this is the only branded item on the list?

Melton Mowbray is a town in Leicestershire. As of April 4, 2008, "Melton Mowbray Pork Pie" is a "Protected Geographical Indication" in the European Union. Just as Roquefort cheese must come from the town of Roquefort, France, and Parmigiano-Reggiano must come from Parma, Italy to be legally sold under those names, so too must the Mowbray pork pies. To give an American example, "Vidalia onions" can only be sold as such here in the US if they come from a particular area of southern Georgia.

So no, it's not a "band name" or name of a company.

[tunaman]

(Missed the edit window):

Two fun facts about Melton Mowbray:

- Stilton cheese was actually invented there, although it didn't really become popular until it was served at a roadside tavern in the village of Stilton, 80 miles north of London.

- In 1837, it's said that the Marquess of Waterford returned from a successful fox hunt and celebrated with (too) many drinks. His party ran out of booze, and whilst searching for more, they came across several tins of red paint. In their drunkenness, they decided to splash the paint all over the main street of Melton Mowbray. Thus, "painting the town red" became a euphemism for drunken highjinks. Some of the red paint is still visible on buildings today.