English Food
English food is sometimes unfairly labelled as being bland. However, there are many delicious examples of English cuisine. Find out more below.
Sunday roast
A typical Sunday roast
Sunday roast is traditionally the main meal eaten on Sunday. It is also called Sunday lunch, Sunday dinner, roast dinner, or simply ‘a roast’. It may be eaten in the afternoon, or the evening, but on the day of a roast other meals will typically be quite small.
A Sunday roast consists of roasted meat, roasted potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire puddings, and gravy. The meat is most commonly beef, but can also be lamb, pork, chicken or turkey. Vegetables include roast parsnips, Brussel sprouts, peas, carrots, broccoli and others. The meal is topped with gravy, a sauce made from the juices of the meat and vegetables as they are cooked.
When the roast meat is from cooking birds such as chicken or turkey, “stuffing” is put inside the bird before cooking. Stuffing is usually dried breadcrumbs, sausage meat, onion, celery, salt, pepper and other herbs such as sage.
A variety of Sunday roast is Christmas dinner. This is very similar to a Sunday roast, but usually uses turkey. It is also usually bigger and has more trimmings.
The best Sunday roasts are traditionally made at home, and take many hours to prepare. However, many pubs in the UK have Sunday menus with Sunday roasts available. Sunday roasts are also not just for Sundays: in fact, 8% of British people have roast dinner more than twice a week.
Did you know? You can eat a delicious roast dinner in the British Hills Masters Hall Refectory.
A Sunday roast consists of roasted meat, roasted potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire puddings, and gravy. The meat is most commonly beef, but can also be lamb, pork, chicken or turkey. Vegetables include roast parsnips, Brussel sprouts, peas, carrots, broccoli and others. The meal is topped with gravy, a sauce made from the juices of the meat and vegetables as they are cooked.
When the roast meat is from cooking birds such as chicken or turkey, “stuffing” is put inside the bird before cooking. Stuffing is usually dried breadcrumbs, sausage meat, onion, celery, salt, pepper and other herbs such as sage.
A variety of Sunday roast is Christmas dinner. This is very similar to a Sunday roast, but usually uses turkey. It is also usually bigger and has more trimmings.
The best Sunday roasts are traditionally made at home, and take many hours to prepare. However, many pubs in the UK have Sunday menus with Sunday roasts available. Sunday roasts are also not just for Sundays: in fact, 8% of British people have roast dinner more than twice a week.
Did you know? You can eat a delicious roast dinner in the British Hills Masters Hall Refectory.
Watch Tom give an animated explanation of Sunday roast in this video.
Fish n' chips
Fish and chips is a dish from England consisting of deep fried battered fish and hot chips. The fish is almost always a white fish, usually cod or haddock. British people also commonly pronounce this food as “fish n’ chips.”
Fish and chips first appeared in England in the 1860’s, and is a popular takeaway food today. Rather than made at home, most fish and chips is bought pre-made from takeaway fish and chip shops, or "chippies." The meal is commonly served with salt and vinegar sprinkled on top, and with a choice of tomato ketchup or HP sauce (often referred to as red sauce and brown sauce). This will traditionally be served wrapped in newspaper, though in recent times this is not actually real newspaper but serving paper designed to look like newspaper,
Did you know? You can try a delicious form of fish and chips in the British Hills Falstaff Pub.
Fish and chips first appeared in England in the 1860’s, and is a popular takeaway food today. Rather than made at home, most fish and chips is bought pre-made from takeaway fish and chip shops, or "chippies." The meal is commonly served with salt and vinegar sprinkled on top, and with a choice of tomato ketchup or HP sauce (often referred to as red sauce and brown sauce). This will traditionally be served wrapped in newspaper, though in recent times this is not actually real newspaper but serving paper designed to look like newspaper,
Did you know? You can try a delicious form of fish and chips in the British Hills Falstaff Pub.
Baked Beans
Simple is best!
A simple, cheap and easy classic that anyone can make. Baked beans in tomato sauce are very cheap and easy to make. Bought in in tins, baked beans are a staple food in England, eaten at breakfast on toast or with fried food, or with jacket potatoes and cheese for lunch.
According to a recent study, 69% of people in Birmingham, England, eat beans on toast every week.
According to a recent study, 69% of people in Birmingham, England, eat beans on toast every week.
Cottage/Shepherd's pie
Cottage and/or Shepherd's pie
Shepherd's pie or cottage pie is a meat pie made with mashed potato on top. There are many varieties of regional recipes, but the key ingredient is minced meat. If this meat is beef, the dish is named cottage pie, and if the meat is lamb it is shepherd's pie.
In both forms, the minced meat is cooked in gravy sauce with onions and other vegetables such as carrots and peas, before being covered on top with a layer of mashed potato.
Did you know? You can try a delicious form of cottage pie in the British Hills Falstaff Pub.
In both forms, the minced meat is cooked in gravy sauce with onions and other vegetables such as carrots and peas, before being covered on top with a layer of mashed potato.
Did you know? You can try a delicious form of cottage pie in the British Hills Falstaff Pub.
Marmite
It tastes like it looks!
“You either love it or hate it”.
Marmite is dark, sticky and has a very strong flavour. Marmite is made from yeast, and is usually eaten spread on toast or crackers, sometimes with cheese.
Marmite’s strong and powerful flavour is so famous that the Marmite advertising slogan “You either love it or hate it” is now a common expression in British English.
Marmite is dark, sticky and has a very strong flavour. Marmite is made from yeast, and is usually eaten spread on toast or crackers, sometimes with cheese.
Marmite’s strong and powerful flavour is so famous that the Marmite advertising slogan “You either love it or hate it” is now a common expression in British English.
The Marmite Panini! Yum!
Fun fact: Starbucks in the UK has a cheese and Marmite panini on the menu!
Football stadium food
A chilli con carne pie
Football is the most popular sport in the UK, and the foods that are eaten at the stadiums are well known and loved. Football matches are played in the autumn and winter in the UK, so having a hot meaty pie while standing in the cold is extra satisfying. There are a huge variety of pies available in stadiums across the UK, and they are by far the bestselling food at football matches.
Varieties of pies include the traditional such as steak and kidney pie, and also the modern, such as chili con carne pie and vegetarian pie. There are also some football clubs that have special holiday menus such as Christmas turkey and cranberry pies.
Popular drinks in stadiums include beer and hot tea, but also Bovril. Bovril is a meat-based soup that is a deliciously warming, excellent for the coldest nights.
Varieties of pies include the traditional such as steak and kidney pie, and also the modern, such as chili con carne pie and vegetarian pie. There are also some football clubs that have special holiday menus such as Christmas turkey and cranberry pies.
Popular drinks in stadiums include beer and hot tea, but also Bovril. Bovril is a meat-based soup that is a deliciously warming, excellent for the coldest nights.
Full English breakfast
Mmmm...so many calories!
A full English Breakfast has several other names such as ‘full monty,” “fry up,” and “all-day breakfast”. It is a classic example of a traditional English meal. There are many variations all over the UK, and everyone cooks their own breakfast the way they like it.
Bacon, sausages, and eggs are generally always in a full English. Other common ingredients include: baked beans, fried bread, toast, hash browns, eggs, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, tomato sauce or brown sauce, and also an English specialty, black pudding. Black pudding is a type of blood sausage, fried from pork blood, fat and cereal.
In many pubs and cafes in the UK you can buy the “all day breakfast” at any time of the day. Vegetarian full English breakfasts are also now widely available.
A 2010 study of 10,000 English people found the perfect breakfast was made of a fried egg, two slices of fried bread, two pork sausages, two rashers of smoked bacon, fried mushrooms, one hash brown potato, baked beans and tomato ketchup. This adds up to 1,190 calories and a gut busting 95.7 grams of fat!
Bacon, sausages, and eggs are generally always in a full English. Other common ingredients include: baked beans, fried bread, toast, hash browns, eggs, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, tomato sauce or brown sauce, and also an English specialty, black pudding. Black pudding is a type of blood sausage, fried from pork blood, fat and cereal.
In many pubs and cafes in the UK you can buy the “all day breakfast” at any time of the day. Vegetarian full English breakfasts are also now widely available.
A 2010 study of 10,000 English people found the perfect breakfast was made of a fried egg, two slices of fried bread, two pork sausages, two rashers of smoked bacon, fried mushrooms, one hash brown potato, baked beans and tomato ketchup. This adds up to 1,190 calories and a gut busting 95.7 grams of fat!
Scones
To learn about scones and scones at British Hills, click on the image to the right!
