British food often gets a bad rap for being flavourless, bland, and not very exciting. While the cuisine doesn’t center around vegetables unlike Indian or Mediterranean dishes, British food is delicious and deserves some recognition. Quintessential British food is steeped in not only British history but the history of nations that Britain colonized or traded with. Some of the foods you’ll find across England might be a bit of an acquired taste, like Marmite, but we promise that once you try them or even experiment and make them yourself, you’ll fall in love with them.
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Pork Pies
Pork pies are often a lunch food that you can find in British pubs and if you’re not in Britain, in import stores. The shortcrust base contains a thick pork filling that’s encased in jelly (sounds weird but it keeps the meat moist), these pies are simply delicious. Brits often eat their pork pies with Branston Pickle or mustard.
Yorkshire Pudding
Classicly British is the Yorkshire Pudding or the Yorkie Pud as it’s been abbreviated to. This Northern England side dish consists of a thin batter that gets poured into muffin tins and placed in a screaming hot oven. It’s there that the magic happens because the batter puffs up and becomes a crispy pancake-like accompaniment to a Sunday Roast.
Full English Breakfast
One of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had while on vacay in the U.K was a full English and here’s why. It consists of basically everything we all love to eat. There’s eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, roasted tomatoes, some mushrooms, and beans. What could be wrong with any of that? Keep in mind it’s definitely on the heavier side which is why it’s notorious for being a hangover cure!
Beans On Toast
I know they’re controversial here in Canada but I’ve never met a baked bean that I didn’t like. British baked beans reign supreme in my world and one of the best ways to eat them, in my opinion, is on toast. It’s one of those crazy simple yet delicious quick dishes to make when you can’t be bothered to really cook but it’s satisfying and hits the spot. Simply whip open a tin, warm them in a saucepan, toast your bread and you’re done.
Sunday Roast
It doesn’t get anymore British than a Sunday Roast. Also known as a Sunday Lunch, this meal is when family gets together to tuck into a big roast beef, potatoes, veg, and of course, gravy and a Yorkshire pudding. Like most British foods, it’s on the heavier side but trust me — it’s totally worth it!
Bacon Sarnie
Another crazy simple British dish to make is the bacon sarnie. Sarnie is a slang word for sandwich and this one has just two ingredients: bacon and bread. Everyone has their own special way of cooking the bacon, toasting the bread, and deciding which sauces to serve it with. Some reach for ketchup but others like to go for curry sauce or even chili sauce.
Victoria Sponge
Brits certainly have a sweet tooth. One dessert that needs to be on the menu at your next dinner party is the Victoria Sponge. Named after Queen V herself, this dessert consists of layers of delicious sponge with whipped cream and jam in between. It’s simple and goes perfectly with a cup of tea.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Take your dessert game even further and tuck into a slice of comforting sticky toffee pud. This dense and rich treat is everything on a cold winter’s day but take it a step further and serve it alongside some custard or ice cream.
