Great British Food

This weekend I have been having an e-conversation with Justine 'my friend from St. Augustine' about the differences in our eating habits. As the e-mails progressed I thought it might be nice to share this dining experience with the rest of you.

Tripe - This is something my grandparents ate a lot of but personally I just can't stomach it (excuse the pun!) Nothing you could put on it would camouflage the fact that it's a cows stomach lining. Not even hot chocolate fudge sauce! I have to say this picture I found makes it look much more palatable than it actually is.

Pork Crackling/Scratchings - Now this is something I love. Pork Crackling is the skin on a joint of pork that has ben cooked so that it is hard and crispy. Sometimes you even get the hairs too! It's really tasty, despite being nothing but fat. Scratchings can be found in packets and are a lighter version of crackling. Nothing as nice as a half of lager with a bag of pork scratchings.




Pie and mushy peas - Another personal favourite. Something that takes me back to the nights in the pub after watching the local football team. Meat and potato pie was my favourite and a spoonful of mint sauce over the peas.
My mum used to make mushy peas for sunday dinner. She would soak the dried peas in a bowl overnight to help them go soft. In the morning I used to eat a lot of them before they even got into the pan. They do have a rather unfortunate side effect though!


Black pudding - This is definitely something you love or hate - like Marmite I suppose. A seasoned sausage made from pigs blood! Perfect on a plate of fry up alongside bacon, eggs, sausage, beans, mushroom and fried bread. Known as a Full English Breakfast and enjoyed most when eaten on a gingham covered tabletop in a friendly Bed & Breakfast dining room at the Seaside.

Jellied Eels - typically a dish found in the London area I think, however being a northerner I know very little about this delicacy other than I would rather eat my own fingers!

Deep Fried Mars Bar - I have never tried it but would if I had the chance. It's something our neighbours over the border in Scotland like to have with their fish and chips - as a dessert I presume. It's a chocolate caramel bar deep fried in batter, as you would deep fry a piece of cod, or a chicken nugget! Not for the health concious as you could probably add another 100 calories to an already calorie-fest food by doing this.

I'm sure many more of these will come to light from this post, so I'm challenging you foreigners out there to come up with your local delicacies in the comments box.