Ah. That is where I fell then. Having no idea what a triffle is nor a toad. And never watching friends. A pea pudding could be good.
As long as it is no jelly.

So I'll let the British fight this one.
I am happy to have discovered the reason of the foul smell of them though. Bad teeth. How did i not see it !

What has thrown many of our U.S. visitors is when we serve them broad beans. For some reason, they seem to be unknown, and therefore to be treated with great suspicion. Sometimes we are treated to a long debate on why we should not be eating them, and how they will almost certainly never catch on. Americans are always very helpful at explaining how other nations do things wrong.

They are one of the most widely eaten foods, and have been cultivated for at least 8000 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_faba

Um, Chartley, not sure where your US visitors hail from but broad beans are known as lima beans in the US and hardly unknown. I'm with the poster who said London likely has more Michelin starred restaurants than wherever OP comes from. And as for home cooking, ever heard of Jamie Oliver, Nigella etc etc? Good cooks and bad cooks everywhere. If you're worried, offer to cook for your host family.

This is laughable. Coming from America and worried about British food? Seriously? Eat at MacDonalds or Subway if you're all that concerned.

And someone who doesn't even know what lard is or thinks mince pies involve beef has no truck commenting on anything related to foodstuffs.

One word - Bakeoff.

Oh for....

It's a troll, people....

Ah. That is where I fell then. Having no idea what a triffle is nor a toad. And never watching friends. A pea pudding could be good.
As long as it is no jelly. >>

woinP - do you mean to say that a person as well travelled as you are has never encountered a trifle? you poor thing. Get a large bowl. Start with a layer of sponge, [often soaked in fruit juice and/or alcohol of some description], then fruit, proper custard, and cream, preferably clotted. Delicious.

Toad in the hole -sausages in a pancake batter. often with gravy.

Pease pudding - made with split green peas and the liquor from boiling a ham and when very soft mashed, mixed with egg, then steamed until it's "set" and served with the aforementioned ham. Not found very often nowadays but a traditional accompaniment to meat like lentils etc.

<<What has thrown many of our U.S. visitors is when we serve them broad beans. For some reason, they seem to be unknown, and therefore to be treated with great suspicion. >>

funny, Chartley, they are very popular in Italian cookery and are presumably revered by the same americans for that very reason.

<<Many years ago I was afflicted of a British wife, and every bad thing they had to say about British food was correct, from vegetables cooked to the consistency of mush, limp greasy french fries, and Marmite. >>

Nuke safe - one of the worst cooks I know is american. I'm sure that the said British wife has good things to say about you too.

From Victoria Wood's "Reincarnation":

<i>I want to be Eileen Gumm,
Who calls herself 'just a mum'.
I want to have three big lads

And a husband that I've driven nuts.
I'll struggle and sacrifice
To make sure they have things nice.
I'll give them such good advice.
They'll absolutely hate my guts

I'll make a bag for them to take their pumps in.
I'll make pyjamas they can have their mumps in.
My mashed potato will have big grey lumps in.

I'll control each family member.
I'll make them gather round the Christmas table
And eat until to move they are unable.
They'll wish that Joseph never found that stable.
I'll put my sprouts on in November.</i>

Meant to add
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThtTrfF0QVk

No, broad beans are absolutely NOT lima beans! They are MUCH nicer. In the US, when you can find them, they are known as fava beans.

@ann - I have my mother's recipe for pease pudding, no egg....

I call troll, too. But just in case, mushy peas are only served with traditional fish and chips (if you can find a traditional chippie), and are entirely optional.

There is also pease pudding made with yellow dried peas. My father used to like it with boiled ham (once he tried making it himself in the pressure cooker and opened the cooker without letting off the pressure first............)

You could try thinking of it as artisanal polenta, but I could never stand it (or mushy peas for that matter).

Trifle had been added to my to eat list.

Mushy peas should made from marrowfat peas. Well made they are tasty, more often than not they are just mush.
They are also served as a snack in some areas with mint sauce or with the mint already added, and as pie and peas, popular (in the past at least) with football supporters.
Mushy pea fritters are also made, though whether northern chippies still sell them I couldn't say.

Broad beans are fava beans, but in the UK they tend to be served with their skin on, rather than with it removed by blanching, so they look different.
When my niece was young she hated them and her other always knew when they had been served as a school dinner because my nieces pockets were full of broad beans!

St. Cirq: >>This is laughable. Coming from America and worried about British food?<<
How do you know the OP is American?
Thank god for the US. Or else you'd have nothing else to complain about.

Chartley: Americans unfamiliar with fava beans?

Hey, you like mashed peas? Then eat mashed peas.

We used to have a restaurant in town that advertised itself as an British pub with "authentic" British food. It lasted about 6 months, which was about 4 months longer than I predicted. I think the former owner has now opened a store selling ISIS flags.

http://busycooks.about.com/od/crockp...tmincemeat.htm

Our mincemeat in the states has meat as does the UK mincemeat pies but have been eating since I was able and love them. We always buy the walker ones at Christmas if we don't make ourselves. My mom always added an extra apple to the jar.

My UK Friends are the best bakers. They have gardens and chickens in the burbs and love growing fresh veg.
Lard is pork renderings btw.

I grew up in England and have never eaten a mince pie made with meat.

See: http://www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/fo...ate-mince-pies

Meat in mincemeat.....Never, maybe a hundred years ago.

This is mincemeat for mince pies:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1...onal-mincemeat

Mincemeat for mince pies nowadays usually doesn't even have suet in it never mind meat.

Mince, as in minced (ground) beef, is also used for pies, but they are never called mince pies.

Once upon a time, adding spices and fruit to meat was a way of getting it through the winter, especially if it had started to go, if not off, then at least unpalatable. Nor is it that unusual to have fruit with meat (apple sauce for pork, or prunes and pork in France, pineapple with ham...?)

But the modern sweet tooth just wants to get straight to the sweet and spicy. There'll be plenty of meat in the main Christmas meals. Mince pies are just a way to anchor yourself to the armchair through the afternoon, or maybe as a reward for that bracing walk instead - or maybe not.

Of course one British food item OP forgot to mention and shudder at is of course Marmite.

He could end up staying with someone like my late Ma-in-law of course. Cow heel pie was the first meal she served me, an effete southerner, followed by tripe and onions the next day.
Neither would have been too bad, if she could cook, but she hated cooking and it showed.