Mindful of the endless heated debates on the merits of crumpets/muffins/marmite/suet puds etc I thought it my patriotic duty to bring to the attention of the great British public this wonderful book:-

'Eating For England' by Nigel Slater.

It's divided into multiple mini chapters each dealing with a single food item. A quick scan through in Waitrose this evening revealed the following:-

After Eights (complete with etiquette rules on what to do with the empty envelopes!)

Sarsons Vinegar

Oxo

Colemans Mustard

Hotel toast (ie cold, thin, bendy)

and, perplexingly, Toblerone (hotel mini bar essential).

There was even, wonder of wonders, a chapter on how to properly split an english muffin!

If you wrote a chapter, what would it be on?

Branston pickle. This I had foolishly believed to be the marinated pearl onion that came with my pub lunch, until someone, I think janisj, explained that Branston pickle had been the dollop of savory chutney I so enjoyed with my cheese sandwich. Branston pickle is one of the highlights of English cuisine.

Sounds like my shopping list when I visit the UK. I can get most of them here in Holland now, but they are cheaper and come in bigger packages in the UK.
Pickled Onions, Paxo stuffing, Cider and Cadbury's cream eggs (for my sons) are always on the list too, but never Toblerone.
Looks like I'll have to add Mr Slaters book to my list for my next trip home, along with Christmas Crackers.

RM67, you might also enjoy "The Land That Thyme Forgot" by William Black.

<i>Singing Hinnies, Fat Rascals, solomongundy, Hindle Wakes, Sussex Pond Pudding &amp; flummery.</i>

I love Sussex Pond Pudding!!!

But what the hell is 'flummery'?!

Do Americans eat meat pies?

Can't say I've ever seen one over there.

Chicken pot pie is as American as it gets. Beyond that, not really.

There are plenty of meat pot pies in the US -- loads in the freezer section of the supermarket (chicken and beef mainly). One doesn't usually eat suet in the US unless a different species, though.

There's chicken pot pie, with vegetables, a white sauce, potatoes surrounded by or covered with crust or even mashed potatoes. When homemade can be very tasty; mine is anyway.

You are deprived of Snake and Pygmy pie?

Personally, I love Pig's Bum pudding.

Chutney

Plain chocolate digestives

Prawn cocktail (and other &quot;weird&quot; flavoured) crisps

Gingernuts were in there with all sorts of useless info about which brands have the most cracks in the top, and that pudding that you make with gingernuts, cream and a freezer.

Question: what is a &quot;digestive&quot;. Have read this in various English mysteries and apparently it's some sort of cookie - but what kind?

I'm going to use this thread as an excuse to bring up the Toblerone bear. Can you see the bear in its logo?

http://www.toblerone.com/

Crumpets are a favorite around our breakfast table; toasted, buttered and with an English marmalade. Robertson's Golden Shred, Keilers Dundee Thick Cut or Hartley's Old English Thick Cut.

Yes, there are meat pies available in the US other than those imitations in the freezer sections.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/38chgx

Should have noted that Hartley's Marmalade is made in the UK and not related to the pork pie business.

As an aside, my first 6 years of school were in the 4 room school diagonally opposite Hartley's in Lincoln, RI.

waring, not only are we deprived of snake and kidney pie, but we have a general shortage of interestingly named foods. Red eye gravy, I guess, and pigs in blankets. S'mores, snoots, and something my great aunt made called worms n blood. Otherwise, pretty boring.

Treacle pudding with tons of custard poured over.

I always leave room in my suitcase to pack food on my visits over the pond. I always bring back Bovril, tons of Cadbury candy (it's much cheaper over there regardless of the exchange rate), tea bags, and Cadbury instant hot chocolate. For some reason that is the only thing I can't get in the US. I can find the Drinking Chocolate that you mix with milk, but not the instant stuff. Both are much different from each other.