When I'm in England (London) - what type of food should I try??? <BR>I hear haggus, black pudding, and magnum are must haves. <BR>

Steph, <BR>If you want a slow, chloresterol caused death try "chips and buttie"; that's greasy french fries between two slices of buttered bread. If you're into exotic names try "toad in the hole" which is a "corn dog" made with sausage rather than frankfurter. "Bubble and squeak" is nothing more (or less) than mashed potatoes and cabbage. While the cabbage sautes in the pan, the moisture in it causes it to "bubble and squeak". Haggis is fine if you have a yearning for animal intestines and other unmentionables. Blood pudding was invented by Vlad the Impaler and is really Transylvanian, not native British. <BR>

Try the hard cider (available at any pub) as soon as possible. It could become your favorite tipple throughout your stay. Lower in alcohol than beer/lager but goes down so smoothly and deliciously one can put away pints and pints.

There is wonderful food in the UK, especially in London: <BR>-Indian restaurants are fabulous at all prices <BR>-black pudding (a sausage made partly from blood) is delicious, though more so if you don't think about it. So is haggis. <BR>-their take-out sandwiches, at places like Pret a Manger and Marks & Spencer, are top quality <BR>-there's nothing like a cooked breakfast in England--healthy, no, delicious and satisfying YES! <BR>

God! You make us sound like a nation of barbarians!! <BR>Haggis is definately out, black pudding is passe and chip butties should only be attempted in the early hours of the morning when you could be chewing your shoe and not know the difference. <BR>London is the food capital of Europe! Don't believe the old stories about poor service and terrible food. Modern British cuisine mixes international flavours from Thai to Chinese, Italien to French. <BR>London has some of the finest restaurants in the world. <BR>Try The River Cafe (where Tony Blair took Bill and Hilary when they were over here), Marco Pierre White's places like The Criterion, the Roux restaurants like The Ivy, Sir Terence Conran restaurants like Mezzo, Quaglinos and The Blueird, or why not eat at a place where your companion is a sheep suspended in formaldihide - yes, Britain's bad boy of art (and Turner prize winner)Damien Hirst has teamed up with Pierre White in the form of Quo Vadis in Soho (a favourite of mine). <BR>I've travelled in the States, Europe and the Far East and I can still get everything I've ever tasted her in London. <BR>

Seriously....lots and lots of great places in all price ranges. The previous post is really at the high end but we found a bunch of terrific mid range places to eat in soho...chinese, italian, whatever. Pubs are getting pretty good too. Pick up a new guide book or the "time out 98 visitors guide" for good recent reviews.

Steph, we bought a copy of Cheap Eats in London by Gustafson and she never let us down. We ate at 4 of the restaurants she recommended in the Kensington area. The books lists every type of restaurant - english pubs, fish, indian, chinese.