Sticky Toffee Pudding!! yummy.... it's sponge with pureed dates and toffee sauce over it.

Spotted Dick...a whitish ,boiled, steamed soggy cakelike mass with raisins!

But Sticky Toffee Pudding ...OMG!! It is SO GOOD!!

Don't forget Toad-in-the-Hole and Stargazey Pie. One sounds unappetising, the other looks it.

"Curries" as English cooks understood them had travelled a long way from their origins and were much bastardised in the process. Essentially the curry morphed into a meat dish (often leftovers) smothered in a nasty sauce made from packaged and often stale "curry powder" and thickened with cornflour, with a few raisins thrown in for further authenticity. Often this gastronomic delight was accompanied by sodden boiled rice and some greyish, boiled-to-death vegetables. I for one, like many older Australians, grew up thinking this was a "curry", only discovering the truth in adulthood.

So the original idea may have been Indian/Pakistani, but the execution was so distinctive that I think that the traditional English curry can be regarded as naturalised. I'd hazard a guess that much traditional English cuisine has its roots in Roman gastronomy, but I wouldn't call it Italian.

I vote for the roast beef and Yorkshire pud, perhaps with an appetiser (known outside the US as an entree) of crumbed lamb's brains.

I loved the tuna and sweet corn sandwiches I ate in London when I worked there about 5 years ago. I also ate fish and chips and something called a Ploughman's lunch which was cheese sandwiches served on brown bread with creamy (mayonnaisy) salads. I was working there so I ate what my British coworkers were eating. If I were on holiday I might not have ever even heard of them.

I also ate great Thai, Indian, and Lebanese food while in the UK. Not British but very very good!

Cheers!

Steak and Mushroom Pie; Treacle Tart; Sticky Toffee Pudding; scones served with clotted cream, strawberry jam, and tea.

P M: Spotted Dick is a steamed pudding with lots of raisins in it.

You're not the only one who's embarrassed according to this story from the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2249273.stm

Someone above said ploughman's lunch was a cheese sandwich!! Hang your head!

A real ploughman's will have a wedge of a local cheese..hard, soft, blue, cow or goat.. a big hunk of butter, some fine bread..granary prefered IMC, some kind of pickle, some onions, a bit of cucumber and cress and a nice Jersy tomato!

A cheese sandwich!!!!! NEVER!

YES, Jody, never a cheese sandwich but who told tango that's what it was?

GenXer

Agree with Underhill roast beef, yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes and two veg i.e. peas, carrots or cabbage (called greens when I was growing up). Fruit pie with custard.

Fish and chips and mushy peas.

Toad in the Hole.

Stay away from the corn. It is animal fodder - and was not never served at my house. I do not consider corn English food.

Try Weetabix for breakfast - a truly English cereal. (Can purchase this at our grocery here in the USA now)

Sylvia - that is a great food link with lots of history.

Sandy

Thanks for that explanation, Lavernedrye. I've always wondered what that is. Next time I'm over there I'll be sure to ask the waiter for Spotted Dick. I can't wait to see the look on my husband's face when I do....heehee ;-)

Try...

Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding (much like our popovers) Many pubs will serve a "Sunday Roast." This is usually beef, lamb or chicken served with potatoes and veg.

Shepherd's Pie (ground beef stew with mashed potato topping)

Bangers and Mash (Sausage and mashed potatoes)

Steak and Kidney or Steak and Ale pie (stew with a puff pastry crust)

Lamb

Fish & Chips with peas (sometimes mushy, sometimes minted.)

Soups are different in England. Most are pureed instead of chunky. They're very good and served with good, hearty bread.

Gammon Steak with egg (Gammon is ham)

Ploughman's Lunch

Cheddar cheese and pickle sandwich

Full English Breakfast (varying combo of eggs, English bacon, sausage, tomato, mushrooms, baked beans, fried bread)

Afternoon tea (tea, finger sandwiches, scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam and desserts)

Cream tea (tea, scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam)

Puddings (what we call desserts)
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Spotted Dick
Summer Pudding
Bread Pudding
Strawberries and cream
Banoffi pie (banana creamy pie with toffee)

One thing you will notice is chips (fries) are served with just about everything. Forget the low-carb diet!

Try Porters English Restaurant (<u>www.porters.uk.com</u>) for reasonably priced English fare.

jeez! and here I thought it was a Dalmatien's Pizzle :)

GenXr, head for one of the London carveries for roast beef, roast pork, wonderful roast leg of lamb, with all the accompaniments.

I think we all forgot steak and kidney pie and potted shrimps?

The idea that English food is not palatable or whatever is an 'urban myth' much like the ongoing headline about toilet paper. My perception of English food is that it be derived from locally available ingredients. I did try the whelks in a kind of jelly..only once. Fish and chips is good because the fish is often less than 24 hours from the ocean. Note the lines at a McDonald's, are they serving English food? food? Restaurants serving choice foods purchase fresh ingredients at a morning market. The chef will buy the best of whatever is available...so the menu changes. Englanders love their language, hence the wonderful title appellations especially of the desserts. What is more English than 'starters'?

When we were younger, my husband had an alotment and grew what we call sweetcorn. You had to grow it in a square formation so that the wind could pollinate it. You are right, it has to be fresh.
I am about to make a summer pudding, using redcurrants, raspberries and loganberries. It has to stand overnight with a weight on top, so we'll enjoy it tomorrow.

GenXer

What a nice thread you started.

Sylvia - are you an American living in England?

Sandy

And no one has mentioned trifle or tipsy parson yet!

Shepherd's pie has to be made with Lamb! If you use beef it's cottage pie.

Ah and english lamb..yum!

No, Sandy, I'm a retired librarian and live in Chester in England.
I did spend a couple of years in the US though.

Jellied eels

I have very little to add, because you've almost covered everything.

But,what about Melton Mowbray Pork Pies!! I was born in a nearby village(Langham) and literally grew up on them. With a chunk of Leicester Red (cheese) it's the perfect lunchtime meal. I've indulged myself many times when visiting relatives etc. over the years.
And blancmange at birthday parties-especially chocolate(other Poms will know what I mean!)
And those &quot;sugar mice&quot; with string tails served up at school dinners around Christmas time.
And Bakewell Tarts. With custard.
I was born in England and lived most of my early life there, but 30+ years of marvellous food in Australia hasn't dampened my appreciation of traditional English food.
When my Rutland-born(English) Mum says that she is &quot;cooking stew&quot;, I'm there in a heartbeat! And I never miss out on her Yorkshire Pud if I can.
Traditional English food now generally falls under the &quot;comfort food&quot; heading. More trendy stuff (generally involving coriander) is just an adaption of other cuisines. Not British.
I last visited my home town in 2001. The first place I ate was at the local &quot;chippy&quot;.A place I had happily eaten in as a child. Cod, chips and mushy peas, with a pickled onion. No coriander and no sprinklings of freshly ground pepper. Divine!!
Possum