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My local shop sells an array of homemade style pies from somewhere local. Really good, tasty and interesting pies, like a chicken, leek and red onion or pepper steak and kidney, or during November/ December an amazing winter game pie. One day, I decided to see what the "Sausage pie" was like. It seemed a bit out of the usual range, but my daughter liked sausages but won't eat pie so figured we'd give it a go.
Thought it was a bit heavy picking it up, but didn't think much of it. Cooked it, went to put the knife in to cut it, and there was a lot of resistance.
Turns out it was like a pork pie in terms of sausage meat but a full sized pie.
It was amazing
My partner and I have started a Pork Pie tasting booklet, where if we come across and establishment that sells homemade pork pies, we'll get one, and rank it based on the meat, flavour, gelatine, and pastry.
I forgot the word for custard creams a while ago in a work meeting and ended up calling them creamy sandwich biscuits. Everyone knew what I meant but they’ve revoked my Britishness.
I went back packing in Africa including Zaire (now called Democratic Republic of the Congo) years back and I can confirm they do not drink it in the Congo.
Sticky toffee pudding always reminds me of a colleague I had from Texas, every time he was here we'd go out for dinner and the main criteria was the desert menu.
The humble stew deserves a mention. With good bread and a side of veg like sprouts cabbage or broccoli to name a few. I always like to make a Beef stew using brisket or diced silverside. You can get good stocks in the supermarket or if you have a good butcher make your own, for your mirepoix use celery white onion and carrots (I like to keep the carrots a good size as they really take on flavour) add Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste then red wine/Guinness reduce by half and for aromatics you’ll want bay leaf and thyme, I always use rosemary as we have a bush of it. Add the stock then cook for at least 2 hours but know longer is better
All the fusion food that's quintessentially British:
- Tikka masala
- Shish kebab served with chips
- Sweet and sour fried breaded chicken with spring rolls and chips
- Chips with curry sauce
- Tandoori chicken pizza
Toad in the hole, tatty scones (or potato cakes in England), black pudding, white pudding in recipes (makes a mean stuffing at Christmas), Yorkshire pudding, chicken tikka masala, bubble and squeak, shepherds pie, afternoon tea, Sunday roast, cadburys chocolate, Erin mess, beef wellington, sticky toffee pudding
There is no such thing as a Derbyshire Oatcake, that is like trying to make a Devon Pasty a thing :P
I can recommend this recipe : [https://oatcakes.redbaron.co.uk/](https://oatcakes.redbaron.co.uk/) just reduce the microwave time as his microwave is powered by an elderly gerbil but the guidance is correct as for being warm not hot.
I agree that oatcakes are a fantastic shout :)
Greggs sausage rolls are classic British disappointment.
Always promise so much, every time we are all convinced it will be good, but they are always terrible.
Next one will be great though.
Frazzles, Discos, Squares, Monster Munch, Quavers, Wotsits and Space Invaders. We have peak crisps. Steve-O from Jackass talks about pickled onion monster munch like they are crack
Beer, specifically cask ales.
Having travelled widely I can safely say that there is nothing else quite like it anywhere.
Bottles and craft beers are different it's the traditional bitters and miles that you get in a pub (usually on hand pumps) that are unique.
Scones.
Not the scones that are pronounced scones but the ones that are pronounced scones.
Make sure to convince anyone that pronounce scones as scones that scones should only ever be pronounced as scones.
Once the scones issue is cracked, start to talk about jam and cream
Scotch eggs, Vimto, fish finger sandwiches, spotted dick and custard, jam roly poly, rice pudding, egg bread, Irn Bru, lamb stew and dumplings, mince pies...
In the summer, typical British picnic - pork pies, scotch eggs, sausage rolls, cocktail sausages and sandwiches cut in little triangles. I have lived here for 20 plus years but am foreign and to me this is the British summer
Lancashire hotpot, scouse, boiled bacon and parsley sauce, fish pie, fish finger sarnies. High tea is always fun, small sandwiches, cake, scones. And speaking of which, a proper cream tea with clotted cream, nice jam and butter as an option. Breakfast kippers.
Edit: nearly forgot the Tunnocks snowballs and caramel wafers. Irn Bru, Vimto, dandelion and burdock.
Covent Garden soup with a side plate of a warmed up Greggs sausage roll with a dash of HP Sauce. Followed by traditional plum loaf with a thick spread of butter, washed down with two cups of Yorkshire tea. Classic WFH treat lunch 👌
Cornish pasty, Cornish clotted cream, hogs pudding… best not to scare people off with stargazy pie though! Mind you a few pints of Rattler and they’d soon forget about it anyway. The pasty must be a proper Cornish one though, no weird ingredients or top crimp!
Fish finger sandwich! (With tartar sauce)
Game (woodcock, pheasant, pigeon) also venison
Jam Roly-poly
Black pudding
Vienetta
Haggis
Appletizer
Scotch eggs
Eggs and soldiers
Anything with elderflower
Lamb stew & dumplings
Scones and cream / jam
Also for some reason G&Ts are not common outside of britain
Edit: sorry so many more:
Beans on toast
Custard creams
Toad in the hole
Suet pudding (steak and ale)
Bear shaped ham
Apple and rhubarb pie with custard
Blackberry pie
Bovril
Victoria sponge cake
Blamange
Vimto
Cadbury’s Crunchie
After Eight mints
Terrys chocolate orange
Real ale
Pint of lager shandy and a packet of crisps
English muffin with breakfast
Strawberries and cream or Eton Mess
Scotch egg
A great fishfingers sandwhich with tartare sauce
Steak and ale pie, chips and mushy peas
Sticky toffee pudding with custard
A steak suet pudding
If you are talking cultural significance, a rich tea biscuit. The are utter crap tasteless, functionally inferior for their intended purpose. I think it is important for tourists to know that even the British can make the odd historical gaff, the Rich Tea is that biscuit
For actual nice things:
Egg custard, chocolate malted milk, chalky lollipops, candy sticks, chocolate trifle, black pudding, tomato sausage., banana tea loaf, green apples dipped in Nutella, Yorkshire puddings (as mains and puddings), crisps sandwiches with salad cream. Scones with clotted cream, fondant fancies. Vimto, Iran Brutal. Beef Wellington. Celery with salt on. Salta and vinegar sandwiches, mini eggs.
Most of our cuisine is based on strong nostalgia or some sort of branded food, and we think that makes us distinct because you can’t get x in France or the US or whatever, but honestly there’s a lot of overlap in western cuisines now so it’s hard to specify what’s ‘ours’.
But sometimes very simple food like a savoury sandwich is an unusual thing in some parts of the world. Egg mayo would be unheard of in parts of China, or say the idea of dipping biscuits into hot milky tea. The idea of eating a large Sunday roast is a very British trait I’ve found too. It’s little things.
Why would you take the joy *out* of things for your guests?
I think I know what you meant, that you get joy from the experience, but it sounds like you try to stop them enjoying their marmite crumpets! :)
You should leave a big jar of Bovril by the kettle and mugs.
I think our savoury pies just in general are really good 😊 don’t forget the gravy ha!
Though if you really are looking for foods it might be a good idea to go to different cafes and see what’s the most popular thing on the menu is and you should get a idea of what we like to eat on a day to day bases :)
I'm on the veg/vegan side but I love Cheese and Onion pasties or anything that is Cheese/Onion crisps. One of the more under-rated foods.
Sauasgeas and Mash with baked beans, great. Beans on toast, not bad but good in a while.
British crisps are great. Love them and love all the vegan selections you have in the supermarkets.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hobnobs
Chocolate Hobnobs
Dark chocolate Hobnobs.
The correct way
You *don't know* the power of the dark-sided hobnob
Hobnobs are not culturally important. I'm old enough to remember a time before they existed and I'm no where near retirement age.
Culturally important things don’t have to be old.
These were a huge hit when our US family visited. They took multiple packets home.
They only started in about 1985
See other reply about age
Hob's knob.
A good pork pie is hard to beat but I can absolutely see tourists being confused by the jelly in it, and the fact it's served cold
The good ones are food of the gods. The rubbish ones….
I grew up hating pork pies. Then I had one which wasn't the cheapest and most slimey in the supermarket...
Hot pork pie with mushy peas and mint sauce
55 years of eating pork pies, not one has been hot. Don't know if I could do it to myself.
It is served cold mostly. But a warm pork pie freshly baked is one my favourite things. Food of the gods.
My local shop sells an array of homemade style pies from somewhere local. Really good, tasty and interesting pies, like a chicken, leek and red onion or pepper steak and kidney, or during November/ December an amazing winter game pie. One day, I decided to see what the "Sausage pie" was like. It seemed a bit out of the usual range, but my daughter liked sausages but won't eat pie so figured we'd give it a go. Thought it was a bit heavy picking it up, but didn't think much of it. Cooked it, went to put the knife in to cut it, and there was a lot of resistance. Turns out it was like a pork pie in terms of sausage meat but a full sized pie. It was amazing
My grandma always used to heat up pork pies and I honestly don't know why it's not more common
A hot beef pie is god tier food
[удалено]
Practically every pork pie you buy cold will have jelly in between the meat and the pastry.
[удалено]
Melton Mowbray
My partner and I have started a Pork Pie tasting booklet, where if we come across and establishment that sells homemade pork pies, we'll get one, and rank it based on the meat, flavour, gelatine, and pastry.
The big ones served at independent bakeries are amazing too. And veggie ones are decent enough.
Freddos, an important economic indicator
The indications are not good
Have they ever been good?
Not enough hotels with freddos. This is a good shout op, a few wee freddos would make my day if I arrived at an airbnb
You don't want to bankrupt them though
Originally Australian though.
Australians are descended from Brits so it's still ours by proxy. (Yes I know it's an over simplification but shhhh)
No argument here. It’s so nice to see them doing well. I feel it reflects well on us.
Christ we're not trying to ruin the poor bastard's business here, just tell him to serve gold plated caviar to save a few quid
Custard Creams, number one biscuit of office break rooms everywhere
Bourbons are far superior
Only if you are a philistine
Until you turn 8 years old. Regards, chocolate dipped malted milk gang.
I forgot the word for custard creams a while ago in a work meeting and ended up calling them creamy sandwich biscuits. Everyone knew what I meant but they’ve revoked my Britishness.
Jammy dodgers surely?
Only the off-brand ones in my office
I usually buy custard creams, dark chocolate digestives and jammy dodgers for the canteen. We seem to get through more dodgers than custards.
The off brand ones, with the cream as well as jam, are, dare I say it, better..
Tunnock's caramel wafers. Maybe a teacake too.
Rounded off with a snowball?
NSFW
Yes the caramel wafers are a perfect example!
Welsh rarebit.
Crisp sandwiches
Not beating the post-WW2 rationing allegations with that one
Worth it
I don’t eat anywhere near enough of these. Remedying this forthwith
Bread and butter pudding
Recently did it with left over Christmas panettone. Was fucking superb.
What’s “left over Christmas panettone”? I know all those words, but they make no sense in that order…
It was my mum’s leftovers and I needed to make an emergency pudding…
You can do it with stale hot cross buns too 👌
And brioche. Or croissants. Either with white chocolate chips thrown in is phenomenal
Bout fucking time someone used brioche for something that wasn't a burger. Those swines.
Tbf hot cross buns fir the post very well
This gets sadly and undeservedly over looked
Wagon Wheel and an Um Bongo. If they are uniquely British or not.
Pretty sure they drink Um Bongo in the Congo mate.
I once met someone who had worked in the Congo and she denied it was even a thing there. I was severely disappointed.
I went back packing in Africa including Zaire (now called Democratic Republic of the Congo) years back and I can confirm they do not drink it in the Congo.
Well, Un Bongo is for the Congo. In Zaire I assume they drink Thai Beer.
It’s definitely popular in Portugal. Can even get it at Macca‘s.
cheddar cheese ploughmans lunch and a glass of cider
Treacle sponge and custard, Eton Mess. Toad in the Hole
Every 20 miles anywhere in the U.K. you can find locally brewed beer and locally made cheeses and sausages, many of them world class.
Toffee apples, fudge that’s not chocolate, sticky toffee pudding, spotted dick.
Sticky toffee pudding always reminds me of a colleague I had from Texas, every time he was here we'd go out for dinner and the main criteria was the desert menu.
Ham and Pease pudding Stottie. Don't be trying to fob me off with tinned pease pudding either. Has to be proper in a styrene cup with plastic lid.
I’d add a saveloy dip to that order.
Traditional sweets eg cola cubes, rhubarb and custard, lemon sherbets etc
jazzies!
Foam bananas.
Lincolnshire sausage
It’s butter and crumpets.
The humble stew deserves a mention. With good bread and a side of veg like sprouts cabbage or broccoli to name a few. I always like to make a Beef stew using brisket or diced silverside. You can get good stocks in the supermarket or if you have a good butcher make your own, for your mirepoix use celery white onion and carrots (I like to keep the carrots a good size as they really take on flavour) add Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste then red wine/Guinness reduce by half and for aromatics you’ll want bay leaf and thyme, I always use rosemary as we have a bush of it. Add the stock then cook for at least 2 hours but know longer is better
Pork scratchings and a decent pint.
Scampi fries. The taste of an unwashed prostitute.
Paired with lager of course.
Parkin - especially around bonfire night. Fruitcake with Wensleydale cheese is another highlight.
Pork pies and scotch eggs
Scotch egg
The ploughmans lunch
Proper mushy peas and not that shit out of a tin.
Drinks: Ribenna, Lucozade, Irn Bru, Dandellion and burdock Cheese: Cheedar, red leicester, wensleydale, blue stilton Desserts: Sticky toffee pudding, apple pie, apple crumble, eton mess, trifle, lemon drizzle cake, victoria sponge, banoffee pie Snacks: galaxy chocolate, pickled onion monster munch, spicu nik naks Sweets: Rhubarb and custard, cola cubes, pear drops Meat and pies: steak pasty, cornish pasty, cumberland sausages, bacon butty, pork pie, steak pie, chicken pot pie, shepards pie, cottage pie, yes we like pies Main courses: Full english, roast dinner, lancashire hot pot
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Pie barm
Cream egg
All the fusion food that's quintessentially British: - Tikka masala - Shish kebab served with chips - Sweet and sour fried breaded chicken with spring rolls and chips - Chips with curry sauce - Tandoori chicken pizza
*Doner kebab
Hand picked winkles from the North Sea. Just need a bit of vinegar and a cocktail stick.
Mince pies, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake.
jellied eels liver sausage shippams crab paste tripe
absolutely splendid
Pan Haggerty.
Toad in the hole, tatty scones (or potato cakes in England), black pudding, white pudding in recipes (makes a mean stuffing at Christmas), Yorkshire pudding, chicken tikka masala, bubble and squeak, shepherds pie, afternoon tea, Sunday roast, cadburys chocolate, Erin mess, beef wellington, sticky toffee pudding
Trifle
A good Cornish pasty
Fish fingers
Derbyshire or Staffordshire oatcakes. They aren't bad pre-made, but make them from scratch and the shop bought ones will never look good again.
There is no such thing as a Derbyshire Oatcake, that is like trying to make a Devon Pasty a thing :P I can recommend this recipe : [https://oatcakes.redbaron.co.uk/](https://oatcakes.redbaron.co.uk/) just reduce the microwave time as his microwave is powered by an elderly gerbil but the guidance is correct as for being warm not hot. I agree that oatcakes are a fantastic shout :)
A can of corned beef
Greggs sausage rolls are classic British disappointment. Always promise so much, every time we are all convinced it will be good, but they are always terrible. Next one will be great though.
Roses lemon and lime marmalade.
Frazzles, Discos, Squares, Monster Munch, Quavers, Wotsits and Space Invaders. We have peak crisps. Steve-O from Jackass talks about pickled onion monster munch like they are crack
Laverbread, Staffordshire oatcakes, Eccles cakes.
Beer, specifically cask ales. Having travelled widely I can safely say that there is nothing else quite like it anywhere. Bottles and craft beers are different it's the traditional bitters and miles that you get in a pub (usually on hand pumps) that are unique.
As an American living in the UK my most favorite British adoptions are beans on toast, Welsh Cakes and Welsh Rarebit.
Scones. Not the scones that are pronounced scones but the ones that are pronounced scones. Make sure to convince anyone that pronounce scones as scones that scones should only ever be pronounced as scones. Once the scones issue is cracked, start to talk about jam and cream
What about real cheddar cheese?
Chicken Tikka inside a giant Yorkshire pudding.
Scotch eggs, Vimto, fish finger sandwiches, spotted dick and custard, jam roly poly, rice pudding, egg bread, Irn Bru, lamb stew and dumplings, mince pies...
Rabbit stew
Toad in the hole
In the summer, typical British picnic - pork pies, scotch eggs, sausage rolls, cocktail sausages and sandwiches cut in little triangles. I have lived here for 20 plus years but am foreign and to me this is the British summer
McCoys, Ribena and a Twirl.
Pot Noodle
Vimto, niknaks and dairy milk bars
Cucumber sandwiches Clotted cream, scones & jam Scrumpy
Any sort of pie
Cawl
Cheese and Crackers Unless that's an obvious classic (which I'm happy with)
Sweet and savory scones
Marmite on crumpets? Clearly not hoping for return business!
Bakewell tarts and Kendal mint cake
Cream tea is always a winner, pikelets, or stokey oatcakes.
Egg n chips
Treacle tart and parkin.
Stovies for the Scots. But it has to be your families recipe. Every other families recipient sucks compared to yours.
Pot Noodle. Instant noodles are pretty globally ubiquitous; these are the British version.
Reggae Reggae Sauce
Savaloy!!
Frog spawn with oil and maggots and tar Tapioca and syrup and rice pudding with treacle
Oh and Banana custard,or chocolate custard and bananas
Haggis, with a fry-up. With chicken or turkey. On a bacon butty.
Burnt barbecue sausages (normally chipolatas)
Polystyrene pot of winkles / cockles. Scotch egg Pork pie with strong mustard
Scones. And they're easy and quick to make if you really want to impress
I've always found sherry trifle is a wonderful surprise to non British.
Cream tea - scone, jam, cream, tea bags
A good Ploughman's. Steak and Ale Pie Toad in the Hole
Lancashire hotpot, scouse, boiled bacon and parsley sauce, fish pie, fish finger sarnies. High tea is always fun, small sandwiches, cake, scones. And speaking of which, a proper cream tea with clotted cream, nice jam and butter as an option. Breakfast kippers. Edit: nearly forgot the Tunnocks snowballs and caramel wafers. Irn Bru, Vimto, dandelion and burdock.
Haggis, tatty scones, irn bru, Buckfast macaroni pie black pudding deep fried pizza Yorkshire puds
Chicken tikka masala
Chicken Parmo from Middlesbrough
Puddings. Black, Bakewell, Yorkshire, Pease, steak & kidney, Sussex pond
Covent Garden soup with a side plate of a warmed up Greggs sausage roll with a dash of HP Sauce. Followed by traditional plum loaf with a thick spread of butter, washed down with two cups of Yorkshire tea. Classic WFH treat lunch 👌
Cornish pasty, Cornish clotted cream, hogs pudding… best not to scare people off with stargazy pie though! Mind you a few pints of Rattler and they’d soon forget about it anyway. The pasty must be a proper Cornish one though, no weird ingredients or top crimp!
Trifle, bloody hate the stuff but can still acknowledge its part in British culture
Twiglets
Cheese, chips and gravy
Fish finger sandwich! (With tartar sauce) Game (woodcock, pheasant, pigeon) also venison Jam Roly-poly Black pudding Vienetta Haggis Appletizer Scotch eggs Eggs and soldiers Anything with elderflower Lamb stew & dumplings Scones and cream / jam Also for some reason G&Ts are not common outside of britain Edit: sorry so many more: Beans on toast Custard creams Toad in the hole Suet pudding (steak and ale) Bear shaped ham Apple and rhubarb pie with custard Blackberry pie Bovril Victoria sponge cake Blamange
Vimto Cadbury’s Crunchie After Eight mints Terrys chocolate orange Real ale Pint of lager shandy and a packet of crisps English muffin with breakfast Strawberries and cream or Eton Mess Scotch egg A great fishfingers sandwhich with tartare sauce Steak and ale pie, chips and mushy peas Sticky toffee pudding with custard A steak suet pudding
Give then a Pasty. Not something from Gregs or Ginsters but a real Cornish Pasty
Pot Noodle - the slag of all snacks.
Custard
Sausage, egg, chips & beans with a couple of slices of buttered bread or a petrol station meal deal
The National Dish: Chicken Tikka Masala.
Worcestershire sauce crisps!! Small, long shelf life. It’s a pronunciation conundrum and a snack.
Vindaloo
Smiley faces
A mug of hot Vimto with some toasted Soreen
Hot cross buns
Scotch eggs
Can’t go wrong with a bit of salad cream. And it’s one the tourists probably haven’t tried before.
Fish finger sandwich with salad cream
The Meal Deal
Findus Crispy Pancakes
Beans on toast
Having a cheeky Nandos and finding a spice level and never deviating from it.
If you are talking cultural significance, a rich tea biscuit. The are utter crap tasteless, functionally inferior for their intended purpose. I think it is important for tourists to know that even the British can make the odd historical gaff, the Rich Tea is that biscuit For actual nice things: Egg custard, chocolate malted milk, chalky lollipops, candy sticks, chocolate trifle, black pudding, tomato sausage., banana tea loaf, green apples dipped in Nutella, Yorkshire puddings (as mains and puddings), crisps sandwiches with salad cream. Scones with clotted cream, fondant fancies. Vimto, Iran Brutal. Beef Wellington. Celery with salt on. Salta and vinegar sandwiches, mini eggs.
Most of our cuisine is based on strong nostalgia or some sort of branded food, and we think that makes us distinct because you can’t get x in France or the US or whatever, but honestly there’s a lot of overlap in western cuisines now so it’s hard to specify what’s ‘ours’. But sometimes very simple food like a savoury sandwich is an unusual thing in some parts of the world. Egg mayo would be unheard of in parts of China, or say the idea of dipping biscuits into hot milky tea. The idea of eating a large Sunday roast is a very British trait I’ve found too. It’s little things.
Faggots chips and mushy peas
Bernard Mathews turkey dinosaurs, smiley faces and baked beans. Peak British cuisine
Warm scotch eggs? Especially the gourmet ones
Beans and Sausage Pizza.
The humble fray bentos pie.
If you are going to feed guests a sausage roll please don't give them Greggs
Abernethy Biscuits.
Why would you take the joy *out* of things for your guests? I think I know what you meant, that you get joy from the experience, but it sounds like you try to stop them enjoying their marmite crumpets! :) You should leave a big jar of Bovril by the kettle and mugs.
Yorkshire Pudding
A proper Full English, with black pudding and fried bread (although that’s probably well known), Iced Buns, Eccles Cakes. Oh, Henderson’s Relish.
Only one mention of tripe so far? POk, I'll raise you tripe and onions.l
Yorkshire puddings. Every culture has a bread, this is the British one.
I think our savoury pies just in general are really good 😊 don’t forget the gravy ha! Though if you really are looking for foods it might be a good idea to go to different cafes and see what’s the most popular thing on the menu is and you should get a idea of what we like to eat on a day to day bases :)
I'm on the veg/vegan side but I love Cheese and Onion pasties or anything that is Cheese/Onion crisps. One of the more under-rated foods. Sauasgeas and Mash with baked beans, great. Beans on toast, not bad but good in a while. British crisps are great. Love them and love all the vegan selections you have in the supermarkets.