Top 10 Popular British Food

Top 10 Popular British Food

British food may not be as popular or well known compared to other cuisines such as French or Italian but there are still many traditional foods that are worth trying. Here are 10 of the most popular foods that I am sure you will want to try!

1. Fish and Chips

Fish and Chips with a pint of cider: Wikimedia Commons

Perhaps the most popular and well known of all British foods, fish and chips is a staple British takeaway food and something that is worth trying if you’re visiting the UK.

Fish and chips consists of fried fish in batter and served with chips and usually sprinkled with salt and vinegar. The dish originated in England is a fusion of its two main ingredients, which were brought by immigrants. Fish and chips first appeared in the UK in the 1860s, by 1910 there were already 25,000 fish and chip shops, and by the 1930s this increased to 35,000.

Fish and chips are great if done properly, although with the best usually found in seaside resorts. There are also a great selection in London as well.

2. Roast Dinner

Roast Lamb Dinner: Wikimedia Commons

Brits love their roast dinners, which are traditionally eaten on a Sunday. The dish is made up of roasted meat, either beef, lamb, chicken, pork or turkey, if eaten on Christmas day. It is served with a variety of vegetables, usually roast potatoes, carrots and cauliflower, Yorkshire Puddings and gravy.

The roast dinner originally began as a meal that was eaten after Sunday church service, as the meat could be left to cook in the oven while the family at church. Today the Sunday roast is still an important part of British culture with around one-fifth of British families still down to a roast each week. In a UK poll it was ranked second of things people love about Britain. You will find Sunday roasts being served in many pubs around the country, usually with a variety of different meats.

3. Full English Breakfast

the Full English Breakfast: Wikimedia Commons

Another favourite, the full English, also known as a ‘fry up’ is a full breakfast. This is made up of eggs, which can be either fried, scrambled or poached, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, baked beans, toast and mushrooms. This type of breakfast is popular all over England. There are also regional variations such as the Full Scottish, which is served with black pudding, a type of blood sausage. In the UK, the full English is so popular that many cafes and pubs offer all day breakfasts.

4. Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington: Wikimedia Commons

The Beef Wellington is a preparation of fillet steak that is coated in pâté and then wrapped in parma ham and puff pastry and baked. Wrapping meat has been a culinary technique that has been used in many countries for hundreds of years.

Although the origin of the name is uncertain it is thought to have been created in celebration of the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley and his victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Another theory is that the dish is based around the French dish filet de bœuf en croûte (filet of beef in pastry).

5. Trifle

English Trifle: Wikimedia Commons

The trifle is a popular English dessert. It is made with a variety different fruits, including strawberries, strawberries and bananas and suspended in jelly. A real English trifle consists of a layer of sponge fingers which are soaked in sherry then layered in custard and topped with whipped cream.

The word trifle comes from the old French term ‘trufle‘, which means of little consequence. The earliest recording of the name trifle being used was in 1585 from Thomas Dawson’s book of English cookery, The Good Houswifes’ Jewell. Trifle evolved from a similar dessert called ‘fool’, where originally both desert names were used interchangeably.

6. Steak and Kidney Pie

Steak and Kidney Pie: Wikimedia Commons

The steak and kidney pie is a savoury pie that is filled mainly with diced beef, kidney, usually from beef, lamb or pork, fried onion and gravy. The gravy is usually made up of beef broth that has been flavored with Worcestershire sauce and black pepper,  thickened with corn starch. Around since the 19th century it can be counted as one of the country’s most popular dishes. It has several rhyming slang like ‘Kate and Sydney Pie.’

Pies feature heavily in British cuisine and are the way to deal with the harsh British winter. The pies that we know and love has its origins in Northern Europe. Olive was harder to come by, so butter and lard were the fats used in colder areas north of the Mediterranean. The use of solid fats created a pastry that could be moulded and rolled, thus the pie was created.

7. Eton Mess

Eton Mess: Wikimedia Commons

Eton Mess is a traditional English desert which is made from a mixture of strawberries, meringue and whipped cream and a perfect treat for a hot summer’s day. Although any type of summer fruits can be used, including blackberries, raspberries and blackcurrants, strawberries are usually considered more traditional.

The name is believed to have originated from Eton College, where it is served in the annual cricket match against Harrow Boys School. No one knows for sure why its called a mess, although it’s probably because it’s appearance is a mess when served.

8. Toad in the Hole

Toad in the Hole: Wikimedia Commons

This is a dish which consists of sausages in Yorkshire Pudding batter and usually served with onion gravy and has been around since the mid 18th century.

It is thought to get its unusual name as the dish resembles a toad poking its head out of a hole. Another less common but amusing belief was that the dish was created in Alnmouth, Northumberland to mark a golf tournament where a toad pushed its head from the 18th hole and dislodge the player’s ball.

9. Shepherd’s Pie/Cottage Pie

shepherd’s Pie: Wikimedia Commons

A classic English dish, the shepherd’s pie are synonymous with British cuisine. The dish consists of ground or minced lamb for shepherd’s pie and ground or minced beef for cottage pie, with a topping mashed potato. Interestingly neither of these are pies in the traditional way we think of a pastry.

The name Shepherd’s Pie is used as shepherds only herd sheep. The name ‘cottage’ meanwhile, was used for this kind of meat pie around about the time potatoes were introduced to the UK as they were affordable for peasants to eat, many of whom lived in cottages.

10. Bread and Butter Pudding

Bread and Butter Pudding: Wikimedia Commons

This is as the name suggests, a traditional pudding made from bread and butter. It is made by layering slices of stale buttered bread scattered with raisins in an oven dish. This is then covered in an egg custard mix, which is made from milk or cream and usually seasoned with nutmeg or vanilla.

The earliest bread and butter puddings were called Whitepot and used either butter or bone marrow. One of the earliest recorded recipes for bread and butter pudding is from a cookbook from 1728.