English Food Breakfast, meals and eating habits John Kalomenidis

ENGLISH BREAKFAST A full breakfast is a substantial cooked breakfast meal that typically includes bacon, sausages and eggs, and a beverage such as coffee or tea. It comes in different regional variants and is referred to by different names depending on the area. While it is colloquially known as a “fry up” in most areas of Britain and Ireland, it is usually referred to as a full English breakfast in England (often shortened to "full English"), and therefore, as a "full Irish", "full Scottish", "full Welsh", “full Cornish”, and the "Ulster fry" in the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Northern Ireland, respectively

Scotch pancakes These pancakes are a type of Scotch pancake and are so easy to make. They make an ideal breakfast dish and can be made at the weekend when you have a little more time. You could so easily make a larger batch to last for a few days – they keep very well and can also be frozen.

Bubble and squeak Bubble and squeak is a traditional British breakfast made from boiled potatoes and cabbage. In modern times it is a dish made with the shallow-fried leftover vegetables from a roast dinner. The main ingredients are potato and cabbage but carrots, peas, Brussels sprouts, or any other leftover vegetables may be added. The chopped vegetables (and cold chopped meat if used) are fried in a pan together with mashed potatoes or crushed roast potatoes until the mixture is well-cooked and brown on the sides

Crumpet Crumpet is a small griddle cake made from an unsweetened batter of water or milk, flour and yeast, eaten in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and some areas of the Commonwealth. Crumpets are regionally known as pikelets, a name also applied to a thinner, more pancake-like griddle cake: a type of the latter is referred to as a crumpet in Scotland.

Baked beans Baked beans is a dish containing beans, sometimes baked but, despite the name, usually stewed, in a sauce. Most commercially canned baked beans are made from haricot beans, also known as navy beans (a variety of Phaseolus vulgaris) in a sauce. In Ireland and Great Britain, a tomato sauce is most commonly used, and they are commonly eaten on toast or as part of a full English, Scottish, or Irish breakfast.

Oatcake An oatcake is a type of flatbread similar to a cracker or biscuit, or in some versions takes the form of a pancake. They are prepared with oatmeal as the primary ingredient, and sometimes include plain or wholemeal flour as well. Oatcakes are cooked on a griddle (girdle in Scots) or baked in an oven.

ENGLISH MEALS The main meal of the day is called dinner. It is eaten in the middle of the day or in the evening. If it is eaten in the evening, the midday meal is called lunch. If dinner is in the middle of the day, the evening meal is called supper. Dinner usually consists of the two courses: a meat course with vegetables and a sweet pudding or some stewed fruit. In the afternoon Englishmen drink tea. This meal is often a social occasion when people come for a chat over a cup of tea. But some people like to have "high tea" which is more substantial meal/ They have it between five and six o'clock. In well-to-do families it consists of ham, tomatoes, salad, kipper or sausage with "strong tea", bread and butter followed by stewed fruit like pears, apricot, pineapples or a roll.

Beef Wellington Beef Wellington is a preparation of fillet steak coated with pâté and duxelles, which is then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. Some recipes include wrapping the coated meat in a crêpe to retain the moisture and prevent it from making the pastry soggy.A whole tenderloin may be wrapped and baked, and then sliced for serving, or the tenderloin may be sliced into individual portions prior to wrapping and baking.

Shepherd's pie Shepherd's pie (lamb) or cottage pie (ground/minced beef) is a meat pie with a crust or topping of mashed potato. The recipe has many variations, but the defining ingredients are minced red meat ("cottage pie" refers to beef filling and "shepherd's pie" refers to lamb), cooked in a gravy or sauce with onions and sometimes other vegetables, such as peas, celery or carrots, and topped with a layer of mashed potato before it is baked. The pie is sometimes also topped with grated cheese to create a layer of melted cheese on top.

Lancashire hotpot Lancashire hotpot is a stew originating from Lancashire in the North West of England. It consists of lamb or mutton and onion, topped with sliced potatoes and baked in a heavy pot on a low heat.

Steak and kidney pie The steak and kidney pie is the most flavoursome and popular pie in Britain. This glorious dish is comfort food at its best, and is made up of succulent beef, seasoned kidneys, a sprinkling of mushrooms, thick gravy, which is all topped with a crispy pastry lid. This classic pub dish is usually served with chunky chips and vegetables, and is washed down with a good pint of ale.

Toad in the hole This all-time British classic consists of hearty sausages sticking out of Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with vegetables and onion gravy. The unusual name is said to come from the fact that the dish resembles a toad sticking its head out of a hole.

Victoria sponge The Victoria sponge, also known as the Victoria sandwich or Victorian cake, was named after Queen Victoria, who was known to enjoy a slice of the sponge cake with her afternoon tea.

Bakewell tart A Bakewell tart is an English confection consisting of a shortcrust pastry shell beneath layers of jam, frangipane, and a topping of flaked almonds. It is a variant of the Bakewell pudding, closely associated with the town of Bakewell in Derbyshire.

English eating habits English cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with England. It has distinctive attributes of its own, but also shares much with wider British cuisine, partly through the importation of ingredients and ideas from the Americas, China, and India during the time of the British Empire and as a result of post-war immigration. Traditional meals have ancient origins, such as bread and cheese, roasted and stewed meats, meat and game pies, boiled vegetables and broths, and freshwater and saltwater fish. The 14th-century English cookbook, the Forme of Cury, contains recipes for these, and dates from the royal court of Richard II. English cooking has been influenced by foreign ingredients and cooking styles since the Middle Ages. Curry was introduced from the Indian subcontinent and adapted to English tastes from the eighteenth century with Hannah Glasse's recipe for chicken "currey". French cuisine influenced English recipes throughout the Victorian era. After the rationing of the Second World War, Elizabeth David's 1950 A Book of Mediterranean Food had wide influence, bringing Italian cuisine to English homes. Her success encouraged other cookery writers to describe other styles, including Chinese and Thai cuisine. England continues to absorb culinary ideas from all over the world.

John Kalomenidis