England is a country of many traditions and customs, some dating back to ancient times. One of those traditions is gastronomy.
Today we are going to talk about the offer you will get on your trip when you decide to try the typical food of England.
1. Full English breakfast
Its origins are very remote and today nobody leaves aside an exquisite English breakfast to start the day with a lot of energy and well fed.
The English breakfast includes fried, scrambled or poached eggs, bacon, sausages, toast and butter. Some variations include roasted tomatoes and mushrooms, French fries, baked beans, and scallops.
There are places where they serve a "full English breakfast" all day. It is accompanied by a cup of hot tea, milk or coffee, according to preferences.
2. Sunday roast
Sunday is the best day to eat a delicious barbecue consisting of chicken, pork, beef or lamb. This is another of the typical foods of England.
This delicious dish - in addition to selected roast meat - is served with roasted or mashed potatoes and vegetables (such as Brussels sprouts, peas, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks or parsnips).
Some cakes made with flour, milk and eggs are also added to the plate. These cupcakes are the "yorkshire pudding". All this is accompanied by a very tasty and appetizing sauce called “gravy”.
There is currently a version of this food for vegetarians, prepared with nuts and cheese. The Sunday roast can also be offered as a roast dinner.
3. Yorkshire pudding
It is the traditional companion of the barbecue and although its appearance seems to be sweet, it is not really a pudding.
Rather, it is a muffin made with flour, eggs, milk, and lard or butter. It bears no resemblance or relationship to the classic sweet pudding of American cuisine.
4. Foot
A typical food from England that bears a certain resemblance to cakes or pies. It is a dough filled with chicken with mushrooms, veal and kidneys or veal with beer ”.
After assembly, the cake or "pie" is baked and served with potatoes and vegetables, plus gravy.
Something very easy and quick to eat, very common on the streets and ideal if you have no idea what to eat at any given time in London.
5. Beef fillet covered in puff pastry
A dish that you may have heard mentioned on occasion. It is a typical food from England and is prepared with beef or beef.
Take the fillet, wrap it in a puff pastry and take it to the oven. Previously, the piece of meat is applied a layer of pate and a mixture of vegetables with onions and mushrooms cut very finely.
Once this is done, it is covered with the puff pastry and baked. It is served with roasted potatoes. In any food establishment you can taste a "beef wellington" or fillet of veal covered in puff pastry when you are in England.
6. Sausages battered in yorkshire pudding
Yorkshire pudding is once again present in this typical food from England and it is a very easy dish to prepare.
These are sausages battered in a generous amount of Yorkshire pudding; they are generally served with a sauce composed of vegetables and carney.
In England, Yorkshire pudding is used for many dishes because it is in high demand by the British.
7. Stuffed potatoes
This typical food from England is the English proposal of tasty stuffed potatoes.
It consists of a roasted whole potato, which is opened in the center to first place butter and then fillings to taste (such as tuna with mayonnaise, minced meat, cheese with beans, cheese mixes and any other favorite filling).
A very simple dish, but full of flavor that you must try when you visit England.
8. Sausages with mashed potatoes (Bangers and Mash)
The English are lovers of sausages and eat them in various ways. In this typical food of England we have them served with mashed potatoes, another frequent ingredient in British cuisine.
Its curious name is due to the fact that when the dish began to be prepared, the sausages used were of a lower quality and, when cooked, they exploded like a firecracker, hence, “Bangers”, which is a rocket that makes a lot of noise.
The grilled sausages are served on a plate of mashed potatoes and accompanied by one of the English favorite sauces, prepared with vegetable and meat broth, the gravy.
Peas are also placed to accompany the bangers and mash.
9. Fish and chips
Fish and chips are eaten all over England, especially in nearby or coastal regions. Fish and chips is a typical English food, known in much of the world.
This delicious and simple dish has been in English cuisine since around 1860, and you can buy it anywhere. Known simply as "chippy", you have the option of purchasing it as fast food.
It consists of pieces of fried potatoes, moistened in vinegar and sprinkled with salt that accompany a large fish fillet coated in flour and beer and then fried. Sometimes mushy peas, tartar sauce, or a large lemon wedge are added.
The best fish to prepare chippy are cod and haddock, although varieties such as rock salmon, haddock and plaice are also used.
There are restaurants whose specialty is selling fish and chips. In the old days, sales were made on the street and pieces of newspaper were used to wrap the food.
Nowadays some locals use newspaper-style printed paper to remember the old days of wrapping paper. fish and chips (name of the dish in English).
10. Meatloaf
This is a dish full of many calories and that will charge you with energy. It is one of the typical foods of England.
It consists of a very finely chopped lamb meatloaf, peas and carrots, which is covered with mashed potatoes and some add a little cheese.
It is then baked in the oven and the result is a dish, without a doubt, very delicious. You can use another type of meat or fish, in this case it is called "fisherman's pie".
For vegetarians there is also a variety made with vegetables.
11. Fish fingers, chips and beans
It is a typical food of England frequently used in meals at home and from children to adults enjoy it.
These are small battered and fried fish sticks, served with the inevitable English fries and canned beans in tomato sauce.
It is a dish used on any occasion, for dinner at home, any visit from friends or when you just don't want to cook a lot.
12. Minced meat with potatoes and cabbages
This typical food from England is prepared with the remains of the Sunday roast.
All that is left of the Sunday Roast is fried in a pan and served all together, the pieces of meat along with carrots, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, peas, lima beans and whatever other vegetables are available. It is a kind of scramble, very special and tasty.
13. Chicken tikka masala
A typical food from England that, although many claim that it is of Asian origin, was actually created by cooks originating from Bengal, India, upon arrival in Great Britain.
They are pieces of chicken cooked in masala meat broth sauce. You can also bring coconut milk or tomato sauce and typical Indian spices.
This dish is so popular in England that a former British foreign minister went so far as to say that this is "the true national dish of Great Britain".
In every curry house in England you can order Chicken Tikka Masala and savor a true culinary delight.
14. Labrador Lunch
This is not properly a dish, as it is consumed more as an aperitif to nibble on while having a few drinks in an English bar or pub. However, it is on the list of typical English foods.
It is a dish that is served cold and consists of chunks of local cheese (cheddar, with a touch of spice, is one of the options). In addition, the dish contains chives or pickles pickled in vinegar, called "pickles", a little sausage such as ham or sausage, a piece of bread and butter.
On occasion it may include a piece of fruit such as an apple or perhaps some grapes.
This dish has its fans who defend it and eat it whenever they can and it also has those who oppose its existence. However, it continues to be served, so if you have the opportunity to try it when you travel to England, do not miss it.
15. Gelatinous eels
This typical food from England is a dish that has been around for many years, because for a few centuries, the poor of London have had it as one of their main foods.
Eels caught in the iconic River Thames are boiled in water and then put to cool. As the temperature drops, the water in which the eels are found turns into a jelly that completely surrounds them.
This typical dish will likely eventually disappear due to the decline in the eel population in the Thames and some other factors.
So as long as they exist, don't miss out on eating the gelatinous eels when you go to London.
16. Meat and onion pie
A traditional dish of the town of Cornwall and that is part of the typical meals of England.
It is a very tasty way to eat meats with vegetables covered in a delicious crust-shaped dough.
Cornish Pasty contains - in addition to beef, potatoes and onions - rutabagas (a vegetable similar to turnips.
It is cooked in the oven and it is very tasty. Do not stop enjoying it when you are in Cornwall.
17. Haggis
It is the most traditional and popular dish in the region of Scotland and being this area of the United Kingdom, haggis are part of the typical meals of England.
This tasty meal consists of rich pieces of roasted lamb, which is mixed with onions, various aromatic herbs and spices. The ingredients are placed in a bag made of plastic and moved so that everything is perfectly integrated.
It is an exquisite dish, ideal for people who like food with a lot of seasoning.
18. Bacon sandwich
For a quick breakfast, nothing better than this typical English meal, a bacon sandwich, popular and sought after in any corner of Britain.
It is made with bread rolls to which bacon, tomato and lettuce are added. It is a very economical option for breakfast and, also, easily accessible.
When the bread is freshly baked and the bacon is just cooked, the experience of eating one of these sandwiches is truly special and unforgettable.
Savor a rich and hot bacon sandwich when you travel to the UK, you won't regret it.
19. Meatloaf and kidney
This cake is one of the favorite dishes of the British and is included among the typical meals of England.
It is composed of beef, kidney, fried onion and sauce. All these ingredients are wrapped in a dough and cooked in the oven to give an appetizing result that you must try when you visit England.
20. Bacon Wrapped Pork Sausages
As we have already seen, the English are fans of sausages and to confirm this fact we have this typical food from England.
It consists of pork sausages to which strips of bacon (the blankets) are placed around and put to bake. They are very often prepared to accompany roast meat.
21. Dover sole
It is one of the typical foods of England and one of the fish with the most fans in this country.
Dover sole is eaten filleted, since it has a very soft and tender meat, it is frequently prepared grilled.
22. Trifle
Among the typical foods of England we have desserts and this is one of them that, in addition, has many years of existence, since the first signs of the trifle are from 1585, when the recipe appeared in a cookbook written by Thomas Dawson, The Good Huswife Jewel.
The trifle consists of a combination of ingredients placed on top of each other, all sweet and varied such as pieces of sponge cakes, fruit jelly, a typical English cream called "custard", pieces of fruit and whipped cream.
Every English home has its own personal version of the trifle and cannot be missed on celebratory occasions such as Christmas dinner and any other festive date.
23. Battenberg cake
Another dessert included in the typical meals of England is this sponge cake whose distinctive characteristic appears when cut, as it shows four colored squares alternated between yellow and pink.
A filling of apricot jam is placed on it and covered with marzipan.
It is said that its origins date back to the 19th century and that its four squares are the representation of the princes of Battenberg and hence the name.
24. Sticky Caramel Pudding
It is one of the favorite desserts in the United Kingdom, one of the typical foods of England. It consists of a steamed cake and is literally soaked in liquid caramel. Sometimes it is served with vanilla ice cream to accompany it, but it can also be eaten alone.
25. Rice pudding
The well-known rice pudding is also included among the typical meals of England.
It consists of rice cooked with milk and raisins or cinnamon are added. It is said that it made its appearance in Tudor times, although the first known recipe dates from 1615.
26. Tea
Tea is, without a doubt, the drink that represents England. The tradition and custom of the British to drink tea is known throughout the world.
Although there is "Tea Time", it really is a drink that is taken at any time of the day, from breakfast to dinner.
Each one chooses the way to drink it: alone, sweetened, with cream or milk. At tea time it is usually taken with cookies, a sandwich or some sweet pastry.
27. Barley water
Another of the typical drinks in England is barley water. It is prepared by boiling the barley grains after which it is strained and sweetener is added to taste. It is consumed and considered as a soft drink.
28. Beer
Draft beer is very popular and traditional in the capital of Great Britain. It is served in pints or half pints and it is an experience that you should not miss when you visit London, as this city has a cultural tendency regarding beer.
Just as there are places that offer products from various franchises, there are also others of an independent nature whose beer is of excellent quality and with its own flavors. An unforgettable experience.
29. Hot apple juice
This typical drink from England is made by letting apples ferment for several different occasions and times.
It is a drink that is tasted in winter season and is consumed hot.
30. Coffee
Coffee is achieving a prominent place in the taste of the English. Currently, many houses drink coffee and it is common for it to be served in restaurants and food outlets.
You can enjoy an espresso or drink with milk. It is also possible to enjoy a cappuccino with milk foam, cream or some syrup, or perhaps you prefer a mocha.
Typical England food recipe
One of the typical foods of England that is most liked and very popular is fish and chips and now we will see the recipe.
The necessary ingredients are white fish fillets, wheat flour, beer, yeast or baking powder, potatoes, oil, salt, vinegar.
The cold beer is emptied into a bowl. On the other hand, the flour and the baking powder or yeast are mixed and after sifting they are added to the beer while beating to form a homogeneous mixture.
The fish fillets are dried well and a little salt and pepper are added, then they are passed through a little wheat flour.
It is put to heat abundant oil and when it is very hot the pieces of floured fish are taken and they are submerged in the prepared mixture, to later place them in the hot oil and fry them on both sides until they are golden.
The potatoes are peeled and cut, adding a little salt to them; heat plenty of oil and fry them; when they are ready, sprinkle them with a little more salt and moisten them with a little vinegar.
Serve the fish fillets with the fries.
Typical desserts from England
In Great Britain there is a wide variety of desserts, among others:
- Battenberg cake
- Sticky toffee pudding
- Strawberries and cream
- Rice pudding
Typical drinks of England
Among the main typical drinks of England we have:
- Tea
- Draft beer
- Barley water
- Hot apple juice
- Coffee
History of English food
Traditional English food dates from the first settlers, with its own characteristics that have been conditioned to modern times and the influences it has received from other cultures such as India, Asia and other parts of the world.
At the beginning they were mostly simple proposals, with a lot of use of natural products; Among the most consumed products, potatoes occupied and continue to occupy a prominent place.
In its origins they had elements such as bread, cheeses, roasted or stewed meat, vegetables and vegetables, broths, fish from the sea and rivers.
Today it continues to be a simple, attractive meal, enjoyed by many people, in addition to the purely English population.
The country, traditionally known for the monarchy, has much more to offer us and how to delight us. Through its flavors, it is another way to fall in love with the sobriety of England. Do you dare with these typical English foods? Tell us about your experience in the comment section.
