CUISINE
England has two national dishes, Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding and Fish and Chips.
The former was standard fare at the English Clubs where officers and noblemen regularly had lunch and the latter nourished generations of dockworkers.
The English breakfast is as English as can be and no other country on earth can claim a five course meal so early in the day.
English breakfasts consist of:
First course: a glass of orange juice or half a grapefruit, segmented, sprinkled with sugar and eaten with a spoon.
Second course: a helping of cooked porridge, preferably whole oats (that have been soaked overnight in milk and cooked the next morning, served with thin cream or milk and sugar).
Third course: the main course consists of eggs, bacon, mushrooms, baked beans, fried tomatoes and sausages.
Fourth course: the meat or fish course and there’s a choice between kippers or devilled kidneys.
Fifth course: the point at which toast and marmalade is served.
English Jam
The many hedges we see in England are not only there for decorative purposes and necessary to prevent soil erosion, they also provide masses of berries that can be turned into marmalade, jam and jelly.
The original English orange marmalade was invented in 1797 by Janet Keiller who ran a small shop, specialising in sweet products and preserves. She later founded Dundee marmalade.
Throwing an English-style World Cup bash? Check out Food24’s English party menu!