100 English Foods To Try (a list for the New Year)

Marmite pyramid from chiri_dr on Flickr

Can’t take any glory for this – the list originates from The British 100 and comes via Neil and G Go Walkabout, but I’m partial to lists and even more so, crossing things off lists, so why not?

Without further ado, here it is… if you want to do it, read the rules and go on

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Link back to Food Stories, if you would be so kind.

1. Grey squirrel
2. Steak and kidney pie
3. Bubble and squeak
4. Spotted dick
5. Hot cross buns
6. Laver bread
7. Toad in the hole
8. Shepherds pie AND cottage pie
9. Scotch egg
10. Parkin
11. Welsh rarebit(hope it counts when it comes on a mushroom)
12. Jellied eels
13. Stilton
14. Marmite
15. Ploughman’s lunch
16. Cucumber sandwiches
17. Coronation chicken
18. Gloucester old spot
19. Cornish pasty
20. Samphire
21. Mince pies
22. Winkles
23. Salad cream ( this is Miracle Whip in disguise!)
24. Malt loaf
25. Haggis
26. Beans on toast
27. Cornish clotted cream tea
28. Pickled egg (no one beats Uncle Don’s pickled eggs!)

Drake learns that he does NOT like pickled eggs.

29. Pork scratchings
30. Pork pie
31. Black pudding (a nice little addition to an English Breakfast)
32. Patum Peperium or Gentleman’s relish
33. Earl grey tea
34. Elvers
35. HP Sauce
36. Potted shrimps
37. Stinking bishop
38. Elderflower cordial
39. Pea and ham soup
40. Aberdeen Angus Beef
41. Lemon posset
42. Guinness
43. Cumberland sausage
44. Native oysters
45. A ‘full English’
46. Cockles (does cockle chowder count? I think not, alas.)
47. Faggots
48. Eccles cake
49. Potted Cromer crab
50. Trifle
51. Stargazy pie
52. English mustard (LOVE!)
53. Christmas pudding
54. Cullen skink
55. Liver and bacon with onions
56. Wood pigeon
57. Branston pickle
58. Oxtail soup
59. Piccalilli (I like it with number 30)
60. Sorrel
62. Chicken tikka masala
63. Deep fried Mars Bar
64. Fish, chips and mushy peas
65. Pie and mash with liquor
66. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (with gravy)
67. Pickled onions
68. Cock-a-leekie soup
69. Rabbit and Hare
70. Bread sauce (thank you to Lindsay’s addition at American Thanks Giving)
71. Cauliflower cheese
72. Crumpets
73. Rice pudding
74. Bread and butter pudding (sharesies with Mike at Gordon’s Bread Street Kitchen)
75. Bakewell tart
76. Kendall mint cake
77. Summer pudding
78. Lancashire hot pot
79. Beef Wellington
80. Eton mess
81. Neeps and tatties
82. Pimms
83. Scampi
84. Mint sauce
85. English strawberries and cream
86. Isle of Wight garlic
87. Mutton
88. Deep fried whitebait with tartare sauce (I don’t do tartare sauce, though)
89. Angels on horseback
90. Omelette Arnold Bennett
91. Devilled kidneys
92. Partridge and pheasant
93. Stew and dumplings
94. Arbroath smokies
95. Oyster loaves
96. Sloe gin
97. Damson jam
98. Soda bread
99. Quince jelly (an ole’ standard from France)
100. Afternoon tea at the Ritz (I’ve heard other places are better – tea at the Mariott with Ben soon!)

36/100

And that, my friends, is that.

Want to join my Crochet-a-long?

Meg inspired me over Christmas with her avid crocheting, and she re-ignited the fire within me. I need to get back into my yarn – let me at it!
As a consequence of this, I have suggested a crochet-a-long for some of my ex-pat friends as well as anyone else who would like to join in. Interested? Head on over to Ravelry.com for the official group (and sign up to Ravelry for goodness sake – you’ll never find a better source of inspiration).

However, as a brief run-down, here is the pattern we’ll do for the first project-a-long. It’s called the Convertible Cowl and is a free pattern from The Crimson Owl. I’ve already made three – one for Meg, Flatmate A and Flatmate M – but my -along will be for me. How exciting! I’m even going to follow the pattern to a T. First time for everything, right?

Here is the original photo of the project – I see from Raverly stats that 888 have used this pattern. Speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

Update: we are going to try to find a knitting pattern that is similar so all my knitters can join in, too.

Here are some options (you may need a ravelry account to see them):

Marian
Big Cowl
Chunky Cowl
Jumbo Cable Cowl

And then, Christmas was upon us

I may prefer Christmas Eve, but Christmas Day was pretty cool, too.

Just a normal day in Streatham

Et voila – tuna dip!

Megs making mushroom fries, me with the tuna dip, and Mike seeking amazing recipes

Meg just can’t wait to eat some chocolate

I’m diggin’ this hoody, which matches the scarf Meg crocheted me

Mike LOVES his habs-themed slippers, crocheted by Meg

lost in puffs of marshmallow

Meg returns to ‘impatient child mode’

Mike gets his Santa on

Christmas with Jamie

We just wanna be a part of his life, ya know?

Jamie's butcher shop next to St. Paul's

Yesterday Mike pointed out that we’ve evolved to a point where we are referring to famous chefs (Ramsay and Oliver) as though they are our friends. I guess “that’s what happens when you’re in London for Christmas!”

Gordon's new restaurant where he fed us Saturday night

But you see, we have watched so many episodes of Jamie’s Great Britain in the lead-up to the holidays that making his recipes for our Christmas meal just felt like second nature. It was Meg, Mike, JR and Jamie for a Streatham Christmas.
As Mike was carving the turkey, we did a quick count to see just how influential Jamie had been on our Christmas cooking, and discovered he was responsible for five recipes!

Jamie's Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are not native to England but have become a steadfast tradition when it comes to Christmas on the isle. I’m of the view that 5 tbsp Worcestershire (pronounced war-stur-shur) was a bit too much, but Mike liked them. Megs isn’t a big fan to begin with. I, on the other hand, like bacon far too much for my own good. The link above is to the recipe.

Jamie's Mushroom Fries

Meg made these Mushroom Fries which are inspired by the Mushroom Fritti at Jamie’s Italian (his restaurant). Yes, they were delicious.

Jamie taught Mike how to carve the bird

Mike got the idea for the mashed potatoes thanks to Jamie, who boiled them and then roasted them as though they were besties with  a cow. Aka as though they were for roasties. They were good – so good that I didn’t get a photo.

Jamie spent an episode teaching us how to Carve the Bird. Here’s our turkey prior to the carving. It was just a wee thing, but we had enough left over to put in the freezer for when Mike and Meg return home. (They get to go to Edinburg for a few days!)

Finalement, Mike made a Mulled Cider, recipe courtesy of Mr. Oliver. Even more delicious than mulled wine, my friends.

We love Jamie more than Gordon because Jamie is much less pretentious. Who do you love?

Crocheting for the holidays

I haven’t been as yarn active as in previous years, but sitting next to my friend Meg as she works on crochet slippers and offers me full use of her yarn, I have been inspired to move my hands vs sit idle watching old Christmas movies.

Last night I whipped up this very easy cowl – pattern courtesy of The Crimson Owl. Meg chose a navy blue yarn that was not as chunky as was suggested in the pattern, and I didn’t crochet as many rows as the hood was not needed. Meg still seems to enjoy the cowl though!

I need to take a post-Christmas yarn run, but in the meantime, I might make another cowl, or perhaps attempt this hat or something similar on ravelry.

Gordon feeds us Christmas Eve dinner

St. Paul's Cathedral via Bread Street

Christmas Eve has always been my favourite day of Christmas. Upon reflection I’ve attributed it to the fact that the anticipation of Christmas is always more exciting than Christmas itself, and my family Christmas used to take place on Christmas Eve. Then there was Santa, right?
For our Christmas eve, we were going to attend a Carol service at St Paul’s Cathedral, but when we heard of the massive queue that wrapped around the building, we felt quite grateful for our lack of motivation. We decided to make it up by attending the Midnight Mass at the local Catholic church, but by the time Gordon finished feeding us, all we could think of was sugarplums and flannel.

As such, our only stop (besides Marks and Spencer- amazing deals ten minutes before close on Xmas eve!) today was Bread Street Kitchen- Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant in the City of London.
May I say: amazing! Want some proof? Check out this slide-show:

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Happy Christmas

‘when you stay in London for Christmas.’

It’s our new Carol, inspired by staying in London for Xmas. I’ve been excited about it, but being mike and meg’s first time here for the holidays, there was a bit of concern about homesickness.

Not to fear, JR is here, armed with overwhelming positivity and also impromptu songs. Did I mention

‘when you stay in London for Christmas’ what happens is food glory thanks to Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen, beautiful lights, a view across the city, and some chipper Londoners. See?

Coming soon… A full rundown of the resto experience.

Merry Christmas all!