How do the British eat? Typical English breakfast, lunch and dinner. Always be in the mood

A well-known feature of the inhabitants of England - adherence to traditions - also applies to food. The traditional cuisine of England has been unchanged for several centuries, but it causes a lot of criticism, both from tourists and representatives of the local population, although the British do not seek to change anything in their traditional cuisine.

From the outside, it seems that the natives of England have formed a kind of food cult. But, for example, the geographical neighbors of the English, the French, joke that only British cooks cook food in hell, and in order not to starve to death in England, you have to ride on the continent three times a day.

About what constitutes an English breakfast, lunch and dinner, why there is confusion in these concepts, how many meals and snacks the British allow themselves, will be discussed below.

Meals: from the first cup of tea to dinner

Traditionally, a typical Englishman's day begins with a cup of tea in the morning, which is drunk in bed. The first English breakfast is at 7-8 o'clock in the morning and includes several fairly nutritious dishes.

Second breakfast or lunch falls at 1-2 pm and usually takes place in small restaurants or pubs. In fact, in our country, the second English breakfast is lunch, but in England it is customary to call the dinner (dinner) an evening meal - dinner.

On weekends in England, breakfast flows smoothly into lunch.- this extended meal, which lasts almost half a day and is rather entertainment and a joint pastime for the whole family, is called brunch (the beginning and end of the words breakfast and lunch are combined).

The dinner of the English falls at 7-8 pm and is perhaps the most nutritious of all meals. When they want to refer to dinner more formally, they talk about lunch, which usually takes place in restaurants and includes three or more courses.

A traditional English breakfast starts with oatmeal (everyone remembers the famous expression “Oatmeal, sir!”), which is considered to be the birthplace of Scotland.

In Scotland itself, oatmeal is eaten without any additives. English oatmeal is served with milk or cream, and sugar can be added to taste.

Breakfast is continued with scrambled eggs and bacon, in which you can also add mushrooms, fried tomatoes, herring or sausage, toast with jam and tea or coffee. Jam is generally a separate component of the morning meal - without it, a traditional English breakfast is inconceivable. The only thing is that it is sometimes replaced with marmalade, which can be presented in different states - solid, crumbly or jelly-like.

Also, an English breakfast is replete with a large number of vegetables and fruits and fruit juices. In the morning, the world-famous corn flakes or muesli with milk are also acceptable.

Many English people spend their second breakfast, lunch or dinner in restaurants, since it is not customary to go home for a lunch break. It may include meat or fish, salads, potatoes, fruit pudding for dessert.

Puree soups and broths are considered as first courses, which are generally not very common in England, however, they are more often transferred to an evening meal.

Closed sandwiches or sandwiches with pate, boiled pork, ham, fish and other ingredients are also considered popular during lunch.

Drinks during lunch can be traditional tea or juices. Even on a weekday during lunch, some English people drink draft beer - porter or black ale.

After a five-hour tea party, which takes place with all the formalities, it is time for a rather late dinner. For some English families, this meal is considered the main meal of the day.

In anticipation of dinner, it is customary to serve an aperitif - usually wine. Then soup can be served as the first course, or several different hot dishes can simply be prepared.

For dinner, roast beef or steaks are usually eaten, as an addition to the second course there is a vegetable snack (beans, corn, pickled vegetables, cauliflower, etc.). Sauces are offered for each dish. At the end of the meal, something sweet is usually served with the English favorite drink - tea..

Useful for tourist

The national food in England is considered to be several dishes that are recommended to be tried by all visitors to this amazing country. Having learned what the British eat and what are their signature dishes, you can try this or that culinary masterpiece yourself.

So, you should definitely try the famous English pies.. It can be a meat pie, which traditionally appears on the table during an evening dinner, or an apple pie, which is eaten as a dessert at any time of the day.

It is worth trying the healthy Scottish porridge, which for the most part makes up an English breakfast.

As a first course, Irish fish soup with tomatoes and finely chopped potatoes, which is seasoned with sour cream and nutmeg, is considered very tasty.

The most favorite side dish of the British is rice with tomato seasoning or potatoes.. Bread is not very popular among the inhabitants of the UK - of course, there is already a huge amount of food on the table!

The famous fish-and-chips dish is popular in England.. Blood sausage, Yorkshire pie or pudding named after a certain area, shortbread and other popular and original dishes are also common here.

The famous fish-and-chips dish

The British do not use sauces very often, because they consider the taste of dishes to be perfect even without them. If you try roast beef, steak with blood or rump steak in England, you can definitely say that their taste will be different from those offered in other countries.

It is difficult to imagine the national cuisine of the British, reading or watching films about it.. You can try to cook a typical English pudding or roast beef according to the recipe of the English, or you can buy a ticket and go to study the culinary talents of English chefs. Enjoy your meal!

The English breakfast includes strictly defined products that have not changed for centuries. Knowledge and recipes are passed down from generation to generation. The dishes do not differ in a special variety, but they turn out to be satisfying and quite high-calorie.

Traditional English breakfast: composition of dishes

The British traditionally start the day with a cup of tea, which they drink in bed. Then oatmeal is served.

This is followed by the mandatory seven products:

• two fried sausages;
• fried classic bacon with a crispy crust;
• a couple of tomatoes drizzled with bacon oil;
• fried champignons;
• white beans with tomato;
• fried eggs, traditionally cooked from two eggs;
• two toasts spread with butter or jam.

It is customary to drink a mug of coffee, tea with the addition of milk or orange juice. Occasionally, pancakes with jam or milk with cereal are included in the diet.

All of the listed products are laid out on one dish. Fried eggs always take pride of place in the center, the rest of the products frame it.

The tradition of preparing a hearty breakfast has come from ancient times. In poor families, the British needed to eat well in the morning in order to do hard work all day. At lunchtime, they did not have time to eat extra, and the next meal came only in the late evening. A high-calorie breakfast provided satiety for the whole day.

And despite the fact that times have changed a long time ago and the rhythm of life has become much easier, the tradition of eating solid food in the morning has remained.

Classic English Bacon and Eggs

No classic English breakfast is complete without bacon and scrambled eggs. The amount of products is designed for two servings.

Ingredients:

• egg - 4 pcs.;
• olive oil - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• bacon - 6 slices;
• salt;
• toasts - 4 pcs.;
• tomato - 1 pc.;
• ground chili pepper - 0.1 tsp;
• paprika - 0.5 tsp.

Good Old England is famous for its ancient traditions, and the English are proud of them and carefully observe them. In the modern world, when many things are changing so quickly, the British continue to carefully preserve centuries-old customs, the historical past and the memory of their ancestors. Traditional horse polo competitions, weekly Sunday cricket, golf and tennis, the national football championship, the English tea ceremony and much, much more - these glorious traditions have been preserved to this day. And, of course, the main feature of Foggy Albion is the reign of Her Majesty the Queen! The British are very friendly to their Queen and very solemnly and magnificently celebrate her birthday!

Another wonderful tradition is the love for animals, in every house there are pets and more than one, and the owners are attentive and caring to them, sometimes they forgive them for such tricks for which their children are punished. There are many interesting and worthy things in the glorious traditions of this country far from us. And this strikes our imagination, suggests thoughts about human wisdom, about centuries of experience! Classic English breakfast is a tradition that has its origins in the distant, distant past! The composition of this breakfast has not changed for hundreds of years! You probably think about oatmeal and a glass of juice or coffee? Alas! And I thought for so long until I found out that this is also breakfast, but not classic! The classic English breakfast is a very hearty dish consisting of 7 types of food that are fried or fried. It includes: sausages or wieners, scrambled eggs - fried eggs, bacon, beans in tomato sauce - champignons, tomatoes and slices of dried or toasted bread. The unusual composition of the breakfast is explained by the fact that the calorie content of these products allows you to keep the body working for a long time, up to 8 pm. Miners, dockers, metallurgists and other working professions are hard physical labor, and it is impossible to sustain it on oatmeal. So they created, invented, invented - call it what you want, such a simple in composition, but very dense and satisfying breakfast, which gives an energy boost for a long working day!

Today, the specifics of work in all spheres of life has changed a lot, and as a rule, there is no need to prepare such a breakfast. And yet, according to experts, many English people cook it on Sundays. Tourists, vacationers and all visitors, in any hotel or restaurant, will definitely be offered this dish - a classic English breakfast. A significant part of the population of England considers it the main national symbol (after Her Majesty the Queen)!

I had to travel around the UK on all 3 types of visas: tourist, student and business visas. And, as you understand, I had to eat in various establishments: from 5-star hotels and the best restaurants to modest eateries. Of course, if you travel with enough money and go to good drinking establishments, then there is no problem: UK restaurants provide the best of world and English cuisine, and it is simply impossible to stay hungry. But what if you are a tourist or a student?

A bit about English cuisine

"Good, honest food..."

So, what to eat in England and what should definitely be tried? One could say, "Sugar-fried nuts on Westminster Bridge," and that's it. Because at first glance, things are really sad with food in England.

My colleague was leaving on a six-month business trip from Great Britain to France, and an adult man, almost with tears of joy in his eyes, then told how lucky he was that England was at the beginning of the trip. If he had to go to after Paris, he would not know what to eat at all. And I agree with him: unlike their eternal "friend-enemy" France, where food is prepared for pleasure, in England they believe that "food should be good and honest", i.e. simple and satisfying. So simple that if you look into the cafe in the Tower, you will be quite "delighted" with liver sausages with boiled grated beets. And this is not a stylization of the kitchen of the times of Henry the Eighth. Sauces in English cuisine are minimal. it is believed that they should not drown out the taste of the dish. But at least a drop of mayonnaise would definitely not hurt me!

However, let's be honest: in damp cool weather, food really should be dense, satisfying, and one croissant for breakfast is not enough here.

All flags visit us

The current English cuisine is a mix of many different cultures. Since various nationalities flocked to the capital, and the former colonies rightly went to the capital, it will not be difficult to find a restaurant of Thai, Greek or Iranian cuisine here. For example, there is such a variety of these restaurants on Queensway that you just have to choose what you want to eat: Turkish falafel, Indian curry or Chinese noodles, spending 6-8 EUR (5-7 GBP) for dinner. By the way, some things, like chicken curry, are now considered a traditional English dish, and not an Indian dish at all.

In London, there is a whole district of China Town, adjacent to Soho, where you can eat deliciously and quite cheaply. The entrance to the area is marked with red lanterns and pillars with a dragon. In the year of Prince William's wedding, a huge screed was hung there with congratulations to the prince and his wife and their photographs. A Peking duck will hang in the windows, and you will have to sit crowded at small tables - there is little space and even food is served by elevator from the lower floor. Soho itself is full of Italian and Spanish cafes where you can have a tasty and hearty meal. At the Camden Lock market, you can easily find Brazilian cochinhas, meat pies.

English people and cooking

And yet the national English cuisine exists. These are all types of meat: beef, lamb, pork, chicken, fish and potatoes with vegetables for garnish. You can try typical English dishes in national cafes and pubs. The British are still praised for the fact that they have a daily food routine: breakfast, lunch, dinner. However, they are second in the world after the degree of obesity. This is due to fast food and semi-finished products. Of course, the world-famous Jamie Oliver program tells about the secrets of the cuisine of Foggy Albion and advocates healthy eating, but the population honestly watches all the programs, but does not cook. And if he cooks, it's like Bridget Jones at her birthday party - from a recipe book with square eyes, and in the end it will end with scrambled eggs.

Of course, this is largely facilitated by the system of food stores. The fact is that the system of semi-finished products and finished products is very common here. Firstly, in big cities there are many cafes like the Pret a Manger chain, where for 1 pound (1.16 EUR) you will be given two boiled peeled eggs in a box and three spinach leaves on top. More cookies from the shelf, smoothies, so we had a bite. Secondly, in any department store, the shelves with food “Heat me up and dinner is ready in 2 minutes” will be the first to meet you, and the shelves with raw steaks and vegetables will be somewhere in the depths and away from your attention.

When I went to cook in the university dormitory (on the 1st floor with 8 separate rooms there was one well-equipped kitchen with 2 useless ovens), local boys looked at me as if at a deity and tenderly asked: “Can you cook?!”. On me, except that the halo did not shine at that moment! True, in order to find a normal roast chicken, I had to try hard and go deep inside huge food halls, but the respect of the English graduate students who tasted the result was worth it.

The British are bought in Tesco supermarkets (analogous to Auchan), in more expensive Sainsbury's, in the prestigious Marks & Spenser and Selfridges food halls, usually located on the -1 floor. Everyone drops in Tesco, and Tesco Express is even right opposite Big Ben and Parliament. More there are a lot of small shops run by people from Turkey, Greece, India and even Russia, where you can buy water, yogurt, bread, vegetables and other food.

Breakfast

Traditional breakfast

So, english traditional breakfast- this is an omelet or any scrambled eggs, fried bacon, sausages, baked tomatoes and champignons, beans in tomato sauce, coffee and juice. And no one cooks it like this on a weekday! The hostess can get confused by a ceremonial breakfast only on the weekend. Agree, at home before work, you also do not boil yourself a porridge and do not make a full breakfast.

A typical English breakfast consists of toast with butter and jam and coffee or a glass of juice. And most often from a box of cereal and milk. Many students who lived in families complained that breakfast was just that or even a jar of canned food. However, the milk here is to be praised. It is really very tasty. I used to not understand the complaints of my English friends abroad that there was no good milk until I tried the local one, even if it was from plastic bottles. It's really delicious!

Breakfast in the hotel

But if you settled in hotel, then breakfast will be just traditional, as I described above: scrambled eggs, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms. The only thing: when ordering a hotel and choosing a meal, you may have 2 options for breakfast - a continental and an English breakfast. Do not skimp on a few pounds and always choose English. Because the continental (French) breakfast consists only of cold dishes: cheese-ham, yoghurts and toast with jam. Oh, and coffee and juice. Practice shows that breakfast is a really important thing, and even more so before a long working or tourist day. You never know where and how you will have to eat next time, so I am for a hearty and hearty English breakfast.

Oatmeal, sir!

"Where's the oatmeal?" You ask. The traditional porridge seems to be a thing of the past. Rumor has it that it is prepared in the cold season, however, I have never met her either in a hotel, or in a cafe, or in any other place. The only oatmeal I ate in the UK was the one I brought with me in sachets. However, this is convenient, because. in every room in an English hotel there is always a kettle, tea bags, sugar cream and sometimes a small cookie. Tea is so sacred for an Englishman that in the room all tea-drinking utensils are usually provided free of charge. When I didn’t have much time to eat between events, I just popped into my room, brewed oatmeal in a mug, and ran on.

Breakfast at the cafe

If you are used to having breakfast in a public place and coffee with a croissant will satisfy you, then there are plenty of places like Costa Coffee and Nero Caffe. These are chain coffee shops like our Chocolate Girls and Coffee House and there is also nothing special to eat there, except for coffee, hot chocolate and pastries for 3-6 EUR (2.5-5 GBP). But they cook deliciously and these establishments are at every step from Soho to Heathrow Airport.

Curiously, Nero Caffe has recently introduced a code for the toilets. Those. to get to the amenities, you need to buy something in a cafe and get a check with a code. This practice exists in other countries: for example, in Italian and Swedish McDonald's. But this tourist problem is solved simply. You can safely drop by McDonald's (English Macs are still free for that matter), Burger King, or a major department store. And if you come across a pub along the way, but you are not going to eat, then you can just leave a little bit of tip.

Lunch

The second meal in England is lunch. In fact, this is our lunch. True, since at this time everyone is at work-study, they make do with what they take with them or buy at the nearest take-away eatery. Usually it is sushi, sandwiches, some fruit and a drink. Sandwiches are triangular sandwiches with cheese, ham or tuna, lettuce, a slice of tomato and a layer of mayonnaise. It is customary to take all this boxed food with you and go in small companies to the nearest park or, at worst, a square, where everyone sits right on the grass and eats their lunch.

On weekends, of course, there is a tradition to gather the whole family for a roast. Sunday Roast. A family dinner with oven-baked meat usually starts at 2-3 hours after the church service. They also serve baked potatoes and vegetables. The next day, zealous Englishmen collect the remnants of the Sunday feast, pour over the egg and get something like a casserole called "Bubble & Squeak" (bubbles and squeaks). Sometimes this is served even in a pub, but I did not dare to try this “dish”.

So, for us, lunch time is still the time for a full meal. Therefore, after polite snacks with friends on the grass, I usually rushed to eat normally. You can dine in a European way in the Italian Bella Italia or the French Cafe Rouge. These are chain cafes spread all over England and they have traditional lunches for a fixed price. Those. you can choose a salad or soup, one of the 2 main courses offered, a drink and a sweet. For such a dinner, you will have to pay 15-19 EUR (13-17 GBP).

For authentic English food, go to the pub. Fish&chips, steaks, beer and dessert are traditionally served here.

In the menu of any pub you can find:

• fish&chips- these are pieces of fish fried in batter and french fries. In a pub it will cost 11-17.5 EUR (10-15 GBP). To be honest, the smell of this dish didn’t make me feel very good, so I didn’t try it. However, french fries are quite popular in England everywhere. My English friend in a Spanish hotel wandered thoughtfully past 3 types of meat, 2 types of fish and a lot of other tasty things with a lonely french fries on a plate and said that he did not know what to take and what to eat at all.

• Sausage & mash- sausages with mashed potatoes. Another "hit" of British cuisine in a hurry for 11 EUR (10 GBP). Burgers are also very popular in pubs. Maybe it's American influence. Steaks usually served in company with potatoes, baked tomato and huge champignon fried to the coals for 14-17.5 EUR (12-15 GBP). When ordering, it is best to ask for a middle roast, i.e. medium rare, you can't go wrong. Because low rare suggests undercooked pink meat with blood. There is trouble with sauces in England in the Russian opinion, the locals believe that the sauce should not cover the taste of the dish. At best, ketchup will be served.
• For a side dish, you can also choose grilled vegetables or mashed green peas. But peas in this form are typical of England and very unusual for us, who are used to picking them from a bush or eating them in canned form. Lamb with mint sauce. In England, they generally love mint very much and put it everywhere: from chocolate to meat. Those. they bake meat with mint, drink tea, eat very tasty chocolates with mint (I recommend it!) And make a sauce out of it, which is surprisingly suitable for lamb.

• All kinds of pies with meat filling, such as the famous Cornish pie. By the way, it also happens to be apple and, in principle, you can buy it in a department store. Shepherd´s Pie with lamb, Cottage Pie with beef are actually a full-fledged second course, baked in a crust of dough, served with a side dish of the same potatoes and vegetables. Yorkshire pudding. In fact, we are used to pudding as something sweet and milky, but in England this word refers to various products. For example, the famous Yorkshire pudding is an airy bread crust that can be filled with anything. AND black pudding- generally blood sausage.

• Dessert shouldn’t be a problem: in the UK they love dense pastries, and you can choose trifle or Eton Message, or just ice cream for 6-8 EUR (5-7 GBP). trifle- This is a sponge cake with custard, fruit jelly and cream. Eton Message or "Eton mishmash" - the famous summer dessert of meringue, cream and strawberries, which is served at picnics. You can easily find it in pubs too. They say that once students took Pavlov's dessert with them for a picnic, but the dog sat down on a box of sweets. Amazing taste remained, but the view left much to be desired.

As you can see, English desserts are a rather dense thing. For coffee and more refined sweets, you will have to go to a French pastisserie or a Turkish cafe.

In general, it is best to have a good meal in a pub before 5 o’clock. The British start early and finish early. Perhaps, the effect is that business Europe and the East start much earlier. Be that as it may, at 5 p.m. the pubs begin to fill up with local people who want to have a drink or two after work and discuss the latest news.

It will immediately become noisy and possibly smoky. However, most of the people stand on the street in front of the bar with glasses in their hands. A pub is generally such a place of English social life. If an Englishman invited you to a pub without friends, then this is regarded as a full-fledged date with quite serious intentions. When a local womanizer-graduate student got a turn at the dance from me a couple of times, he decided to conquer me by going to the pub together. However, I did not have time, since I was already packing my bags for the morning flight and preferred a solitary evening walk along Regent Street, looking at the windows and walking people.

However, daily trips to the pub with a full meal still hit the wallet. In this case, you can look into all sorts of fast food cafes:

• McDonald's are all over London. Buns in hamburgers and Fanta seemed to me tastier here than in Moscow. Often promotions for the 2nd free pie or drink. Toilets are free. If you look at High Kensington Street, you will find yourself in the Mac where Princess Diana took her sons, since Kensington Palace is nearby. McDonald's on Oxford Street is always crowded but stays open until late.
• Burger King also spread widely throughout the city. If you are standing at the box office at the London Eye, then look at the whole chain of fast food cafes adjacent to the box office. There will also be free amenities.
• If you are tired of looking around Westminster Abbey, then look into the building opposite called Central Hall Westminster, it is the Methodist Church. Downstairs they have an excellent cafe with affordable prices, where for 6 EUR (5 GBP) you can get a plate of goulash (meat and potatoes) and a drink. Hearty and cheap for the center of London. A similar cafe exists under St. Paul's Cathedral if you are not confused by the neighborhood of gravestones. However, for England it is practically the norm. For example, a small garden near the dormitory of the University of London, where I lived, was used in the morning for jogging, in the afternoon for lunch, and no one was embarrassed by the light gray tombstones scattered here and there on the lawn.

Tea

At 5 p.m., while the bars fill with ale lovers, another tradition is celebrated throughout the city - "5 o"clock". The tradition of drinking tea at 5 pm originated a long time ago from a rather large gap between lunch and dinner. The once royal trick to eat bypassing the palace ceremonial has turned into a whole ritual. In fact, this is our usual afternoon snack. Only, I dare say, it turns out where denser than yogurt with a cookie and can pass for a full meal.For the British, this is another social outlet where it is customary to dress discreetly, but not in jeans.They say that five o'clock tea is observed mainly by older ladies.But, nevertheless, any decent hotel serves tea daily, which means that this tradition is still alive and in demand.In famous places, it is better to book a table in advance.

The varieties of tea are not very strong, and for an appetizer they serve cucumber sandwich, cones with jam and cream, cheesecake or apple pie with English cream. An English cream is a French blancmange, a Spanish catalana cream, and, simply put, a cream of cream. Sweet can serve a variety of things, but usually in sufficient quantities to get enough. The restaurant in the famous department store Fortnum & Mason serves a table for two from 93 EUR (80 GBP). One will cost half as much, but there may not be a table, because. they are usually booked in advance.

The best hotels in London always serve "5 o" clock" for guests and just guests from the street. True, a five-hour tea in the historical walls will cost a decent amount:

• Hotel Savoy - from 58 EUR (50 GBP),
• Claridge's - from 30 EUR (26 GBP),
• Goring - from 50 EUR (43 GBP).

Good hotels are wonderful because you can freely visit restaurants and cafes on the ground floor. In the aristocratic area of ​​​​South Kensington, any, even the most modest cafe, puts up a black board at the door from noon with information about what time they serve tea and how much it is. will cost you. In general, reading the menu at the door and looking at the prices in the UK is considered quite normal. However, if your friend invites you home in England for tea, then most likely it will be a full dinner, because now it is customary to call dinner that way.

Borough market

In London there is such a place as Borough Market, a gloomy market under the iron vaults in the Shard skyscraper area. It was located literally under the subway tracks and the wall of the church in the not very prosperous Southwark area. But in the 13th century, they didn’t even dream of a metro, and the market already existed. Now many gourmets from London and beyond flock here.

Opening hours:

• Wednesday, Thursday 10:00–17:00,
• Friday 10:00–18:00
• Saturday 8:00–17:00,

But the trade may end earlier, so it is advisable to come here in the morning. The easiest way to get there is by metro, the nearest station is London Bridge, address: Southwark street, 8.

The fact is that in this market you can taste and buy real farm products, find exactly the traditional food that is prepared throughout England, Scotland and Wales according to the old recipes of grandmothers and great-grandmothers. England is famous for its cheeses, in no way inferior to France in this. It is almost impossible to find farm cheese in stores due to ministerial delays, but Borough Market has the whole color of English cheese making.

Here you can find various smoked meats, traditional meat and sweet pies, Scotch Egg (Scotch egg in minced meat and breadcrumbs), homemade pates, jams, Scottish heather honey and Cornish honey ice cream. Come here hungry and with cash. In addition to trying out tastings, among the hundreds of stalls there are those that sell ready-made food. And this is not only an English meat pie, but also Chinese noodles, and an American burger, and Turkish falafel. By the way, in the middle of the market there is an excellent Turkish delight shop of various tastes. I could not resist my favorite sweet, but large pieces weigh heavily and, taking a little bit, you can give 17-23 EUR (15-20 GBP).

They eat either on the go, or go down to the small courtyard of the Southwark Cathedral church adjacent to the market, where they sit down on stone slabs and gobble up what they have purchased. By the way, once in the end of the 18th century, the church encroached on the territory of the market, but the inhabitants of the area chipped in and bought the land under it. The market has its own administration, which sets its own requirements for products, an order of magnitude higher than the usual market ones.

There are departments for fresh vegetables and fruits, fresh meat and fish, where you can buy wild Scottish salmon or Welsh domestic duck. You can also try Irish oysters - and all this will be very fresh. There are also products from the continent on the market: grapes from Provence, olive oil from Greece, Parma ham and parmesan. The market is designed primarily for the Londoners themselves. Here you can taste both ale and homemade cider - those drinks that are allowed to be sold on tap in such places.

Speaking of drinks

So, we have already talked about pubs, and about markets, and about the famous five-o-clock, but we haven’t really talked about the drinks that accompany these meals here and which are definitely worth a try:

• Tea. Thanks to its colonial past, Great Britain has become a tea empire and a dock in this business. Breakfest Strong, Queen Ann, Lady Grey…. Some of the names may make you salivate. The most famous combination of tea and milk is perhaps worth trying at home. To do this, you need to choose the appropriate variety and brew the leaves in a teapot. You can read how and where to choose tea and jams for it.
• Beer. Brewers of England are famous for their product far beyond the kingdom. These are serious guys: when cocoa suddenly became popular in the 18th century, the brewers' association simply demanded that the death penalty be introduced for drinking hot chocolate. If you go to any pub, you will see at least 15 taps, or even more. Accordingly, the range of beer varieties is always so wide that if you ask for the lightest beer, you will be given some 0.1% more similar to non-alcoholic beer. Once I did this in a London pub and they brought me something completely light, but it relaxed me later. It is served here in pints (0.56 l) and half a pint.

• Name " ale makes you think of something Irish and so traditional. In fact, it's still the same beer, only more bitter. If the usual, "lager", is brewed with bottom-fermentation at a low temperature, then ale matures in a barrel at high temperatures, and maturation occurs until it is completely drunk. I wasn't very impressed. However, they say that this is a common impression of those who drink lager.
• Cider. The 4.5% ABV apple pop is my clear favorite. Fortress from 1 to 8 about. %. The sugar content varies from dry to sweet. Here you will find a bunch of varieties: raspberry, pear, with the taste of wild berries. Perhaps the perfect drink for those who do not like strong alcohol.
• As for strong alcohol, you yourself understand that the Scottish whiskey is considered one of the best and is sold everywhere in London. However, being a fan of cider, I cannot adequately rate it, but I can advise you to have a bottle in reserve, especially if you come here in winter and early spring - a sip of whiskey will perfectly save your wet feet from a cold.

• Wines of England. Strange as it may sound, the UK has its own vineyards and good wines, mostly white. Wine has been practiced here since the time of the Roman conquests, in the Middle Ages, as usual, monks were responsible for it, and according to reviews, they received very good samples. Then, through the royal marriage of England, the French province of Bordeaux passed and winemaking reduced its pace. In 1586, the director of the Westminster School, William Camden, wrote that it was not the bad climate and French competition that ruined winemaking, but the laziness of the locals. Modern vineyards are located mainly in Wales and southeast England. However, there are many small private vineyards in the western part of the country. In principle, a mild winter probably helps the vine to take root on the island, but, to be honest, I have never tasted English wine, and even with the abundance of pubs, it is not easy to get to a noble wine.

Finally

Of course, English cuisine has earned a reputation for being simple and crude, and at first you may think that there really is nothing to eat on the island. However, you quickly realize that the weather conditions really require good and unpretentious food, and the joy of simple pleasures like an apple Cornish pie can be no less than from bouchet and profiteroles. After a week, you just get sucked into the local diet and start wondering about “those picky people from the mainland” and myths about oatmeal.

So feel free to come to other English cities! You won't go hungry, and the list of new favorites may include very unexpected dishes like Scotch eggs and black pudding.

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Manner, upbringing and aristocracy of the English is known all over the world. Even their food culture is significantly different from ours. An English breakfast has long been considered a landmark of the UK, but many mistakenly believe that the best start to the day for a resident of Foggy Albion is oatmeal, toast and tea. In fact, the breakfast of a true Englishman consists of very high-calorie and tasty foods, which we will tell you about.

An entertaining story

The tradition of having a hearty breakfast appeared in England in the 19th century. Of course, she came from rich, noble families. It was customary to prepare many hearty delicacies for the morning table, and breakfast could stretch for an hour or even two.

The idea of ​​eating well in the morning was also liked by ordinary residents, who quickly realized that a real English breakfast can give strength and energy for the whole difficult working day. And after two World Wars, it became so popular that now you can try it in every cafe, restaurant, hotel and many other public institutions.

One of the most delicious in the world

The beginning of the day is a very important period for every resident of England, because there is hard work ahead, the road, meetings, work with documents and much more. Therefore, a dish prepared for breakfast should bring not only gastronomic pleasure, but also saturate the body for a long time. That is why people in the UK call their breakfast "all day breakfast".

What is the morning menu?

1. First of all, these are fried chicken eggs, they are usually cooked in the amount of two pieces.
2. Thinly sliced ​​and deep fried bacon.
3. Fried sausages (bangers), which include wheat crackers, which give a special texture and taste.
4. Fresh or canned tomatoes.
5. Beans in tomato sauce.
6. Champignons.
7. Toast with butter.
8. Tea, coffee, orange juice.

To cook all this variety, it will take quite a bit of time, although glossy magazines insist that you have to prepare almost a dozen different containers and 2-3 pans. In fact, one will be enough.

So it's all right

1. You need to take a large capacious frying pan and lightly fry the pre-cut bacon on it. It takes 1-2 minutes for a crispy crust to appear. After that, put the bacon on a paper towel to remove excess fat, then transfer to a plate.
2. On the fat that remains after the bacon, you need to fry the sausages to a delicious crust. To prevent the natural shell from bursting during the frying process, you can pierce them in several places with a toothpick.
3. A traditional English breakfast necessarily includes tomatoes. To do this, they must be cut into rings and slightly heated in a pan. At this stage, you can add mushrooms.
4. The British like to eat eggs mainly in the form of fried eggs. Sometimes you can also find scrambled eggs or poached eggs, but this is already a modern interpretation of the morning menu.
5. British people almost never cook beans themselves, using canned, well-known brand Heinz, which has long become a tradition.
6. Croutons can be cooked in a toaster, or you can buy round buns that need to be cut and dried a little in the oven or warmed up in a pan.

In some parts of England, it is also customary to serve the well-known "blood" or baked fish for breakfast. In addition, many cafes offer a light menu option, where there is no fat in bacon, and sausages are low in calories.

In the center of the capital, for a delicious start to the day, you will have to pay 7 pounds (a little more than 8 euros), and on the outskirts, the same set of dishes will cost 2 pounds less.

The concept of an original, hearty and delicious breakfast has remained unchanged for several centuries. Even in this seemingly ordinary ritual lies the desire of the British to strive for order in everything. Start your morning pleasantly, and may your every day bring joy and success.