You can get bad food anywhere but Britain has a huge amount of quality
eateries to choose from. Some of the best are the independants but the
hardest to find - with the chains you usually know what you are getting but
it isn't very adventurous. There are so many nowadays and eating out is
such big business that poor quality - in a location with a choice - doesn't
last long. 'English' restaurants are few and far between, most offer
Continental if not international cuisine and that includes pubs particularly
around London although many offer staples like Roast Beef and Yorkshire
Pudding (that's one course, not two) and Steak and Kidney Pudding. You
might get Spotted Dick in The Pudding Club (I kid you not) near Gloucester
but not many other places. 'Black Pudding' is a must with 'the full
English' (breakfast). (Hmmm, that makes 'pudding' with three meals a day).
Another 'must have' is a Birmingham Balti (see
http://homepages.tesco.net/~john.davies/balti.html, very few so-called
'balti' restaurants outside the three streets in Birmingham where they
originated are authentic), you haven't lived till you have eaten a curry out
of a tin bucket, scooping it up with pieces of bread ripped off a huge
shared 'loaf' called 'a table naan' ... Oh, and don't expect to find a
'real English pub' in London or any other city.
PaulH.
----- Original Message -----
From: David Littlefield <dmeadow@juno.com>
To: <paulbentz@home.com>
Cc: <mgs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, October 16, 2000 6:08 PM
Subject: Re: [pub] My First Time.....and Pub Registry...
>
>
> On Mon, 16 Oct 2000 09:10:29 -0700 "Paul" <paulbentz@home.com> writes:
> > There's an English restaurant and pub in my town called Ye Olde Ship.
> > I have never eaten there, but someday I would like to go there, in
> > the
> > Jaguar of course, and park it right outside next to the red
> > telephone booth.
> > I have never eaten British food, except for water crackers, but I
> > have heard
> > of the somewhat bad reputation of British cooking. Does anyone have
> > any
> > suggestions on what dishes I should try first?
> > Thanks,
> > Paul
> >
>
> I traveled to England a couple of years ago and was quite pleased with
> the availability and quality of food, especially when compared to my
> earlier experience when I lived there in the early 70's. Back then, few
> pubs served much besides drink, and usually bad, mass produced,
> pre-wrapped meat pies and sausage rolls (ick!). The "fast food" (take
> away) places could be really awful, although if you found a real Fish &
> Chips shop (difficult even then) it might be fantastic. I've also had
> some fabulous traditional British foods in people's homes. When
> home-cooked with fresh ingredients some of the meat pies, Yorkshire
> pudding, etc. are wonderful. I'm partial to Cornish Pasties, one of the
> first things to try but only if made on the premises.
>
> Avoid Blood Pudding (that's really what it is) or Spotted Dick (that's
> not really what it is, but who cares?).
>
> David Littlefield
> '62 MGA MkII
> '51 MGTD
> '74 MG Midget vintage racer
> '88 Jaguar XJ-S
>
> ________________________________________________________________
>
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