🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England Unappreciation Thread

dsio · Aug 31, 2026

I was discussing this with my Mrs, who genuinely wanted to try some English traditional cuisine. I mentioned bangers, mash, baked beans, Shepard’s pie, along with mushy peas.

She did not sound much impressed, so I went on to explain what bubble and squeak was, which too was met by a frown.

I know the best food in England by far is curry, and palak paneer is my favorite dish of all, but was there anything actually flavourful or edible in England before they imported good food from the subcontinent?

Tayne · Aug 31, 2026

Most likely good quality meat.

Food cultures that are predominantly spicey usually have a history of poorer quality meat and thats not the case in the British Isles. Even the jellied eels, fish and chips and stovies (traditionally the food of the poor) rely on a decent piece of meat or fish to start with.

Full disclosure, I'm Scottish and don't eat meat anymore so I'm not your best receipe advisor.

Larry S · Aug 31, 2026

Used to allow myself one or two “Full English” breakfasts when I was in London for business. Scottish Salmon, Farm To Table places. Indian Food is too tame unless one has a conversation with the staff while ordering. The food scene has improved dramatically over the years.

cristos71 · Aug 31, 2026

The roast dinner, a great British tradition.

Lancashire hotpot: potatoes, onions, carrots, cheap fatty cuts of lamb/mutton, salt, pepper and a bit of water. Slow cooked in an low oven for 4 or 5 hours. Served with pickled onion/red cabbage.
Working mans food. Elevate with crisp fried bacon and the bacon fat poured over the hotpot

Dan S · Aug 31, 2026

Fish and Chips?

Larry S · Aug 31, 2026

Dan S
Fish and Chips?

Indeed…And Gastro Pubs.

STANDY · Aug 31, 2026

Funny as the rich and royals had exquisite banquets with endless dishes.
Pigeon pie 🥧 anyone
Read a menu from a Henry the 8th banquet not long ago…

Canuck · Aug 31, 2026

Bubble and squeak? I believe that is corned beef and cabbage? First food I ever had in England was pizza at our venue hotel on an NAWCC tour of tower clocks, back in 2000. Last meal I had was a meal prepared in England, but consumed on our return flight. It was an apple and cheese sandwich with French dressing! Between the first and last meal on that trip, everything else was quite good. (Except I made a major mistake in one pub when I asked for one of their popular English beers.) I was served London Pride! This could open a whole new topic on the message board. I don’t wish to seem contentious, so I won’t express an opinion on London Pride!

pdxleaf · Aug 31, 2026

Potatoes and lamb from Ireland. Oh, wait...

Spruce · Aug 31, 2026

The corned beef and cabbage may be an Irish recipe but ‘bubble’ is left over cooked shredded cabbage and mashed potato mixed together and, often, fried as a patty.

I grew up on regular steak & kidney pie but the only English cuisine (😂) I still regularly eat is eggs and bacon (back or streaky or both) and fish (preferably haddock) chips and mushy peas (dried peas soaked in bicarbonate of soda and then boiled in a muslin bag (although my local chippie probably just buys it in).

dsio · Aug 31, 2026

cristos71
The roast dinner, a great British tradition.

Lancashire hotpot: potatoes, onions, carrots, cheap fatty cuts of lamb/mutton, salt, pepper and a bit of water. Slow cooked in an low oven for 4 or 5 hours. Served with pickled onion/red cabbage.
Working mans food. Elevate with crisp fried bacon and the bacon fat poured over the hotpot

Ok that I might have to try, it sounds interesting even as a vegetarian

pdxleaf
Potatoes and lamb from Ireland. Oh, wait...

There is a lot of stolen culinary valour in England, even fish and chips, technically chips were a US invention with French fries being French, I don’t know who invented fish but it was likely not the English either.

sheepdoll · Aug 31, 2026

Spruce
steak & kidney pie

I like that but it is hard to find in the US due to health regulatons. Sheep's kidney can not be sold. At best one can get cow kidney.
Not really english, but I do enjoy a good cornish pastie. With lots of pepper.

Cartesian · Aug 31, 2026

dsio
There is a lot of stolen culinary valour in England, even fish and chips, technically chips were a US invention with French fries being French, I don’t know who invented fish but it was likely not the English either.

And even potatoes weren't introduced from South America until the very late 16th century - before then it was mainly parsnips and radishes for the English; along with the pork and poultry

Davidt · Aug 31, 2026

dsio
Ok that I might have to try, it sounds interesting even as a vegetarian

There is a lot of stolen culinary valour in England, even fish and chips, technically chips were a US invention with French fries being French, I don’t know who invented fish but it was likely not the English either.

Pretty sure fish and chips came about from mixing British fried ‘chipped’ potatoes with Jewish fried fish in London, before spreading around the country.

Spruce · Aug 31, 2026

dsio
…….. even fish and chips, technically chips were a US invention with French fries being French, I don’t know who invented fish but it was likely not the English either.

Now, I’ve never been to the USA (and am unlikely to visit in the next couple of years) but I always thought that 'chips' in the States are what we call potato crisps and that fried potatoes (which we call 'chips') were called 'fries' - originally ‘French fries' but changed by GWB (setting a precedent for US presidents changing the names of products and places) to ‘American fries' after some imagined differences with France.

Duracuir1 · Aug 31, 2026

I think our Canadian actor was trying to illustrate the look in this scene.

One day when I was on patrol the dispatcher had the sexiest voice and British accent.

I was picturing the girl from Weird Science. I swung by the communication center to verify.

Instead I got a female Austin Powers.

This thread isn’t just about Chippy take out food is it?

YYTIN · Aug 31, 2026

Not directly providing an answer to the OP.
But... I feel I have to express my appreciation for a food often mocked !
Only experienced as a visitor but validated by me, my parents and my kids over 40 years of regular visits 😀

Full (fresh) English breakfast (in B&Bs, the real ones with real person welcoming you)
Fish & ships or Pies or Bangers & Mash potatoes (@ local pubs - one of those great places in the world), fresh sea food when near the cost (or lakes)
Afternoon tea with scones (in a city tea rooms or in a farm somewhere in the countryside)
if you do all three above you need a light supper in the evening 😀

Not the most trendy food nor the easiest one to export but a good food better experienced in my opinion outside of London.
London is best for testing food and 'cuisine' from all over the world (Thai, Indian & Pakistanese at the top of it).

ghce · Aug 31, 2026

The cuseine in popular British culture like so many other things in the British sense of humour has been played up and writ large and if you fake it for long enough it slips onto popular culture and filters down to the poor and lazy and becomes a circular trap for the absurdly lazy to inflict upon them selves.
It doesn't take much reading from proper vintage meal recipes by the better classes as had by those that could afford it is far from bangers and mash and other such dreadful ( but comfort food for the poor and unimaginative) the British diet has nothing to be ashamed of in it's quality range and variance, find some medieval and empire cook books and have your stereotype biases shattered.

Peemacgee · Aug 31, 2026

Canuck
(Except I made a major mistake in one pub when I asked for one of their popular English beers.) I was served London Pride! This could open a whole new topic on the message board. I don’t wish to seem contentious, so I won’t express an opinion on London Pride!

There is a reason that we call it the 'effluent south'

Peemacgee · Aug 31, 2026

sheepdoll
Not really english, but I do enjoy a good cornish pastie.

I think the clue is in the name.

Cornish pasty - from Cornwall (England)