🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England Unappreciation Thread

Vercingetorix · Sep 1, 2026

British food is terrible. Anybody who accepts it as anything other than mediocre needs to get out more. Ordered a hamburger at a hotel and by law they had to burn the shit out of it, because the meat wasn’t processed there.

Davidt · Sep 1, 2026

As an Englishman I admit I’ve never had bubble and squeak and until reading this thread didn’t even know what was in it.

I agree some of the foods that are typically associated with the UK are hardly eaten by most people anymore.

Bubble and squeak - never had it.
Bangers and mash - maybe eat it once a year.
Beans on toast - maybe once a year.
Toad in the hole - maybe once every few years
Spotted dick - never had it.

MRC · Sep 1, 2026

Vercingetorix
British food is terrible. Anybody who accepts it as anything other than mediocre needs to get out more. Ordered a hamburger at a hotel and by law they had to burn the shit out of it, because the meat wasn’t processed there.

Wait just there! You wanted food and "ordered a hamburger",

"in a hotel"!

Now just who needs to get out more?

Shall I tell you about trying to eat in Kansas City arriving after 9pm. Not a small place, headquarters of the fourth largest oil company in the USA at the time (they claimed) [*].

Never mind. You do NOT eat in hotels! Where were you brought up? Didn't your daddy tell you anything?

[*] I eventually ate a half of an apple that was left in my briefcase after a snatched lunch somewhere in Texas. Our company president ate the other half -- I thought it was my duty to share.....

AG77 · Sep 1, 2026

I did enjoy eating doner kebabs at 3AM after too many drinks.

G___ · Sep 1, 2026

Personal preferences, the Brits make good
1) Cheese
2) Sweets and baked goods (go watch Bake Off)
3) Dark beer, bitter beer, gin.
4) Sunday Roast
5) As above

Canuck · Sep 1, 2026

During our year 2000 two week tower clock tour of England (NAWCC sponsored), I had no complaints with the food, other than one pizza, and an apple and cheese sandwich with French dressing! I’d heard negative reports about English food before the tour, but I had no complaints. Now! English beer (particularly London Pride? PAH! But generally, the beer didn’t disapoint me. We spent one week in Scotland as well. There, they love their “neeps” (as in turnips), and parsnips. Aside from those abominations, we enjoyed the food there, as well. One b&b we stayed in offered us a choice for breakfast, the first day. I requested kippers (in Scotland, why not?) The hostess told me she wouldn’t serve me kippers as they stink up the house. She served me finnnan haddie (haddock) poached in milk! Couldn’t eat it! Aside from that, I had one gordawful steak served in a pub. But the food in Scotland was generally very good.👍

Watch my Whisky · Sep 2, 2026

dsio
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?

English food is gorgeous and seasonal. Go try St John.

hen · Sep 2, 2026

Adding to the list; Plowmans lunch and fishermans lunch on the Isle of Man.

People that say they dont like British food are just echoing the French or an American that heard that they serve other strange things than burgers and candy floss.

(Just to not generalise too much, I had exelent food in SoCal. Delisious fish and tacos. I even had the best burger I have ever had at a home BBQ at a friends house.)

I sooo need to go there.

mydeafcat · Sep 2, 2026

Faz
Somebody has to tell this ignoramus (me) what prompted calling a cabbage dish “Bubble and squeak”.

It may have to do with the physical and sonic result post-digestion.

Archer · Sep 2, 2026

I've had some great meals while in the UK. I think most places have good and bad dishes, and the UK is no exception. Still not sure I get the mushy peas thing though...and I love peas.

Peemacgee · Sep 2, 2026

Archer
I've had some great meals while in the UK. I think most places have good and bad dishes, and the UK is no exception. Still not sure I get the mushy peas thing though...and I love peas.

All this talk of peas and no-one has yet mentioned pease pudding - the hummus of the North East.

Should be made with ham stock and served spread thickly on a stottie with thick cut ham off the bone.

Vercingetorix · Sep 2, 2026

MRC
Wait just there! You wanted food and "ordered a hamburger",

"in a hotel"!

Now just who needs to get out more?

Shall I tell you about trying to eat in Kansas City arriving after 9pm. Not a small place, headquarters of the fourth largest oil company in the USA at the time (they claimed) [*].

Never mind. You do NOT eat in hotels! Where were you brought up? Didn't your daddy tell you anything?

[*] I eventually ate a half of an apple that was left in my briefcase after a snatched lunch somewhere in Texas. Our company president ate the other half -- I thought it was my duty to share.....

The hotel was the only place serving food on a Sunday evening. The orher 4 pubs we walked to quit serving food at like 8 in the evening. Never had trouble finding food in any other country on a Sunday evening. This wasn’t my first time in England having this trouble.

Spruce · Sep 2, 2026

Archer
I've had some great meals while in the UK. I think most places have good and bad dishes, and the UK is no exception. Still not sure I get the mushy peas thing though...and I love peas.

If it’s the taste, I can’t help you but, if it’s the origin, drying peas was the way of preserving them before canning (and freezing) and before eating the dried 'bullets' (which were regularly used as ammunition by small boys with peashooters, they (the peas not the small boys) were soaked in bicarbonate of soda and the boiled in a muslin bag (see above)

On a personal note, I like them with fish and chips although I really hate guacamole!

And I did have a peashooter in the 1950s and they were very effective (and less dangerous than catapults) and, yes, I did read Richmal Crompton's 'Just William' stories too.

Davidt · Sep 2, 2026

Davidt
some of the foods that are typically associated with the UK are hardly eaten by most people anymore.

Bubble and squeak - never had it.
Bangers and mash - maybe eat it once a year.
Beans on toast - maybe once a year.
Toad in the hole - maybe once every few years
Spotted dick - never had it.

To Completely contradict myself, I came home late today and as it was the boys first day back at school she’d asked them what they wanted for tea.

They chose bangers and mash!

mydeafcat · Sep 2, 2026

Prior to our band playing nine shows there in May/June I’d not been to the UK in 35 years. Frankly, I was quite blown away by the excellent food on offer.

I’ve been a vegetarian since 1984 (will deviate to fish on rare occasions), and our lead guitarist is vegan. Both vegetarian and vegan options were plentiful in restaurants - not just in London, say - and at one family-run bakery/corner shop we stumbled upon in Liverpool (is actually called The Bakery), they even had tasty vegan and vegetarian pasties. (That family was lovely.) Portsmouth’s Pie Carumba is terrific, as is London’s Unity Diner.

And if you’re ever in Brighton, the fish and chips at The Basketmakers Arms is excellent. Good selection of ales and ciders, too.

Evitzee · Sep 2, 2026

The best English food is in the morning when you get the toast rack, and jam and marmalade. The rest of the cuisine I can leave.

Felix_La_PuBelle · Sep 6, 2026

Speak of the devil. Dinner time. My version of Toad in the Hole.

Peemacgee · Sep 6, 2026

Completely off topic I know - but since I had a day out here I thought that I would post something that England can most certainly be proud of.
(and while there I did have a chicken, ham, rocket and pesto sandwich - which is decidedly un-English)

Castle Howard (north of York in the - sort of - north of England) - some may recognise it from both the TV series and film Brideshead Revisited.
Pretty much Vanburgh's first commission - because he met the client at a club in London.
English Baroque excess at its finest.

Ironically, a lot of the Roman artefacts most likely 'acquired' on the Grand Tour date from the first century AD (or CE if you prefer) when the Romans were occupying England.

cristos71 · Sep 6, 2026

Peemacgee
...the hummus of the North East.

🤣

Spruce · Sep 6, 2026

Returning to food - last night I very much enjoyed bread & butter pudding with custard 😋

For those of you who can’t imagine this, think of hot, sliced Stollen with Crème Anglais 😋