What to eat when in the United Kingdom – 18 Must Eats

The Classics

“Fish And Chips” by Smabs Sputzer (1956-2017) is licensed under CC BY 2.0

1. Fish and Chips

Probably one of the most famous dishes of British cuisine Fish and Chips. Fish deliciously coated in batter, deep fried, and served with french fries. Try it with malted vinegar!

“Sunday Roast at The Inn at Kew Gardens” by Annie Mole is licensed under CC BY 2.0

2. Sunday Roast

Sunday Roast is a traditional British dish usually served on Sunday (as the name suggests). It consists of roasted meat, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, gravy and mint sauce.

“Meat Pie from the Pie Minister” by srslyguys is licensed under CC BY 2.0

3. Steak Pies

I can’t remember why I found the concept of meat in a pie strange when I first heard of it years ago. But I tried one in Scotland and it was absolutely delicious.

“Bacon Butties” by sk8geek is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

4. Bacon Butties

Did I add this to the list because of the name? Maybe. But it’s still a simple yet tasty treat. You can’t go much wrong with bacon and bread.

“Mmm… Irish stew” by jeffreyw is licensed under CC BY 2.0

5. Stews and Soups

If you’re in the mood for a hearty soup, the British have you covered. Some of the most popular are Irish stew, Welsh chawl and Cullen skink.

“Paleo Shepherds Pie-2” by jules:stonesoup is licensed under CC BY 2.0

6. Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s pie is also called Cottage Pie and is ground red meat cooked in a gravy and topped with mashed potatoes.

“Beef Wellington” by David Blaine is licensed under CC BY 2.0

7. Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington is typically a steak coated with pâte and a mushroom mixture, wrapped in puff pastry and baked in the oven.

“Full English Breakfast” by Flying Puffin is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

8. Full English/Scottish Breakfast

Definitely one of my favorites. I love starting an eventful day with a Full English Breakfast. During my trip, I met a lovely American woman in Edinburgh who thought that baked beans were not part of breakfast, but part of lunch. I find it very interesting to see how one’s cultural background forms the perspective of new ones.

“Bangers and Mash – Mac’s Hotel” by avlxyz is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

9. Bangers and Mash

The british really have it with their names. This one is a simple dish consisting of sausages (bangers), mashed potatoes and gravy.

“Home Made Scotch Eggs” by Wootton is licensed under CC BY 2.0

10. Scotch Egg

You can probably find Scotch Eggs in every Tesco if you want to try it. It’s a whole boiled egg, wrapped in sausage meat and coated in breadcrumbs. I think it’s a nice afternoon snack. I’m not going to lie, I had some of those as a student in England when I was too lazy to cook.

Something Sweet

“Sticky toffee pudding” by sarahstierch is licensed under CC BY 2.0

11. Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky toffee pudding is a moist sponge cake prepared with finely chopped dates, covered with a toffee sauce. It is often served with vanilla pudding or vanilla ice cream.

“Shortbread could be taller” by lilivanili is licensed under CC BY 2.0

12. Shortbread

You probably see Shortbread in every other UK themed souvenir shop. It’s a traditional Scottish cokie mainly consisting of sugar, butter and flour.

“Millionaire’s Shortbread” by Eljay is licensed under CC BY 2.0

13. Millionaire's Shortbread

My favorite kind of Shortbread is Millionaire’s Shortbread where the cookie has a caramel and chocolate layer on top. I still dream about them.

“Cornish Cream Tea” by jonl1973 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

14. Cream Tea

Cream tea is a form of afternoon tea. It is usually tea served with scones, clotted cream and sometimes butter. If you want something different with your tea, you can try Spotted Dick (steamed pudding). I already said that they have their thing with their names….

“strawberry trifle @Failte, rainy Sunday” by [puamelia] is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

15. Trifle

Trifle is a layered dessert commonly made with fruit, sponge fingers and custard.

“Ginger Bread and Butter Pudding – out of oven” by Annie Mole is licensed under CC BY 2.0

16. Easy DIY

Here I would like to mention Apple Crumble and Bread and Butter Pudding. They don’t have that much in common except that they are super easy to make yourself. So you don’t have to wait for your Great Britain trip to try them.

Something Unusual

“Black Pudding, Stewed Tomatoes, Hash Brown and a Fried Egg – Birdman Eating” by avlxyz is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

17. Black and White Pudding

Sometimes I get the feeling that you can’t trust the word ‘pudding’ in English. In this case black pudding, also known as blood pudding, is a type of blood sausage. White pudding is similar to black pudding but without the blood.

“Haggis” by Bernt Rostad is licensed under CC BY 2.0

18. Haggis

Haggis is also a savory pudding that contains sheep’s pluck. I tried it. It was really not bad, actually quite tasty. But I couldn’t eat it again. I just can’t get out of my head what’s in it.

Side note: I didn’t include the eel in jelly because I can’t see the photos of it without feeling some kind of way. And since it is no longer really popular in England, I think it is also no longer a must eat.

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