Learn all about the top five dishes you just have to try while traveling in the UK
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Gabriella: Hi, I’m Gabriella. |
| Gina: And I’m Gina. Top 5 British Dishes. |
| BODY |
| Gina: I don’t think that British cuisine has a good reputation, so let’s try to change that by talking a little about it, and making everyone hungry in the process! |
| Gabriella: I’m always hungry and I love food, so this is a perfect lesson for me! |
| Gina: Before we actually start talking about food, we should explain a little about table etiquette. |
| Gabriella: This can really vary between countries and also between situations. There are some rules that can be ignored in casual settings, and some that can’t. |
| Gina: I think that one of the rules that should always be followed is to never eat with your mouth open. |
| Gabriella: Yes! I was told that many times when I was a kid. Nobody wants to see what you’re eating, so always chew with your mouth shut. |
| Gina: And this is really a rule that needs to be followed all of the time. |
| Gabriella: Absolutely. |
| Gina: Another rule that is kind of linked, is don’t talk with your mouth full. |
| Gabriella: Again, it’s opening your mouth when you’re eating. Just finish chewing and swallow down your food before speaking. |
| Gina: If someone has asked you a question, they’ll be willing to wait until you’ve swallowed. |
| Gabriella: You can just point to your mouth or throat to show that you’re still eating, if you want to explain why you aren’t answering immediately. |
| Gina: I guess another rule that’s slightly related is to not slurp hot drinks or food, such as soup or spaghetti. |
| Gabriella: Eat as quietly as possible, I think. |
| Gina: People in Britain always eat soup with a spoon and don’t drink from the bowl. If a hot drink is too hot, either wait or blow on it to cool it down. |
| Gabriella: Does blowing on it actually work in cooling it down? |
| Gina: It always seems to cool down the very surface, I think. |
| Gabriella: Another thing I was always told when I was a child was not to put my elbows on the table. |
| Gina: Oh, me too. It doesn’t seem to be such an important rule these days though, so it should probably still be best avoided, although it’s not as important as the previous rules. |
| Gabriella: Now that we know about table etiquette, can we move onto the food? |
| Gina: I guess so! (B name), can you tell us about five popular British dishes? |
| Gabriella: I can! We’ll start with a dish we spoke about in the last lesson, and that’s fish and chips. |
| Gina: I like my fish and chips just with salt and vinegar. How about you? |
| Gabriella: I usually have a side dish with them, like mushy peas. |
| Gina: These are chunky, marrowfat-type peas that have been soaked overnight in water. They eventually become this thick, green, almost soup-like dish. |
| Gabriella: And they’re delicious. They’re more popular in the Midlands - that’s the region in the middle of England - and the North, but the popularity is spreading. |
| Gina: As we’ve covered fish and chips before, let’s move quickly onto your second pick. |
| Gabriella: That’s a good, old-fashioned Sunday roast. |
| Gina: I love Sunday roasts! That’s a broad term though, so let’s explain it a little more. |
| Gabriella: Traditionally, the family would get together for Sunday lunch and have a big meal made of roast meat and lots of vegetables. This is a Sunday roast. |
| Gina: Typical meats are beef, lamb, pork and chicken. |
| Gabriella: The meat is often served with things like potatoes, carrots, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, parsnips… there are lots of options! |
| Gina: As well as being covered in gravy, which is a type of meat sauce, there might be mint sauce with lamb, Yorkshire puddings with beef, apple sauce with pork… |
| Gabriella: It’s very individual and delicious! |
| Gina: It is! |
| Gabriella: The next dish is the balti. |
| Gina: Ah, this isn’t a traditional British dish, is it? |
| Gabriella: No, but it’s quickly becoming one! It’s an Indian-style curry that is served in thin bowls called balti bowls. There’s a bit of debate about whether this particular style of curry was invented in Pakistan or in England, in the city of Birmingham, but either way it’s very popular. |
| Gina: There are so many different types of balti and different spice levels. It can be served with rice or naan bread. |
| Gabriella: I like mine with naan bread. |
| Gina: Me too! |
| Gabriella: Next, we’ll talk about meat pies. These have been popular in Britain for a long time and were first created back in the Middle Ages, so that’s about 1500 years ago! |
| Gina: They’re pretty simple and made from different types of pastry. There are many fillings to choose from too. |
| Gabriella: Popular fillings are steak and kidney, chicken and mushroom, or steak and ale. |
| Gina: They’re very good on a cold day! |
| Gabriella: Yes! Very filling. |
| Gina: And the final dish is…? |
| Gabriella: A good old English breakfast. |
| Gina: Ah, some listeners may know this as it is pretty standard in hotels all over the world, I think. |
| Gabriella: Yep. There’s nothing better in the morning than a greasy English breakfast! Bacon, sausages, fried tomatoes, baked beans, fried bread, eggs, black pudding and mushrooms! |
| Gina: It’s not just a breakfast though, is it? |
| Gabriella: No. Many pubs or cafes will serve an All Day Breakfast, which means that you can eat it any time you want to. |
| Gina: That’s our five dishes, and we also have five fun facts about British cuisine. |
| Gabriella: Fact 1 is that British chocolate is very sweet. |
| Gina: Very sweet! It’s higher in milk content and lower in cocoa content than most chocolate. Even if you buy a British brand such as Cadbury abroad, it will taste different to the British version. |
| Gabriella: It’s never as nice, is it? |
| Gina: Not to us Brits, no! |
| Gabriella: The next fact is a bit of a stereotype, but I do think it’s true. Brits really do love their tea. |
| Gina: I can’t function without a cup of tea in the morning. |
| Gabriella: It’s very relaxing, I think. Coffee is very popular in the UK, of course, but you really can’t beat a good cup of tea. |
| Gina: Putting the kettle on so you can share a cup of tea with someone while discussing something is very common. |
| Gabriella: Yes. Another thing that is common, is home baking. |
| Gina: Or at least, home baked goods are. A lot of popular British sweet foods are the type that can be baked at home, like scones or fruit cakes, so even store-bought foods are marketed as being in the style of home baked. |
| Gabriella: Speaking of home baked, bread is also very popular. |
| Gina: Yeah, it is. The UK didn’t invent the sandwich, but the name comes from the Earl of Sandwich, right? |
| Gabriella: It does! Freshly baked bread is very popular, as is taking sandwiches for lunch, and eating toast for breakfast. |
| Gina: And our final fact is… |
| Gabriella: …that snacks are very popular! |
| Gina: What kind of snacks? |
| Gabriella: Crisps are the most popular, I think. These are thin, baked potato snacks that are called “chips” in some other English-speaking countries. They come in many different flavours. |
| Gina: I like the more common and ordinary flavours, like salt and vinegar, or ready salted. |
| Gabriella: Really? I like the strange and limited flavours you see occasionally, like lamb curry or chilli con carne. |
| Gina: Weird (laughs). I’m very hungry now, so I think it’s time we stopped talking about food. |
| Gabriella: Yeah, we probably should! |
Outro |
|---|
| Gina: Ok, everyone. I think that’s all for this lesson. |
| Gabriella: Thank you for listening everyone. See you next time! |
Comments
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excellent material !! thank. only this lesson is very big ... I studied it for a week))
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