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British Cuisine

Oh dear,

Thankfully this is certainly not the best of British products.

From the top, Vegemite is Australian, Marmite is the British equivalent (they are not the same though as far as I know) - an acquired taste I have never acquired.

Shepherds Pie and Lamb hotpot are just packets of flavourings, apparently some of my compatriots have not discovered salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, herbs etc. but why do that when we can fill up with "e" numbers.

Birds Custard powder is mainly cornflower (corn starch) with some added colours and flavourings. You mix it with milk (there have been more recent versions that you mix with water and they are not very palatable) and bring to the boil, stirring till thick. I will confess I was in my early 20s before I realised that there was any other way to make "custard". I do have a tin in my cupboard as I have a recipe that calls for it and have been known to make custard sauce with it as well when I have had nothing else in the fridge. For those of us of a certain age it does carry a certain nostalgia.

The barley water and squash are concentrated fruit flavoured drinks that are diluted with water.

I am not familiar with YR or Goodalls sauces so will not comment. HP Sauce is used rather like ketchup - I don't think I have ever tasted it in my life although I do like ketchup. I wonder why Heinz Ketchup in the US is blander (not as piquant) and its UK equivalent.

Salad Cream is a salad dressing very common in this country before mayonnaise became widely available. Also it keeps better without refrigeration. Another taste from my childhood its actually not bad although I would never dream of covering my salad with it. Its quite good for the likes of egg sandwiches too. Or even salad cream sandwiches - I jest not.

Curried (baked) beans almost speak for themselves. Personally I quite like the non-curry variety as a snack on toast. Heinz Spaghetti - ahh another memory. For the uninitiated this is cooked spaghetti in a thin tomato(?) sauce. I must have been about 16 or 17 before I realised that spaghetti came in any other form than in a tin like this - although I will say that it was not until the mid-late 1980s that we started to get the wide variety of pasta that is available today. I will still get a small tin occasionally just for a taste of my childhood.

This also makes my mother sound like a terrible cook - she wasn't, although she was not all that adventurous. And many of these products are a throwback to a time when refrigeration was not all that wide spread, freezers were uncommon and they was not necessarily the easy access to foodstuffs that there is today.

Heinz leek & potato soup is not the most famous here, that would be tomato which has a certain something (I doubt it is tomatoes) that makes it popular - even with me. Of course leek and potato soup is so easy to make that it is hardly worth bothering buying a tin.

Spotted Dick (yes, that IS its name) is a form of suet sponge pudding and is actually boiled inside the tin. Nowadays of course with microwave ovens it is FAR easier and quicker to make it from scratch than it is to have a pan boiling for hours on the stove. And yes, this should be served with Birds Custard!

To the right of the Spotted Dick is Ambrosia rice pudding - you can even get it in individual snack pots these days. Again, if you have a bit of time to cook it, rice pudding is really easy to make - the preparation is done in a couple of minutes, its the cooking that takes the time.

There is not a great deal on the cookie shelf which appeals to me with the exception of Hobnobs which are in a class of their own. For US/Canadian readers they are not unlike Graham Crackers although they have a different flavour.

One of the problems with British jam is that it tends to have a high sugar to fruit content - indeed there were questions raised in Parliament on this very subject recently. My mother used to make her on jam which was 50/50 fruit to sugar so I have the likes of hartleys rather sweet - for some years now I have bought all my jam in Lidl which I think is superior to the UK varieties.

And finally on this very long response I am very much tickled by the mental image of our dear Laundress skulking around the supermarket shelves in a large trench coat with a fedora pulled down over her eyes as she takes sneaky photos for our benefit.

you go girl!

Al
 
HP sauce was also made in Canada for centuries until a few years ago and they closed the plant down (somewhere near Niagara Falls) . Now it's actually made in the USA.. somewhere in NJ. We get it in the big quart bottles etc for around $7... but I never see it on the shelves in any of the grocery stores in Michigan except like here in these pictures in the "british" section in those tiny bottles for a fortune. I like it a lot better than A1 sauce

and every year I have to go buy a can of that Birds custard to make the traditional trifle.. I use about 6 tablespoons and the rest of the can sits in the cupboard till next Xmas..then I figure maybe I better buy a fresh can and toss it out. LOL
 
No wonder the world thinks that British food sucks if this is the way it is represented overseas!!! Apart from Marmite, which is a sacred foodstuff to be worshipped daily, 99% of that stuff is garbage and I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. I mean, tinned spotted dick and custard powder?? Is the war still on then!?!?
 
First of all, right off, I don't know much so please understand that.

OK I looked all over the pics and couldn't find dick in a tin, but what is suet sponge pudding? I guess I don't even know what suet is. So someone please help with that.

What is done with barley water? Is that water that has been soaked in barley?

Curried beans. I like mild curry so that might be good.
 
Suet sponge pudding

is like a really soggy unfrosted cake. Edible to very edible, if one is expecting a really soggy unfrosted cake. Homemade can be completely delicious.

Someone up thread explained the barley water beverage concentrate. I like Ribena meself.

Unfortunately, I don't see any Australian Violet Crumble bars. Theys my favourites.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
Barely Water Or Tea

Has been consumed for ages along with other "grain teas". Sometime around the Victorian era (or maybe before) it started popping up ready made in bottles. Prior to that you made your own.

Barely water was a commonly given to infants and children both for nutrition and hydration purposes.

You have to remember that access to safe and clean drinking water in what is now the UK and Europe was not always a given. It would not until the work of Pasteur and others that established the clear cause between germs and illness, but people did know that consuming suspect water lead to illness. This is one reason behind the heavy consummation of tea, beer, lager, etc.... Drinks made from boiled water were safer than what you got out of the well, river, pumps or taps until modern water treatment systems came along. Ditto for fermented bevvies such as beer (the alcohol kills off the "bugs".

In the film "Death in Venice" there is a scene where an older Englishman tourist is warning members of his party off eating fruit that had been washed in local water. Of course the back story of that film (besides the older man chasing after that young Polish noble kid), was that there was an epidemic of cholera running through Venice at that time. That disease is spread by consuming or coming into contact with suspect water. Even today the canals of Venice serve one of the functions they have historically, that of a sewer.

Even in the best of areas on both sides of the pond you had frequent and vast outbreaks of typhoid, cholera and other diseases caused by consuming water contaminated with human and or animal waste not to mention God only knows what else from domestic and industrial waste.

Obviously you shouldn't serve children and infants vast amounts of regular teas because of caffeine (dehydrating), and you aren't going to be giving them spirits or beer/lager (though some slattern mothers would have), hence barely water.

In Downton Abbey when the Countess Grantham's mother visits from the United States her maid informs the housekeeper and cook that her mistress only drinks water that has been boiled. Obviously the very grand American woman did not trust the water even on the estate of a peer. *LOL*[this post was last edited: 5/1/2014-18:51]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ter-the-best-beverage/articleshow/9635941.cms
 
No Trench Coat Involved! *LOL*

A few months ago now got a new smart phone and decided to put it through it's paces when at that particular supermarket. *LOL*

There is also a Quebec section but haven't bothered.

Yeah, the selection isn't the best representation of international cuisine but it does keep the natives longing for a bit of home happy.

Wouldn't touch Vegemite or Marmite with a barge pole, but both obviously have a large following as someone out there consumes the vast amounts produced. Myself was totally ignorant of the stuff until that song "I come from the land down under"... made mention of a Vegemite sandwich.

Puddings are *big* in the UK/Great Britain, and have been so going back through the years. Spotted Dick is or was a nursery favourite and also served at school. Thus supposedly holds some sort of charm for adults depending upon how fond their memories are of the stuff.

Puddings were popular because many required a few cheap ingredients and or scraps such as meat drippings, but yet were filling. When you have to feed two adults and several children on little to no money.....

Since they were made by boiling/steaming puddings were easier to make say in an open fire/hearth or type of oven that even poor households had.

"Dick" is short for Richard and doesn't always carry the connotations often found on this side of the pond. But still the mention of "Spotted Dick" is bound to cause more than a few giggles.
 
What Is It With The British And Tinned Beans?

*LOL*

First time one was offered a "full English breakfast" when staying in London almost gagged. *LOL* The idea of beans, sausages (with or without toast) first thing in the morning put me right off. But since it was either that or kippers the former was the better option that would "stay down".

Being as that may after the infamous scene in the film "Trainspotting" was put off once and for all the idea of canned beans....

Here in the USA we are more familiar with cans of Campbell's pork and beans, though don't know anyone that eats them for breakfast.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/782741
 
Thank you VacBear58/Al

For your great detailed post! Very well done I must say!

Canned/packaged goods began to crop up in the UK around the Victorian era and yes were the answer to lack of refrigeration. Many of the products seen above would not have been unfamiliar (or at least their names) to a Victorian or Edwardian housewife/household.

Problem is early on you never knew what you got inside those tins. Poor sanitation and health safeguards during process could and sometimes did mean nasty cases of things like botulism and other diseases caused by consuming "off" goods.

Then there was the question of the cans themselves. Often they were sealed with lead solder. That substance is toxic to humans and in cases would leach out into whatever food was inside the tin. Consume enough of such contaminated tinned goods and you got a case of lead poisoning. The provisions for the Shackleton adventure were later found to have levels of lead off the charts. Those poor men were slowly being poisoned by the tinned goods they were consuming.
 
'Spotted Dick', etc.

Also called 'Spotted Dog' sounds like something which requires a visit to a genito-urinary clinic. ;-)

'Shackleton expedition' (Reply#15). Lead poisoning from poorly soldered cans also put paid to the Franklin Expedition of 1845-8, which was the first British expedition equipped with 'tinned' foods. (You'd think they would have learned something from that!!)

As Vacbear pointed out, it's not a typical modern selection of U.K. foodstuffs, but does include a few items which are 'iconic' for whatever reason, and may help to stave off homesickness for some.

An interesting thread. :-)

All best

Dave T

P.S. Lauderess is quite correct (as usual :-) ) in her interpretation of the origins of tea and beer drinking in the U.K.
 
Steamed Puddings

Can be done easily and faster in a pressure cooker. Indeed around Christmas (a big pudding season across the UK and around some of the Commonwealth), many a housewife or household that prides themselves on their "Christmas pud" find the PC is just the thing as opposed to being over a hot stove a good part of the day.

Most every pressure cooker I've owned comes with recipes for puddings such as rice.

http://www.taste.com.au/kitchen/articles/save+time+by+pressure+cooking+your+christmas+pud+,384
 
Minnesota has a popular grocery chain called Cub Foods, and their newer stores generally have an International Aisle with foods from all over the world. I shop at one in Mankato, MN, occasionally, that features most of the products shown in Launderess's photos.

I like HP Sauce on eggs, bacon sandwiches, and hash browns, so usually keep a bottle in the pantry. HP is a little like A1 Sauce, but less sweet with a more pronounced vinegar bite. Enjoyed orange barley water for awhile, but don't buy it anymore.

I like Heinz beans in the occasional trad English breakfast. They are less sweet than our pork 'n' beans (VanDeCamp's is the ubiquitous brand in the upper midwest).

As for the packets of seasoning for Shepherd's Pie, etc., they're probably no better or worse than our packets for meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, beef stew, and the like. McCormick, French's, and Durkee's are popular brands in this area of the country. I prefer to use my own seasonings to keep a handle on sodium.

Purchased a famous Brit brand of orange marmalade and it was considerably more bitter/less sweet than most US brands. Their ketchup contains less sugar, as well (at least the brand I tried).
 
'Bubble and Squeak', etc.

'Bubble and Squeak' aka 'fried leftovers' is perhaps one of the U.K.s (mainly England's) most revolting offerings. It is something which I have never eaten, and I feel ashamed on behalf of my countrymen that you were ever exposed to it!! Perhaps SOME 'traditional' foods should be allowed to be quietly forgotten. ;-)

All best

Dave T

P.S. Should any of you in your wanderings through the 'International' aisles see a can of "Grant's" Haggis, GRAB IT, it's wonderful stuff. Don't do yourself a huge plateful (it's very 'rich') just scoop a bit out of the can and heat in a pan, eat with mash or on toast. Haggis gets a very bad press abroad. I have no idea why.
 
Little wonder the joke goes:

In heaven, the English are the diplomats, the French are the cooks, and the Germans are the engineers.

In hell, the Germans are the diplomats, the French are the engineers, and the English are the cooks.

I'm English by heritage but if it weren't for fish & chips and Mcdonalds I'd probably starve there.
 
No, we are not starving over here

Actually, if it is done well, suet sponge pudding can be quite nice although it is something, like the Scots say, "sticks to your ribs". Of course in former years when adults and children were getting lots of exercise this was not a problem and as Laundress says, it is a cheap and filling desert. And of course savoury suet puddings have a very long history, going back to the middle ages. The pudding would traditionally be boiled in a stout linen cloth which accounts for the round shape although nowadays it would be boiled in a bowl. Suet crust pastry, done properly, is very light and crisp.

It may sound very unpalatable but suet is not nearly as bad as it sounds, it white and quite hard so it is normally grated for use and that how its normally bought these days.

I founds Laundress description of a "Full Monty" English breakfast interesting because I found it weird going to the US and having pancakes with syrup placed on the same plate AT THE SAME TIME with eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns. Kippers where eaten at breakfast, I remember my father doing so, and of course in a "Downton Abbey" setting kedgeree could also be served at breakfast - that's a lightly curried dish comprising primarily for rice, hard boiled eggs and flaked (cooked) fish - personally I could see it for brunch but not breakfast.

Again, if its done properly, Bubble and Squeak is quite palatable too, although maybe not for breakfast. As has been noted its a means of using vegetable left overs (in some places its a big tradition on boxing day) - mostly potatoes and cabbage. But it needs to be cooked quickly (fried) over a high heat and eaten immediately to be at its best. The Irish dish "Culcannon" is not a million miles away from it although in Bubble the potatoes would, ideally, not be mashed

Funny enough, I don't believe pressure cooking ever caught on here as much as in North America and indeed continental Europe. Naturally pressure cookers are on sale here and used to be a very popular wedding present but I cannot say I have ever known anyone use them on a regular basis.

Al
 
Re: Catsup internationally--Heinz has different flavor/texture profiles for each country in which they operate (US Heinz is noticeably different than Canadian Heinz). Of all places we met a guy at Pride in Toronto 2 years ago who worked for them...we met a couple from Akron, OH there who had a bit of a posse that they'd accumulated over the years, including this guy.
 
Haggis gets a very bad press abroad...

Dave-- Could that be because haggis is sheep innards cooked in its own stomach, LOL?

Al-- If pancakes (or waffles for that matter) are served with a full American breakfast (eggs, sausage/bacon, hash browns/fried potatoes, toast) they should be on a separate plate! Also: If pancakes are served, it's generally instead of, not in addition to, toast. But we are an indulgent people, so anything goes, I suppose.
 
Batchelor's Beans and Chef sauce are two Irish products.
They wouldn't really be on my hot list of Irish stuff any more than the British or Australian items on that shelf.

I don't think they'd be something I'd particularly miss either.

Just seems like a very strange selection of products.
 
Heinz Beans probably has the biggest market share here in Canada and I don't see them in the stores in Michigan. Bush's beans haven't been sold here all that long but they're making headway,, but cost quite a bit more. Same with Kraft Peanut Butter clearly outsells Skippy and Jif here but I've never seen it in the US either.
 
Kraft is selling peanut butter under the Planters label in the US. Good stuff.

Bush's beans are a local product -- at least the HQ is here in Knoxville while the cannery is in a nearby county. Maybe it's the way one's taste buds develop but when I tried the British made Heinz beans they seemed very bland in comparison to Bush's. Nothing wrong with them, but for the fancy price they charge for them over here I wasn't tempted to try them again. Maybe Canadian Heinz makes them differently.

Incidentally, I read that Heinz was closing their Canadian ketchup plant in Leamington, Ont. Hope they get to keep their unique formula wherever it comes from in the future.
 

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