Food and Drink: National Cuisine

Location of United Kingdom

High tea is a long-standing tradition in the UK.

Lunch at an English pub.

A cheese stall at a market in London

Ale

The United Kingdom (UK) has a reputation as home to Europe’s worst food. “Boring, bland and boiled,” the joke often goes, and fairly or unfairly, the reputation has stuck. The classic dishes associated with the UK do tend toward more basic fare—roasted meats, fried fish, sausages, cheeses, and rich desserts.

Classic Dishes

Traditional foods include savory pies (steak and kidney, chicken and mushroom), meat turnovers such as Cornish pasties, and fish and chips. The sandwich is a UK invention, created in the 18th century by a British lord, and the country’s culinary heritage includes such dishes as bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) and the "full English breakfast" (also known as a "fry up") as well.

Shepherd’s pie, a mix of minced meat (typically lamb) in a gravy sauce with carrots, peas and onions, baked into a mashed potato crust, is a classic dish enjoyed throughout the UK. Two of Britain's traditional main courses—the hearty Yorkshire pudding served with roasts and the noble Beef Wellington may have helped spawn the term “Beefeater,” a nickname sometimes applied to residents of the British Isles.

Simple but hearty dishes such as these typify the British diet, but spicier recipes with more pizzazz are common, having been imported from the country's former colonies or adopted from southern or southeast Asia. Doner kebabs from the Middle East, spice-laden stews from Thailand, and Indian curries are extremely popular take-out choices. It has been joked that chicken tiki masala—borrowed from India—is Britain’s national dish.

Dairy and Tea Traditions

The UK has a long history of outstanding dairy products, and British cheese comes in a staggering array of aromas, textures, colors, ingredients, and flavors. Cheddar cheese is the most well-known and has an intense "sharp" flavor when aged. Regional specialties include Cheshire, Caerphilly, Sage Derby, Red Leicester, Double Gloucester, Wensleydale, Stilton, and Cornish Yarg. Other dairy favorites like clotted cream, double cream, and Devonshire cream are popular with scones and tea.

Taking afternoon tea is a grand tradition of the UK, although high tea—a light meal of sandwiches and pastries eaten around 4 p.m.—has faded in popularity. Tea is still consumed in vast quantities though, usually served with milk at any time of day. Coffee has grown in popularity, but Britons still consume far more tea per capita than any other country, and 10 times as much as Americans.

Other popular British beverages include world-renowned ales and sparkling ciders. Arguably the best whiskies in the world come from Scotland, the UK’s semi-independent northern territory. Sweets are extremely popular and include items like trifle, bread and butter pudding, and spotted dick, many of which are eaten with custard known by its French name crème anglaise (literally English cream).