"Yummy British Food" is Not an Oxymoron

When I came home for Christmas my family and friends all commented on the fact that I didn’t have a British accent. Undeterred, they remained on the lookout for subtle signs—words, expressions, interests or opinions—that would reveal my increasing Britishness. Aside from the occasional use of Tube,” “splendid,” and “pence” I think for now I’ve resisted the assimilation and managed to stay Canadian, eh?

But there are a few ways that I’ll admit to forsaking my country: my diet. I’ve never heard of British food being particularly good (haggis, though Scottish, springs alarmingly to my mind). But I’ve got to say, as a result of my residence cafeteria, I’ve developed a love of certain foods. Here are some:

1. Yorkshire pudding. In the British tradition of naming meals after deserts, comes Yorkshire pudding a food that is not pudding in fact but bread and quite lovely indeed! It’s shaped like a butter tart but hollow. What makes it amazing is the sweet sauce, topping or spread that they coat it with. It is divine. I raved about it for a week straight before my British friends knew what I was talking about.


2. Banoffee pie is unlike Yorkshire pudding, actually a pie and actually a desert. It’s made of pie crust with, bear with me here, bananas and toffee. And it’s exquisite. Originally, bananas and toffee were along the lines of peanut butter and oranges, and I wasn’t wild about the idea of mixing the two. But by God it’s not half bad. In fact it’s quite delicious. And for all you Love Actually buffs, it’s banoffee pie that Keira Knightley’s character offers to Mark when she comes to see the wedding video in his apartment.


3. Tea. This is not a secret nor really a new development as I've been drinking tea as an alternative to coffee since university. But here, no surprise, my intake and appreciation of tea has doubled or even tripled. I have at least one cup a day, usually two. And that's just at dinner. On particularly cold days I brew my own before school and maybe at night to keep me up and focusing on that next chapter. So far I've only had Earl Grey and English Breakfast Tea but I see myself venturing into more adventurous territory soon. Note to readers, Orange Pekoe, the variety that is common in North America is unknown here in Britain. I think it exists, just not under the same name.

4. Rice pudding. I tried to find the most appealing picture I could find. Not an easy task for this particularly dish. Those of you sensitive to texture, may need to take a pass on this one. They serve it in our canteen (what the Brit's call a cafeteria) but I'd never tried it. My friend once got a bowl full and by the end of the meal, his spoon was trapped had to be levered out. It was not appealing imagining that in my stomach. But last week, picking up a lunch I'd ordered after a late class, I was given rice pudding in a yogurt style container. And I was converted. It is amazing. It's made out of rice kernels and is a sort of paste-like dessert. It's sweet and the little rice kernels are a little surprise that I quite enjoy. I had the vanilla flavour but apparently there's others like strawberry and blueberry. I'll let you know if they're as good. It may look like something a baby eats, but trust me.

Image: The World Wide Gourmet and Dessert Comes First