The first thing you notice about the British way of eating is its simplicity, robustness even you could say it’s the same way Colombian peasants eat: meat(in any kind of variety), vegetables(in a non-elaborate way of cooking) and mainly potatoes(fried, sliced, or in any kind of way) fill the English dinner table.
Among all the variety inside English cuisine there are a few plates that stand out:
- English cuisine: English cuisine is shaped by the climate of England, its island geography and its history. The latter includes interactions with other European countries, and the importing of ingredients and ideas from places such as North America, China and India during the time of the British Empire and as a result of immigration.
- Scottish Cuisine: Scottish cuisine is the specific set of cooking traditions and practices associated with Scotland. It shares much with British cuisine, but has distinctive attributes and recipes of its own. Traditional Scottish dishes such as haggis exist alongside international foodstuff brought about by migration. In addition to foodstuffs, Scotland produces a variety of Scotch whiskies.
- Welsh Cuisine: Welsh cuisine has influenced, and been influenced by, other British cuisine. Although both beef and dairy cattle are raised widely, especially in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Wales is best known for its sheep, and thus lamb is the meat traditionally associated with Welsh cooking.
Others Britain customs
The tea: Afternoon tea is a light meal typically eaten between 3pm and 5pm (cuppa). It originated in the United Kingdom when Catherine of Braganza married Charles II in 1661 and brought the practice of drinking tea in the afternoon with her from Portugal. Various places that belonged to the former British Empire also have such a meal. However, changes in social customs and working hours mean that most Britons only take afternoon tea on special/formal occasions.
Traditionally, loose tea is served in a teapot with milk and sugar. This is accompanied by various sandwiches (customarily cucumber, egg and cress, fish paste, ham, and smoked salmon), scones (with butter, clotted cream and jam — see cream tea) and usually cakes and pastries (such as Battenberg, fruit cake or Victoria sponge). The food is often served on a tiered stand.
While afternoon tea used to be an everyday event, nowadays it is more likely to be taken as a treat in a hotel, café, or tea shop, although many Britons still have a cup of tea and slice of cake or some chocolate at teatime. Accordingly, many hotels now market a champagne cream tea.