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Traditional British cuisine - teaching French teens

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  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Bara brith. Hot ccrossed buns. Simnel cake.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    A mature Cantal is a reasonable substitute for Cheddar. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Not as good as mature Gouda IMHO @Dovefromabove

    We did Cullen Skink 2 years ago but I'm hoping to get them to consider a kedgeree @steephill

    @Fire - it's a 3 course meal, not high tea.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    That almond pudding snuck in!  Interesting.  Maybe Charter Pudding too or Queen of Puddings?
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    Ah yes the joy of trying to cook British food when you can't buy anything!

    I have tried many dishes on Danes most work well, once they get used to the idea of something a bit different. Round here everyone eats potatoes 6-7 days a week but all they do with them is boil them! So roast potatoes were a new idea for them, unfortunately it's hard to get the right type of potato.

    Pork pies
    Savory pies of any type (chicken and asparagus, beef and onion etc etc)
    A savory pudding (use butter instead of suet if suet is not available, it isn't here)
    Scotch eggs
    Yorkshire pudding
    Scottish potato scones
    Roast potatoes
    Fruit cake
    Queen of puddings
    Kedgeree




  • borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
    edited March 2021
    Cottage and shepherd's pies were suggested earlier - while I agree they are great British dishes, they're almost exactly the same as the French hachis parmentiers dishes (often duck or beef). For something more exotically British than a pie you could try a steak & kidney (or steak & ale) pudding.  I believe the French bavette steak you will find locally is very similar to the cuts of beef we typically use in pies.

    Beef Wellington could also be a nice option.

    For dessert, you can't go wrong with bread pudding, but you could also try that other pub dessert favourite sticky toffee pudding
  • thrxvsthrxvs Posts: 32
    When I was younger I used to go every summer to do voluntary work in Europe and beyond along with similarly strange minded people from around the world. One of the cultural exchange type things we did as part of those workcamps was to cook food from our countries for the rest of the group and the local community. My choice was usually fish and chips. Main advantage you can always get some form of fish, potatoes, oil for frying, salt, and flour for batter pretty much wherever you are even if it is the wilds of Russia!   My second choice was a fruit crumble which again pretty easy to source ingredients wherever you are. Both I would say are pretty "English" in identity.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Thanks @Skandi , @borgadr and @thrxvs   I have Yorkshire pudding and Toad-in-the-Hole on my list along with bangers and mash and onion gravy.   They know about fish and chips but not mushy peas or fish cakes.   Steak and kidney pie is on my list too but Beef Wellington may be beyond the budget.  

    Scotch egg is tempting if we can smarten it up a bit.   Can't get Branston pickle or Piccalilli now - traditional accompaniment.   Doesn't worry me as they're both too vinegary for me.

    Potato and onion pie too for the vegetarian option or vegetable stew with herby dumplings.

    My problem is I rarely cook old British as I love a wide range of Asian cuisine plus Persian, Mediterranean, North African and some Mexican but not Tex-Mex!

    But I can do serious puds - Bread and Butter, Manchester tart, Bakewell tart, banoffee pie, sticky toffee pudding, Cranachan, fruity crumbles, spicy poached pears..........  
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    Tripe and onions - poached in milk accompanied by boiled spuds. That should put them off British food for life although given their taste for gesieres maybe it won't.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Proper stuffing. Bubble and squeak  - must be made with dark green leaves and leftover roast or boiled gammon.
    Unfortunately for your purposes, traditional English food tends to be foreign dishes so much adapted to our taste that they would be unrecognisable in the country of origin 
    In London. Keen but lazy.
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