It is generally accepted that English national dishes do not differ in exquisite taste. In fact, British cuisine is very diverse, as it includes the traditions of different nations.
First and second breakfast
Following an established tradition, the British begin the morning with a cup of coffee, which they drink in bed. After that, they go to the kitchen to cook a hearty meal. English breakfast consists of:
- fried eggs;
- bacon or sausages;
- toasted bread slices;
- tea or coffee.
Then the British go to work or do household chores. During breaks, they drink tea, not forgetting to pamper themselves with sweet biscuits and fresh pastries. The second English breakfast consists of:
- hot dogs;
- sandwiches;
- salads.
In recent years, more and more young Britons have chosen to eat in fast food restaurants. Therefore, in English cafes you can often see offers designed for office workers.
Five hour tea and dinner
The British rarely skip the traditional “Fife-o-Clok”, during which they drink tea with muffins, sweet buns and cupcakes. The British add milk or cream to their favorite drink.
English dinner begins after 19 hours and is considered the main meal. For him, dishes are prepared from meat, fish, cereals and vegetables. Also often served broths and soups to the table.
English main course for dinner:
- sausages with mashed potatoes;
- roast beef;
- pudding;
- pie with kidneys;
- potato casserole with minced meat;
- stew.
If you want to cook real English dishes for your family, then use our recipes.
English christmas pudding
The classic recipe for real flame pudding can shock unprepared Russians. Suffice it to say that it contains 16 ingredients, among which there are beef fat, dried fruits, spices, eggs, rum, nuts. All products are mixed in a certain sequence, then the resulting "dough" is rolled in flour and wrapped in a cloth. After that, future pudding is cooked for four hours on low heat. Then the product is cooled and placed in the refrigerator for several weeks. It is believed that English Christmas pudding should ripen for at least a year, but sometimes it is prepared three or four months before the holiday. Before serving, treat the drink with rum and set it on fire.
Bread pudding
Some English dishes have an original, but rather pleasant taste. This pudding can be served with evening tea, afternoon tea or breakfast.
Ingredients:
- fresh Italian ciabatta or French roll;
- three quarters of a cup of honey;
- two sprigs of rosemary;
- one teaspoon of the zest of lemon, grapefruit and orange;
- half a teaspoon of vanilla;
- half a glass of melted butter;
- juice of one lemon;
- four chicken eggs;
- one and a half cups of condensed milk;
- half a cup of pine nuts.
Pour the condensed milk into the pan, put the rosemary, vanilla and zest. Bring the mixture to a boil and remove it from the stove. Remove the herbs from the pan, put honey, yolks and whipped squirrels. Stir the products.
Dice the bread and fill it with lemon juice. Beat the butter with a mixer and mix it with pine nuts.
Put slices of bread on a greased mold. Pour them with sweet dough and then butter. Bake pudding until cooked in a well-heated oven.
Lamb with mint sauce
For this classic English dish you will need the following products:
- rack of lamb - one and a half kilograms;
- potatoes - one kilogram;
- cherry tomatoes - 500 grams;
- Dijon mustard - two tablespoons;
- fresh rosemary leaves - one bunch;
- red wine vinegar - four tablespoons;
- fresh mint - one bunch;
- sugar, salt, ground pepper, olive oil - to taste.
Read the recipe below.
Peel the potatoes, cut into slices and put on the bottom of the baking dish. Salt it, season with spices and pour olive oil.
Cut the meat in portions, grate with salt and pepper. Fry it until golden brown in a dry frying pan.
Make the meat sauce. Put mustard, rosemary, two tablespoons of vinegar, salt in a blender bowl. Beat products until smooth. Brush the lamb chunks with the sauce and place them in a deep baking sheet.
Bake meat and potatoes for 40 minutes in a well-heated oven. When the specified time has passed, take out the lamb and put the sliced tomatoes in half into pieces. Put the meat in the oven and cook it for another five minutes.
Peppermint sauce is prepared very simply - put fresh mint leaves in a blender, add two tablespoons of wine vinegar, salt and sugar. Grind the products.
Put lettuce leaves on a large dish, and lay meat and potatoes on them. Serve the lamb to the table with a fragrant sauce.
Roast beef
For this dish you will need a piece of beef weighing 800 grams. It must be thoroughly cleaned of veins and layers of fat. The ideal roast beef is prepared as follows.
Heat a dry frying pan over high heat.
Grease the meat with olive oil and fry until golden brown. After that, transfer it to the baking dish and send it to the preheated oven. Periodically pour a piece of the allocated juice.
When the beef is soft, put out the fire. Cover the meat with foil and let it stand in the oven for another quarter of an hour. If you did everything right, then the roast beef will be covered with a golden brown, and inside it will remain pink. Cut it into strips, season with salt and pepper, and then serve immediately. For garnish, you can cook fried potatoes or vegetable salad.
Meat in tomato and onion sauce
Traditional English dishes can be safely served at the festive table. If you want to surprise guests, then cook the meat according to this recipe.
Required Products:
- beef - 700 grams;
- potatoes - two pieces;
- carrots - one thing;
- onions - one thing;
- flour - 25 grams;
- tomatoes - 40 grams;
- beef broth - 420 ml;
- red wine and vegetable oil - four tablespoons each;
- bay leaf - two pieces;
- salt and ground pepper to taste.
Cut the meat into small cubes, peel the vegetables and cut into circles.
Heat the pan over a fire and pour two tablespoons of oil into it. Fry the meat until half cooked and put it in a ceramic mold.
Add remaining oil to the pan and fry the onions in it. Add the flour and pour the broth in a couple of minutes. When the sauce boils, put tomatoes, salt and spices in it.
In the form for meat, put potatoes, carrots and bay leaves. Pour red wine and tomato sauce. Bake meat at a temperature of 150 degrees for two and a half hours.
Pie with meat
Tasty and satisfying pastries will please even the most severely criticized British cuisine. We suggest making English pie from the following products:
- meat (beef or pork) - 500 grams;
- butter - 25 grams;
- fat or lard - 75 grams;
- fried bacon - 100 grams;
- salt - a teaspoon for dough and to taste to the filling;
- flour - 250 grams;
- eggs - one for lubrication and one for filling;
- gelatin - five grams;
- dried thyme and basil - one teaspoon;
- nutmeg and ground pepper - half a teaspoon;
- meat broth - 250 grams;
- water - 100 ml.
A classic English pie is prepared according to this recipe.
Cut meat and bacon into small cubes, then mix them with spices, salt and herbs.
Place the pan over medium heat, melt fat and oil in it. After that, add water and add a little salt.
Sift the flour into a deep bowl, break the raw egg into it, and then pour the hot liquid from the pan. Stir the food with a spoon, and then knead the dough out of them. Put it in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Choose a baking dish with high sides and grease it with oil. Divide the dough into two unequal parts. Roll each into a thin layer. Put the larger one on the bottom of the baking dish. Lay out the filling and cover it with a second layer. Pinch the edges of the cake, and make a hole on top. Lubricate the dough with a beaten egg and place the mold in the oven. Cook the cake for 50 minutes.
Heat the meat broth and dissolve the gelatin in it. Pour the resulting liquid into the hole on the cake lid. Cool the treat and serve it to the table.
Festive cupcake
This delicious dessert can be prepared for evening tea or offered to guests who have run up to the light. English cupcake is made from simple products:
- dried apricots, dried cherries and raisins - 200 grams each;
- wheat flour - 220 grams;
- sugar - 200 grams;
- chicken eggs - two pieces;
- rum - 75 milliliters;
- nutmeg, salt, ground white pepper, lemon or lime zest - one pinch each;
- black tea of medium strength - 250 ml.
To make a real English cupcake, carefully read the following recipe.
Rinse dried fruits under running water and soak in hot tea. When the liquid has cooled, add rum and sugar to it. Leave the filling to infuse for several hours.
Sift the flour, add white pepper, zest and juice to it. Combine the mixture with chopped dried fruits. Knead the dough by adding beaten eggs and water to the products. Bake the cake at 160 degrees until cooked.
Dessert can be served hot or cold. It goes well with tea, coffee, lemonade or milk.
Sandwiches
English dishes for the daily menu are simple to prepare and practical. The following ingredients are used for sandwiches:
- slices of bread - eight pieces;
- canned tuna - 300 grams;
- boiled eggs - four pieces;
- cheese (cheddar or any hard) - four slices;
- tomatoes - two pieces;
- red lettuce onion;
- lettuce;
- mayonnaise - 80 grams;
- capers - one tablespoon;
- anchovies - two pieces.
The snack recipe is very simple.
Shell eggs and cut into circles. Cut the onion into half rings and, if you wish, pickle it in a little vinegar and sugar. Cut the tomatoes into slices, mash the tuna with a fork.
Cut capers and anchovies as finely as possible and mix with mayonnaise. With the resulting sauce, grease the bread slices, lay on top of them the fish, tomatoes, onions and lettuce. Cover the filling with a second slice of bread, and then toast the sandwich in a sandwich maker or grilled. Cut the finished sandwiches diagonally and serve to the table with your favorite drinks.
It is convenient to take this simple snack with you to a picnic or a summer cottage. Prepare it in advance, pack it in a plastic container and feel free to go for a walk.
Pumpkin pie
Many English dishes are prepared with simple products. Try to bake for guests or relatives a delicious dessert according to an old recipe.
Ingredients:
- pumpkin - 500 grams;
- wheat flour - 250 grams;
- cognac - 75 ml;
- sugar - 300 grams;
- ground ginger, salt, cinnamon - half a teaspoon;
- cream - 140 ml;
- cold water - 100 ml;
- egg yolks - six pieces;
- butter - 125 grams;
- lemon zest - a teaspoon.
This dish is best prepared in late summer or autumn, when a fresh pumpkin crop ripens.
Pie recipe
Put butter in a deep bowl, add salt and flour there. Grind food into a crumb blender, then mix it with one yolk, 30 ml of cognac and ice water. Knead the dough, wrap it in cling film and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Peel the pumpkin, cut the pulp into slices and boil until soft. Throw the pieces into a colander, then mix them with the zest, the remaining cognac and yolks. Put the food in the blender bowl and chop it.
Roll out the dough and put on the bottom of the baking dish. Anneal the base with a fork and put it in the oven for a quarter of an hour. When the right time has passed, remove the form and put the filling on the dough. Bake the cake for another half hour at 190 degrees.
Serve the finished dessert, cool and bring to the table. A delicious pie can be safely prepared on a festive day. Your guests will certainly appreciate the taste and aroma of fresh pastries.
Conclusion
English national dishes are very diverse. The British are trying to use only the freshest and highest quality products for their preparation. They do not like experiments too much, so they often use proven recipes.
English cuisine was greatly influenced by the traditions of other countries. Especially noticeable are the trends that came from India in the century before last. Often the British use aromatic spices and seasonings, as well as bright sauces from vegetables and fruits.
Using the recipes collected in this article, you will make the familiar menu more diverse and interesting.