28 British Things The Whole World Needs
After six years in the UK, I had quite a list of British things I wished more people could enjoy. A lot of my favourites involved food and drink. I’d slowly become a tea drinker, developed strong opinions about what I wanted in a full English, and fallen in love with Yorkshire puddings. Add fish and chips, a good Sunday roast and a pub where I could try a new cider, and there was plenty to be happy about.
Yorkshire tea and a very particular breakfast
As a Canadian, I hadn’t been a tea drinker. That had slowly changed, and if I was going to have a cuppa, I wanted Yorkshire Tea. I couldn’t really tell the difference between the Gold version and the regular red-label one. My tea palate clearly wasn’t very developed yet, but I knew which tea I wanted. I thought the rest of the world should have some too.
A full English was another favourite. My ideal plate had toast, baked beans, sausage, bacon and an egg, ideally fried. I was okay with black pudding, but didn’t particularly mind whether it was there. I didn’t want the mushrooms or tomatoes. If a hash brown was available, though, I was absolutely taking it.
I knew people would tell me hash browns were too American for a full English. I still thought they were fabulous. That was my perfect version of a fry-up. I found it delicious whether I was hungover or not, and I thought more people should get to enjoy one.
Yorkshire puddings with the big dinners
Yorkshire puddings were something I could eat far too many of. I particularly liked them a little crispy or crunchy outside, with a soft inside. I’d made a video trying to make my own, and I loved a homemade Yorkshire. They could seem simple and still be difficult to get right.
In my opinion, all the big dinners should have them: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving. Please add Yorkshires. A Sunday roast was another thing I loved, although not all Sunday roasts were equally good. It depended on where you went. A lovely, authentic, homemade one was hard to beat, and it had better come with Yorkshire puddings.
Fish and chips without the long wait
I remembered getting fish and chips with my dad in Canada for a special occasion. It took a long time, and it felt more like a restaurant meal than a takeaway. The British version I appreciated was fish and chips as fast food: going to a shop, getting something delicious, having it wrapped in paper and bringing it home.
That sounded particularly good if I was tired, exhausted, had had a bad day or simply hadn’t had fish and chips for ages. I loved the whole idea of taking a parcel home and enjoying it. As I talked about it, I wondered whether I might have fish and chips that night.
A pub and a new cider
I loved the community side of pub culture. It felt different from the bar culture I associated with North America. You could go with family, hang out, maybe watch football and have a pint or try a cider you hadn’t had before. I thought it had a comforting, happy, friendly atmosphere, and it wasn’t only for people who drank a lot.
Cider had become my drink of choice when I went out to a pub or restaurant. I loved how many different brands and flavours there were to try. If there was alcohol available, I wanted to know which British ciders they had. Trying local ones was part of the fun for me, along with enjoying the pub itself and perhaps a Sunday roast.
The UK wasn’t perfect, and I knew that. But these were some of the things I loved about my everyday life here and wished more people had access to. From a cuppa to a crispy Yorkshire pudding or a new cider, there was plenty I wanted to keep enjoying.
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