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BRIT-SPEAK

AMERI-SPEAK

COMMENTS
  1. Bacon butty
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  24. Clotted Cream

  1. Bacon sandwich

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  1. bacon is almost ham-like
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Bangers and mash Sausage (mildly spicy)
Biscuit Cookie/Cracker can be slightly sweet or savory , crsipy
Carvery Roasts (pork, beef, etc.)
Cider Hard cider  alcoholic, refreshing (sweet or dry)
Chips French fries
Clotted Cream a cross between whipped cream and butter.  Delicious!
Crisps Potato Chips
Cream Team Tea-time Tea served with scones & clotted cream
Curries Indian food, generic  If you like Mexican, try curries!
Lemonade 7-Up, Sprite The "cloudy" version is very tasty!
Mains   Main course
Mash Mashed potatoes often made with cream and often with intriguing and tasty additions
Pasty pie in the hand (rhymes with "last")
Pies savory for a meal / sweet for after
Ploughman's Cheese Sandwich includes pickled onion & sweet relish
Pudding Dessert an after-meal sweet
Salad Cream "Miracle Whip" reasonable facsimile
Scones Biscuits reasonable facsimiles
Serviette Napkin (a "nappy" is a diaper!)
Shandy half beer or cider with half "7-up"
Sponge Cake - normal white not spongy like our sponge cakes
Spotted Dick (not what you think) Moist cake/pudding with raisins
Starters Appetisers includes salads & such
Take-away "To go" Must eat off the premises
Veg Veggies

General

"Tea" to the Brits can be...

the beverage:  always served hot and with milk unless specified.

a late afternoon/early evening meal (between 4:00-6:00).  Often is the last meal of the day - but not always.

or our idea of a traditional English tea:  the hot beverage (with milk!) complete with something sweet.

Dinner is later, often starting at 7:30/8:00

When having a nicer dinner, don't be surprised by a meal that includes a starter, a main course, a sweet and even follow the lot with cheese and biscuits.

Notes on dining out: 

Opening hours (as an average):  

Eating:  

lunches usually 12:00-2:00

dinners usually 7:00-9:00

Drinking:  open 11:00, last call at 10:45, closing by 11:30

Pubs:  Not the same as a tavern or bar.  Often there is reasonable to excellent food in a cozy atmosphere, many times complete with exposed beams and open fires.   Many are in very old and interesting buildings.  Many cuisines available, but often traditional English:  pies, puddings, sandwiches, chips, even pasta dishes, etc.
Pub practices:

Order  & pay for drinks and meals at the bar.  They'll generally serve your meal at the table but take your drinks with you.

Some serve only sandwiches; some nothing much at all.

Check for a daily specials board.

Plenty of vegetables usually come with the meal with salad sometimes an alternative.   Ask for salad dressing and cross your fingers.

Puddings (desserts) usually served with cream, hot custard sauce or ice cream.

Children often welcome, sometimes in specific areas.   Usually suitable for families.

Dogs often welcome, too, on a lead and under your chair.  Often a pub-dog or cat in residence.

Beer/ale is served at room (or cellar) temperature.

Sometimes two sides, one more drink oriented and the other more food oriented.

Restaurants:  similar to U.S. (with full service and menus at the table)

Carvery:  selection of roast meats and side dishes.  (Often found on Sundays)

If you like Mexican, forget it.  When you do find it, it's usually overpriced and mediocre quality.  

Give Indian a try.  Available in nearly every village worth it's name.  Start with the mild, like Tikka Massala or Korma dishes and work your way up to the really hot stuff (like Madras!)

Chinese is as good and similar to items in the U.S.  Good "take away" easy to find.

Vegetarians can usually find something on most menus - even at pubs - but not often a wide selection. It's catching on, though, so take heart.

Decaffinated coffee is instant more often than not.  If you want brewed decaf, be sure to specify.

A "full breakfast" is a fully fried affair with bacon (really more ham-like), fried eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and even fried toast.  Regular toast comes in a rack and is nearly always cold.

Must try:

  1. Double cream/clotted cream ice creams.  Heavenly, rich, calorific!
  2. Ciders (hard).  Like alcoholic apple juice.  Comes in sweet, medium and dry.
  3. Cream tea:  nice pot of tea served with scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam.
  4. Savoury pies including Cottage, Shepherds  and fish pies (these are topped with mashed potatoes but most have regular pastry or sometimes flaky crust.
  5. Banoffee pie:  Bananas and toffee cream pie.
  6. Pasty:  traditionally meat, potato and gravy wrapped in pastry.  Other combination available.  (Pasty rhymes with "lastly" not "tasty!")  

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