Menu from a friend in the Britian

[oldschool1982]

I have a friend from another site that is in charge of entertaining some folks from here in the states. This is what he sent me.

I am worried that some of the things that I am about to serve family from Walnut Creek California -might alarm them... I have been getting some suggestions that they think I might be trying to poison them -so I am asking for an unbiased viewpoint!

Dandelion and Burdock -a common soft drink
Irn Bru -ditto
Toad in the Hole, sausages and onions fried then baked in a Yorkshire pudding
Faggots, pork pieces wrapped in the pigs kerl -and baked
Savoury Duck, slices of beef, venison, and pork minced with herbs bound with egg and fried.
Bakewell Tart, a pudding
Manchester Tart, ditto
Parkin, a oat cake made with melted butter and treacle.

Feedback and opinion is welcome since I will send him a link to this post.

Personally I think the menu is very good but then I don;t know much about British cuisine. I'd enjoy it thoroughly.

Thanks gang.

[shroomgirl]

walnut creek's outside of SF......
Looks interesting. Way heavy on meats.....not alot of fresh veg.....

So they are having sausages, breads, puddings and soda?

It's always interesting to eat as the natives do.....that's what makes traveling interesting.....and if it's only one meal they can suss out fresh veg at other meals.

[Jock]

All these things are traditional British fare and all good stuff (although you probably don't want to read the ingredient list on a bottle of Irn Bru) but very old fashioned. I'm surprised there isn't black pudding on the menu!

Jock

[indianwells]

It all sounds a bit heavy to me. Is it a buffet or a single meal? You certainly need some vegetables in there. Toad in the Hole is a wonderful dish, however the sausages are a key ingredient, do you have access to some 85-90 percent meat pork sausages?

[oldschool1982]

Indianwells,

This isn't a menu I'll be producing. It's being produced somewhere over near "your neck of the woods" so I'd go out on a limb and say that all of the ingredients are what would be respectively used in the production of these dishes.

It doesn't sound all too heavy to me, given the time of year and the season. But then I live in Virginia so I can't speak for everyone else. But I will say that not every culture out there has adopted our ability/way of over-reacting to or over-complicating foods and diet.

Shroom, I have to agree with you about the whole "native eating" thing.

Thanks for the responses though. I hope he has looked in on things.

[shroomgirl]

California Cooking is heavier in fresh(raw/lightly cooked) fruit and veg than most parts of the country......seems many times that meat is not center of plate. They may want to roll on down to the roaring fireplace and sleep the rest of the evening after such hearty fare.

Where profiling VA......there'd be hams, biscuits, crab, shrimp......loads of cooked veg....some cooked an awfully long time......or are you further north of the mason-dixon line?
Kinda fun coming up with perceptions of what different regions of America eats.....we've had various threads through the years on that very subject.

[indianwells]

Originally Posted by oldschool1982

Indianwells,

This isn't a menu I'll be producing. It's being produced somewhere over near "your neck of the woods" so I'd go out on a limb and say that all of the ingredients are what would be respectively used in the production of these dishes.

It doesn't sound all too heavy to me, given the time of year and the season. But then I live in Virginia so I can't speak for everyone else. But I will say that not every culture out there has adopted our ability/way of over-reacting to or over-complicating foods and diet.

Shroom, I have to agree with you about the whole "native eating" thing.

Thanks for the responses though. I hope he has looked in on things.

Apologies, I misunderstood your OP. I wasn't talking about "over-complicating" food, more about balancing the meal. I get the impression some people think us Brits sit in thatched cottages chomping on haunches of roast beef and stuffing our faces with fat-laden puddings!

[shroomgirl]

Well don't cha? (just kidding)

one of my writing friends has a blog of her London Cordon Bleu experience....which just ended last week with her graduating from the pastry school. A Broad in London

Gorgeous food! A friend of mine ran a farmer's market in London for years and the photos she took are flabbergasting.....mydrids of fruits all in season at the same time.....apples, currants, berries, etc....gorgeous. The local food scene at the markets in London is alive and well.

[Ishbel]

What? No deep fried Mars Bar?

That list seems awfully 'heavy' or stodgy!

I would have thought something like Roast Beef with Yorkshire pudding and roasted potatoes and parsnips, with fresh green veg would be more 'typical' - and be much less calorific, too!

Toad in the hole is great - so long as the sausages used are British-style, not Italian or French and the TitH is served with a good, rich onion gravy and fresh veg.

Irn Bru is Scotland's 'other' national drink (non-alcoholic), Dandelion and burdock is more an English drink, more commonly available in the northern counties.

Faggots is an English (and Welsh, according to a Welsh colleague) dish and is usually made with a cover of caul.. not to my taste, but then I eat and enjoy haggis, so what room do I have to talk?!

Parkin is a cake of Yorkshire origins - really nice - you can also get Parkin biscuits (a sort of gingerbread biscuit - 'cookie').

Shroomgirl, local markets are alive and well all over the UK; most towns (particularly in England) and some larger villages hold markets once or twice a week. The markets in London are great, particularly Borough Market and others.

I always try to buy local, in season veg - but that can be hard to do in the depths of a Scottish winter, when veggies would be limited to onions, a few brassicas and root vegetables like potatoes, swedes, parsnips, beetroot and potatoes. Thank god for the growers (under glass) of tomatoes etc - or we'd all be bored to death!

[siduri]

VERY IMPORTANT
If someone is visiting another country, they will probably be interested in tasting THE FOOD OF THAT COUNTRY not the food of their own country!
I live in italy. when i go to the states, people always want to take me to an italian restaurant. Why the heck would i want to eat in an italian restaurant if i always eat in italian restaurants, the REAL ones.
Cook a nice american international dinner for your guests.

[oldschool1982]

Originally Posted by indianwells

Apologies, I misunderstood your OP. I wasn't talking about "over-complicating" food, more about balancing the meal. I get the impression some people think us Brits sit in thatched cottages chomping on haunches of roast beef and stuffing our faces with fat-laden puddings!

What's wrong with that??????? Hehehe

I should have started another line since I didn't intend the statment to be directed to you it was just a generalization of how we Americans can be sometimes.

I did receive a list of veg from my friend. It is as follows;[QUOTE]Typical veg will be: Leeks and Savoy
Cabbage. Onions and Brussel Sprouts, Roast Potatoes
and Roast Parsnips, Marrow and Swede..... These are
normally with a cheese sauce or a thick white sauce. [/quote]

All sounds really interesting. I'd love to get a taste of everything. Too bad it's too far to drive.

Originally Posted by shroomgirl

<p>Where profiling VA......there'd be hams, biscuits, crab, shrimp......loads of cooked veg....some cooked an awfully long time......or are you further north of the mason-dixon line?</p>
<p>Kinda fun coming up with perceptions of what different regions of America eats.....we've had various threads through the years on that very subject.

Shroom,

With that thar Mason-Dixon line being the border between Pennsylvania/Deleware to the North and Maryland/West Virginia to the South....... Being South of Richmond all you mentioned is served in large quantities.

I would like to add that there is usually a misconception about the South and the cooking of vegetables. I had the opportunity to learn this from the late Edna Lewis (through Chef Scott Peacock) so the only veg that I've ever been taught (in the 15 or so years I have lived below that line) to be cooked for more lengthy periods of time is Cabbage and the greens family of Mustard, kale, collard and turnip. These really need the cooking to make them more palletable. Most other veg is or should be cooked until done. Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc..... By their teaching and most true southerners as well Vegetable shouldn't turn to mush when eaten, they just shouldn;t snap either. Personally I believe that both methods of cooking veg have their place in things.

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