CultureWatch

Food Documentary

Script
A typical high street in the UK has cafes and restaurants with food from around the
world, but what is typical British food like?

Let’s begin with breakfast. Some people start their day with cereal and milk,
followed by a cooked breakfast including eggs, bacon, mushrooms, sausages and
tomatoes. But most people don’t have time for this, except maybe at the weekend,
so they go to school or work after a breakfast of toast and jam or marmalade with
coffee or tea.

In Britain, people drink a lot of tea! Tea first came to Britain in the 17th century and
now people drink more than 165 million cups a day. Traditionally, afternoon tea is
at 3 o’clock and includes a selection of cold snacks such as sandwiches, and lots of
cakes, biscuits or scones.

Fish and chips are the traditional British take away. Fish and potato chips are cooked
in hot oil. Just add salt and vinegar!

“It reminds you of being a kid and, I don’t know, every Friday night you have, a kind
of, a take out, and fish and chips is always just quite easy.”
“Nice and cheap, and you can eat them anywhere you like!”
“Easy to eat, so fresh, so hot, tasty – it’s wonderful, you can’t beat it. And being by
the seaside – fantastic! With a bit of sunshine, it doesn’t happen often in England!”

The oldest fish and chip shop opened in 1860 and on a typical Friday night this shop
has about 2000 customers.

“We’re not fast food, we’re good food cooked as quick as possible.”

There are over 10,000 fish and chip shops in Britain and this classic combination is
as popular as ever.

Pies are another traditional fast food. Pie shops sell meat pies to take away or to eat
with mashed potato. This shop is nearly 100 years old.

“It’s an absolute must try!”

One variation of the meat pie is the “pasty” from the southwest of England with the
ingredients of beef, potatoes and onions. The pasty has been a traditional “packed
lunch” for hundreds of years.

A family meal at home is often a traditional roast dinner. For example roast beef
with roast potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire pudding (which is not really a pudding
at all!). A pudding is generally sweet and is for the end of the meal. Trifle is a
favourite pudding. So is apple pie and custard. But you could always have cheese
instead. There are lots of regional cheeses.
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Text © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2015

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 CultureWatch
Food Documentary

Scotland is famous for its own national dish which, like many other meals or dishes,
is linked to a particular date in the calendar. On January the 25th, the Scots celebrate
the life and work of the poet Rabbie Burns with a haggis.

Another date in the calendar with particular food is “Pancake day”. It is traditional
to make pancakes on the Tuesday before the 40 days of Lent. In one village, people
have races with their pancakes and have a lot of fun.

At the end of the year, Christmas dinner has its own special traditions usually with
roast turkey. The meal is generally served at midday on December the 25th. The
turkey has stuffing and lots of vegetables to go with it. Christmas pudding is a rich
mixture of dried fruit and is perfect for a cold, snowy winter.
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Text © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2015

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