Despite my last post being about my love for Spanish food, I still can't help my cravings for some good old English grub! This is what I'm missing right now:
1. Indian
How funny that the first 'English' dish I miss, is actually not even originally English! However Indian food is very typical in England and due to our love of it, the country has essentially adopted it as our own, traditional food. I am counting down the days until I can tuck into a chicken tikka masala with vegetable pilau rice, stuffed paratha, onion bhajis, samosas, chicken pakoras and poppadoms. Yum!
2. Fish and chips
Of course this dish had to pop up somewhere! Oh, how I crave battered cod and chips; swimming in tangy vinegar and sprinkled with salt. Where I live, in England there's a chip shop (chippy) around almost every corner, the delicious smell wafts out the door and drifts down the street to lure you in, but beware, as it doesn't end there! After you've had fish and chips, the stench seems to linger for almost a week, just to remind you of your unhealthy, calorie-packed meal in case you tried to forget.
3. Roast dinner
You can't get much better than a roast dinner! Everybody has their own way of cooking them, especially when it comes to the potatoes; roasted or mashed? I personally have both! Roasted meat with a table full of vegetables, including fluffy, creamy mashed potato and roast potatoes; crunchy on the outside but soft in the middle, drizzled with thick, homemade gravy and mopped up with a soft, pillowy Yorkshire pudding. That is the perfect end to a lazy Sunday!
4. Cheddar cheese
Since coming to Spain I've learnt that the only cheese I like is English Cheddar. You can get different maturities which vary from 'mild' to 'extra mature'. My favourite is 'mild' as it's the softest and has a delicate, creamy flavour. The extra mature cheddar is harder and crumbly with a very strong and sharp taste, but it's perfect for cheese on toast.
5. Bacon
I did not realise just how much I adore bacon until I moved to a country which doesn't have it. Although a meat called 'bacon' is sold here, it's nothing like smoked English bacon. I love it when it's slightly over-cooked and goes crispy, which accentuates the smoky, salty flavours. In England we often eat it either on a sandwich or with a full fry up English breakfast with eggs, sausages, beans and toast.
6. Hellman's mayonnaise and Heinz ketchup
You can't beat a squirt of Hellman's mayo or Heinz ketchup on ... well, just about anything really! My favourite are egg and mayonnaise sandwiches! I never thought I'd miss such a simple sandwich so much.
7. Cadbury's chocolate
I'm sure that Cadbury's chocolate must contain a secret ingredient! I just don't know how it tastes so different to all other chocolate, it's so much more creamier, sweeter and delicious. I couldn't contain my excitement when I found a Cadbury's creme egg for sale in Gibraltar during the Easter holidays!
What foods do you miss when you travel?
