British Food

My American friends  tell me, with some frequency, how poor British food is.  I usually just smile and say nothing.  To correct them would seem like protest or defensiveness.  British food can stand on it's own.  Indeed if the food is simple, it must be of high quality, unadorned by masking sauces.  In addition, the food of Europe, and indeed the once British Empire, comes to Britain, and is now usually grown here.  Here is my Christmas Day food, for your reading pleasure:

Breakfast: Cereal Muesli grown in Dorset with skimmed milk from Surrey and a Banana from Jamaica.

Mid morning nibbles: roasted potato segments from Norfolk brushed in oil infused with thyme and a think spread of melted Kent cheddar cheese.  Melted sticks of Somerset camembert cheese coated in breadcrumbs.

Christmas dinner:  Roasted leg of British lamb with rosemary from my Mum's garden, roasted russet potatoes from Lancashire in extra virgin olive oil, roasted parsnips from Devon coated in Cornish parmesan cheese and roasted in goose fat from Cheshire, Brussels sprouts and sweet garden peas grown locally this summer and frozen,  Bisto gravy with a dash of British sherry and rosemary for flavour.

A small glass of ginger wine made in Wales was enjoyed by family members, al accompanied by carols song by the world's best choir (Kings College Cambridge),a d topped off by Cornish clotted-cream ice-cream and the Queen's annual Christmas speech on the world's best television - the BBC.

After a suitable period of recovery, a bowl of Christmas Pudding (from Marks and Spencers of course) topped with brandy cream and/or rich custard from Wiltshire.

Tea time:  'Mince' pies with cornish clotted cream (one can never have enough), Ecclefechan tarts and slice of stollen cake, Indian black tea with skimmed milk.

Us poor deprived British.  We just don't know any better.

In fairness, most Brits think we Americans schnarf down McDonalds burgers and put cheese on everything...which is completely false, except for the cheese.

Wendy Cope's 'A Christmas Song'

A Christmas Song, by Wendy Cope - posted without her permission, but I hope she would forgive me, since this is a great poem for those whose Christmas carries a thread of grief, as well as joy.  How often those two go together!  Christmas blessings to you.  here's the poem: 

Why is the baby crying,  On this, his special day,  When we have brought him lovely gifts,  And laid them on the hay?

He’s crying for the people,  Who greet this day with dread,  Because somebody dear to them,  Is far away or dead,

For all the men and women,  Whose love affairs went wrong,  Who try their best at merriment,  When Christmas comes along

For separated parents,  Whose turn it is to grieve,  While children hang their stockings up,  Elsewhere on Christmas Eve,

For everyone whose burden,  Carried throughout the year,  Is heavier at Christmastime,  The season of good cheer.

That’s why the baby’s crying,  There in the cattle stall:  He’s crying for those people.  He’s crying for them all.