British Cooking

Mousehole is great!

If either of you comes down here, let me know! 

Absolutely!

And black beans...how I miss them.)

I know that Sainsburys sells black beans but if you can't find them there try to find them in a local oriental shop. They always sell them there. In fact, oriental shops tend to be very good with beans. It's where I find black eye peas which I love (the legume, not the band).

There are some things which have taken me some time to get used to, like curry. Didn't like it at first but have become very fond of it now.

What I absolutely love is my MIL's Boddington cooked ham. It's to die for.

And I'm a huge fan of sticky toffee pudding. It's heavy as hell but I can never resist it.

I also like the fish you can get here. Coming from AZ, fish was not something I would have eaten willingly.

I'd love to have a local oriental shop, but as Cornwall is about 99% caucasian, there's not much in the way of ethnic food to be found. 

The only time I'm exposed to British food is if we're going out to eat with the family. 

My MIL is Iranian, and thus, cooks Iranian food (which I LOVE). She does cook British food occasionally, for my FIL, but I've never actually eaten anything but a sunday roast (she attempted Thanksgiving for me because I was sick with swine flu. Aww, bless her!)

Now I feel I need to at least try British food.. Hmm.. What to try and make first..

I'd love to have a local oriental shop, but as Cornwall is about 99% caucasian, there's not much in the way of ethnic food to be found. 

You should move to Leeds. We have a whole smörgåsbord of races.

I actually prefer the curries that we had in Houston (Gourmet India, off of Westheimer).  

I'll have to try that Gourmet India. We always go to Shiva off of Times Blvd. We love it but love trying new ones too.

As for the British vs. American cooking...I don't find one better than the other. I like all varieties of foods. Some foods in Britain are favs of mine and some in the US are favs. I don't come from a family who cooked a lot of stuff from packets, etc. so I can't really relate to the whole idea that food in America is pre-packaged crap and food in Britain is all farm-fresh and superior. *shrug*

I can't really relate to the whole idea that food in America is pre-packaged crap and food in Britain is all farm-fresh and superior. *shrug*

I can't relate to this either. Recreating dishes that my mom cooks is really easy to do here because the ingredients she uses are so basic. She also grew up on a farm, so we always got fruit and veg from the local farm shop and we'd drive all over town looking for the best meat.

Abbygirl, please try a real pasty! Ginster's are petrol station pasties!!  

How about the ones from the Cornish Pasty Bakery? There's one in York...delicious! I must confess to not usually getting the traditional though!

I had never had pilau rice (at least, not the way it is in the UK.. maybe I had it and just didn't know) until I moved here, and its ok, but not my favourite. There was a fantastic Indian buffet in Dallas that closed down (Rasoi's? maybe?) and they had this rice that I still dream about and to this day, I don't know what it was. I think it was a sort of lemon rice with some sort of nuts in it? Anyway, on the off chance anyone knows what I'm talking about.... clue me in, would you?   Also, the best sag paneer. Mmmm. I do have to say, that place was a lot better than the Indian food I have had here (at least in my memory it is!), even though most of the time I didn't know what I was eating (due to it being a buffet and having a hard time keeping up with all the new foods). I also miss the Hare Krisna restaurant at the temple in Dallas, Kalachandji's.  

Ummm, ok, so I got off topic here.  

Anyway, I do love the food here. It helps me avoid missing things I might otherwise miss, and I have really grown used to it since living here. I'm sure there are things I used to eat in the states that I couldn't bring myself to eat now.   I think probably, the all time greatest thing I have had here is steak and ale pie. I don't know how I lived without it so long! And I also love making various savoury pies and my own pastry now, which is something so new to me, I never would've considered doing it in the US.

I think maybe the Indian takeaways would be better out here, but honestly, like where Chary lives, it's about 99.9% Caucasian folks around here, so I doubt anything I have had out here where we live is very authentic. There was a very big Indian / Asian community in the area of Dallas I lived in, so maybe that's why the Indian food was better. I am trying to make my own curries these days and sort of learning the ropes. Practice makes perfect!

Oh, I love prawn toast. Never had that at a Chinese restaurant in the states.  

As for the British vs. American cooking...I don't find one better than the other. I like all varieties of foods. Some foods in Britain are favs of mine and some in the US are favs. I don't come from a family who cooked a lot of stuff from packets, etc. so I can't really relate to the whole idea that food in America is pre-packaged crap and food in Britain is all farm-fresh and superior. *shrug*

This is true. You can certainly find nice, fresh food in America, too. I didn't really cook when I was there because I lived alone and had a crazy schedule. But some of the restaurants I worked in used only fresh ingredients - no frozen stuff - and made delicious meals. My mom really only cooks a few staples and isn't really interested in trying to make new dishes or anything so I wasn't really exposed to much home cooking growing up. Unless Hamburger Helper counts.  It would be just as easy to live off processed crap and fast food in this country, too, to be honest. But I guess being newly married, having more time on my hands, and living out in the country where fast food isn't really an option has really helped me see the light. 

Ale and cream teas, but not together!  Slurp!

Oh how I love a proper pasty!!  We make them here with lovely skirt steak.  Yummy.  Cream teas Cornish or Devon... Langage Farm ice cream, milk from Guernsey cows, local availability of produce and meats, all the fresh fish and the best Fishmonger in the planet -Lloyd Down in Plymouth, Sainsbury's wheat and also multi-grain bread from the bakery,  The whole entire Taste the Difference line, M&S ready foods, Brixham Crab, oh and the cheese shop in the lovely Tavistock...  http://www.countrycheeses.co.uk/...

God is it May yet? 

I had never had pilau rice (at least, not the way it is in the UK.. maybe I had it and just didn't know) until I moved here, and its ok, but not my favourite. There was a fantastic Indian buffet in Dallas that closed down (Rasoi's? maybe?) and they had this rice that I still dream about and to this day, I don't know what it was. I think it was a sort of lemon rice with some sort of nuts in it? Anyway, on the off chance anyone knows what I'm talking about.... clue me in, would you?   Also, the best sag paneer. Mmmm. I do have to say, that place was a lot better than the Indian food I have had here (at least in my memory it is!), even though most of the time I didn't know what I was eating (due to it being a buffet and having a hard time keeping up with all the new foods). I also miss the Hare Krisna restaurant at the temple in Dallas, Kalachandji's.  

Ummm, ok, so I got off topic here.  

Anyway, I do love the food here. It helps me avoid missing things I might otherwise miss, and I have really grown used to it since living here. I'm sure there are things I used to eat in the states that I couldn't bring myself to eat now.   I think probably, the all time greatest thing I have had here is steak and ale pie. I don't know how I lived without it so long! And I also love making various savoury pies and my own pastry now, which is something so new to me, I never would've considered doing it in the US.

I think maybe the Indian takeaways would be better out here, but honestly, like where Chary lives, it's about 99.9% Caucasian folks around here, so I doubt anything I have had out here where we live is very authentic. There was a very big Indian / Asian community in the area of Dallas I lived in, so maybe that's why the Indian food was better. I am trying to make my own curries these days and sort of learning the ropes. Practice makes perfect!

Oh, I love prawn toast. Never had that at a Chinese restaurant in the states.  

lemon cashew rice? I love it up!

I know that Sainsburys sells black beans but if you can't find them there try to find them in a local oriental shop. They always sell them there. In fact, oriental shops tend to be very good with beans. It's where I find black eye peas which I love (the legume, not the band).

Ashley, the Out of this World health food store across Vicar Lane from the bottom end of the market (catty corner, sort of, from the Corn Exchange) is a good place to pick up all kinds of dried beans too!

Never had that at a Chinese restaurant in the states.  

Haven't you ever had shrimp toast?