My biggest UK food fear

I am not living in the UK yet, but the plans are in the works.  I have been going over many many things over the years with my SO there, and food of course is a frequent topic.  I actually love a lot of the british food, so not too concerned there.  As far as homesickness for food goes, I think I've figured out a good substitute for grits (southern girl here, life without grits is like trying to run a diesel car on petrol), and most things I can either make myself, substitute, or live happily without.  I think the biggest concern I have, as silly as this may sound, is American breakfast sausage.  I mean, the one-pound package you get that you can slice, or crumble up into a pan, that makes the whole house smell like it just fell directly from the heavens.  Any suggestions or maybe recipes that this community might have would make the transition immeasurably easier for me!   

Google breakfast sausage recipe, quite a few  versions will come up. There is one on simply recipes i like, but if you try them in the states you'll have one ready to go when you are in the UK. I'd post a link but i'm on my phone

I've been meaning to try this recipe for a while.  I have found the website to be pretty reliable. http://homesicktexan.blogspot.co.uk/2008/02/breakfast-sausage-to-begin-day.html

I get the grits thing though.  I haven't really found substitutes I'm happy with here, but it hasn't been too big a problem.  There's a local store that sells the little instant packs in their American corner, but I don't like those, so I have any friends who are visiting from the States bring a bag with them when they come.  It has worked pretty well so far.

i have a jimmy dean sausage recipe that they say is to die for.......more than happy to share it with you............as far as grits are concerned.......there aint no substitute here for good ole grits especially yellar ones......two things here that i cant live without.......yellar grits and lipton ice tea........lol........where are you from in the south.......nice to meet cha

Scottish DH loves grits (woohoo!), especially shrimp and grits. We've been bringing over the giant bags of grits lately. Hopefully we are set for a while.

I can't be of any help on the sausage, though (vegetarian!) Good luck!

i have a jimmy dean sausage recipe that they say is to die for.......more than happy to share it with you............as far as grits are concerned.......there aint no substitute here for good ole grits especially yellar ones......two things here that i cant live without.......yellar grits and lipton ice tea........lol........where are you from in the south.......nice to meet cha

I would love the sausage recipe Steff if you wouldn't mind sending it to me?

I would love the sausage recipe Steff if you wouldn't mind sending it to me?

me too if you want to post it for all of us to share

My DH didn't like grits at all until I had made them a bunch of times, suddenly he told me he was craving grits. He lives then now. The same thing happened with root beer.

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Jimmy Dean sausage recipe   2 lbs pork belly or 2lbs pork butt, (I get the butcher to do a fine mince for me) 2 tsp sea salt 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper 2 tsp finely chopped sage leaves 1 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp chopped rosemary 1/2 tsp ground fennel 1 Tbsp light brown sugar 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes   Sometimes I'll mix in some maple syrup to make it different. Play around with the recipe. It tastes so much better if you let it sit over night or even longer. It does freeze well.   If you want to make patties, just roll it into a tube shape, stick it in the fridge to firm, then slice. You can also ask the butcher to make the meat into thin links for you. I bring my mix in, and he runs it through the extruder and into casing. Mine used to charge me a small fee, but now he just does it for free.


Unlike · Follow Post · Report · October 7, 2011 at 11:32am

Wow, so sorry y'all!  I haven't been in to check for responses in a few days. 

Jimmy Dean sausage recipe   2 lbs pork belly or 2lbs pork butt, (I get the butcher to do a fine mince for me) ....

Thank you SOOOOOOOO much for this recipe!!  I will be sending it on to my honey tomorrow so he can get the fixin's so we can try it when I'm there next month!  I'm so relieved!  and so excited! 

i have a jimmy dean sausage recipe that they say is to die for.......more than happy to share it with you............as far as grits are concerned.......there aint no substitute here for good ole grits especially yellar ones......two things here that i cant live without.......yellar grits and lipton ice tea........lol........where are you from in the south.......nice to meet cha

Great to meet you too    I'm from Florida.  Tampa area originally, but Jacksonville for the last 10 years or so.  So glad to be out of the heat! 

I've been meaning to try this recipe for a while.  I have found the website to be pretty reliable. http://homesicktexan.blogspot.co.uk/2008/02/breakfast-sausage-to-begin-day.html

I get the grits thing though.  I haven't really found substitutes I'm happy with here, but it hasn't been too big a problem.

As for the grits, what I've been getting here lately in the Seattle area is Polenta in a bulk-foods store.  It seems the same to me, and my honey says they do have Polenta over there, so I think that will be my grits for the foreseeable future.   

I'm bringing a bag over just in case in November, because I still have to prove to my honey that they're worthwhile.  He hasn't had grits the way I make them! 

Thanks for the sausage recipe too, I will definitely be looking into it! 

Now if someone could just come up with a recipe for an electrical outlet in the bathroom, all my worries would be gone. 

I have an electrical outlet in the bathroom, it does 120 or 240 and is the american plug fitting. I use it for the electric toothbrush and the boy's shaver

Pretty unusual though, first house I ever moved into which had one

Wow, so sorry y'all!  I haven't been in to check for responses in a few days. 

Thank you SOOOOOOOO much for this recipe!!  I will be sending it on to my honey tomorrow so he can get the fixin's so we can try it when I'm there next month!  I'm so relieved!  and so excited! 

Great to meet you too    I'm from Florida.  Tampa area originally, but Jacksonville for the last 10 years or so.  So glad to be out of the heat! 

As for the grits, what I've been getting here lately in the Seattle area is Polenta in a bulk-foods store.  It seems the same to me, and my honey says they do have Polenta over there, so I think that will be my grits for the foreseeable future.   

I'm bringing a bag over just in case in November, because I still have to prove to my honey that they're worthwhile.  He hasn't had grits the way I make them! 

Thanks for the sausage recipe too, I will definitely be looking into it! 

Now if someone could just come up with a recipe for an electrical outlet in the bathroom, all my worries would be gone. 

Hi there

I've been here for 15 years and Polenta is not the same as Grits. You might be able to use it similarly but it just ain't the same. There are several online import store you can by Grits from here. But to be honest if you are here long enough your food taste will change. I have a bag of Grits in my cabinets that I have had for about a year and very seldom every eat it. Just when I get a hankering to do so.

Same with Corn Meal you won't find what you are used to in the US..I have used dry Polenta in place of Corn Meal for cornbread. Holland and Barretts sell two kind of Corn maize meal a course and a fine that works pretty good for cornbread.

I'm from Oklahoma and Texas...

Hi there

I've been here for 15 years and Polenta is not the same as Grits. You might be able to use it similarly but it just ain't the same. There are several online import store you can by Grits from here. But to be honest if you are here long enough your food taste will change. I have a bag of Grits in my cabinets that I have had for about a year and very seldom every eat it. Just when I get a hankering to do so.

Same with Corn Meal you won't find what you are used to in the US..I have used dry Polenta in place of Corn Meal for cornbread. Holland and Barretts sell two kind of Corn maize meal a course and a fine that works pretty good for cornbread.

I'm from Oklahoma and Texas...

Hey there!  Thanks, I fully expect my tastes to change quite a bit.  They do here at home over the years, so why would they not when in a different country and culture?   And like I said, most things that will be scarce to me, I am prepared to live without.  Not so sure I can put grits on that list though. 

When I get dry polenta here, I do cook it as grits.  Is the polenta there something different?  I will have to look into it in November when I'm there, so I know what I'm in for.  My honey tells me they have corn meal there as well, but not corn bread.  I can make it from scratch with no trouble, but you're saying the corn meal is different?  How so?

Thanks for your help!

Grits are not yellow.

Grits are not yellow.

Also, grits can be made from hominy and it is a much coarser grain than polenta.