UK corn meal, semolina and all that stuff...HELP!!!

So here I am at the local covered market.... okay well at the little international store outside the big market...and lo and behold they have cornmeal and about 5 of it's derivatives.  Big huge packets of it and well...  I come to realize that I have no idea what to use to make various corn products.  So for those of you who know about these things in the UK...

What do I use for homemade corn bread?

What for I use for corn tortillas and is there a subsitute for the masa harina? (Does anyone have a good recipe?)  I don't mind the ones at Cool Chili and I just lugged back two packs of fresh ones from La Banderita in the USA, but need to plan for once I run out and I really just want to try to make them......<--how's that for a run on sentence?

Which is for polenta?

Is semolina the same as semolina flour or just another name for corn meal here?  Meaning can I use it to make pasta and bread or is the UK one coarser?

The different varieties all refer to the courseness of the grain.  It's all made from the same stuff tho so in some sense, it is interchangeable.

I only use Masa Harina for tortillas, just because I'm picky about them.  You could also use a finely ground corn meal for them tho.  (And they are dead easy to make.)

For cornbread, just use anything labeled corn meal.  If you have a really course one, use a bit less of it and a bit more of plain flour when you make it and it should turn out okay.

Pollenta is basically any corn meal, I think.  The courseness isn't as big of an issue.  I've found corn meal labled dualy as pollenta/corn meal and have found it regularly in Sainsburys with pulses and Indian foods so you shouldn't have trouble finding it.

Not sure about the semolina thing tho! 

You don't want semolina. That is yukky stuff they used to serve up with school dinners. Bleuch!

I found semolina at Sainsbury's.... I guess I am just going to have to experiment a bit.

semolina is a wheat flour used to make pasta. It's also used in a pudding-y type thing here that I think Britwife is referring to.

I miss cream of wheat

I bring cornmeal back from the US 'cause for some weird reason I can't find it around here.... I like to use it to roll chicken breasts in before pan frying.

Sainsbury's carry Masa Harina in their gourmet food sections.

I've used polenta in place of cornmeal in a pinch, but not in breads - not sure if that would work or not.... Hmmmm.

The semolina found in packets here is coarsely ground wheat

Made into a pudding it is horrid (well, some people like it...), but it can be added to cakes with terrific results. It gives a wonderfully crumbly, delicate texture, especially in almond cakes, where it helps to counteract the denseness that ground almonds and lots of egg-yolks can give. You could use cornmeal or polenta for this, but the corn flavour can be overwhelming and you don't necessarily want that. (Although polenta cakes and biscuits can be delicious.)

It's also really good when you roll out the dough for pizza, giving a crisp crust when it bakes. Nigella Lawson also uses a small quantity in place of breadcrumbs when she makes meatballs. (I haven't tried it, but I'm sure it's a good substitution.)  Maison Blanc sells a beautiful white 'semoule' loaf that is well worth trying.

Sainsburys and Morrisons have corn tortillas, if you want to buy them, I do all the time to make enchiladas, I have a recipe for homemade corn tortillas as well, using corn meal, they turn out well, and for the person who misses cream of wheat, well, there's an asian store we sometimes shop at, they have imported stuff, including Cream of Wheat!!
  It's hard to make do here, but I've found if you look hard and long enough, most often you can find what you are looking for. Problem is, you've gotta go to several different places to get what you want!!
However...............I would just kill for..a payday candy bar.......a butterfinger.........an abba zabba.........oh well.........

They have corn tortillas?   All I have found are the Old El Paso corn/flour hybrid ones not the corn corn ones.  Though I now have both recipes for the corn and flour.  I still have yet to try anything with the Sainsbury's semolina.