Cornflakes and chocolate?

Are they like NoBakes but with corn flakes instead of oatmeal?

Must have seen the same show. The "cookies" we're prepared by Ina Garten. She said she had them at a chocolate shop, Melt, in Nottingham Hill.

They exist sure, all the rage? No. More likely to find them being made in schools. More popular are the same thing with 'Rice Crispies' (puffed rice). Pre-packaged bars of both kinds are available, but not a 'rage'.

"according to some cooking show, this is "all the rage in Britain."

As said "all the rage" no, they've been around for a long (I remember them in the 70's), my wife still makes them occasionally for our friends children.

Well I suppose apples are fruit..!

"All the rage?" No more or less than they have been for the last 40 years or so to my knowledge! I made them when I was about 5. I am a little older than that now!

Thanks, all. DH said his sister added nuts (pecans) to hers, which made them palatable. I have heard of similar "no bake" cookies using various breakfast cereals, as well as rolled oats, but I have never personally encountered them. It was the "all the rage in Britain" part that I had to check on. Thanks again.

Jennifer, how can you know if they have been making them for forty years if you made them aged five? That must have been 2000 at the latest ;-)

Emma, my preference is for Rice Krispies versions rather than Corn Flakes. Or Ricicles rather than Frosties for the extra sugar shock. I find ones with Corn Flakes uncomfortable to eat, like eating a mini Stonehenge dipped in chocolate if they take after the ones made by some of my reltives.

Though usually for both varieties, as they have been made by a young relative or other youngster, they are always lovely. Even when they are absolutely inedible.

Ahhh "snakebite and black", childhood memories. Sneaking into the pub at 13yo (we looked older, and it was a more relaxed time), ordering the most powerful drink you could dream of (excl. anything truly powerful of course).

It's cider and beer 50/50 with a shot of blackcurrant cordial (Ribena). Coulis! oh my.

Emma, definitely TMI but gave me a good morning chuckle.

No question that you're too classy for SB&B emma... But i'm not :o)

Jane, what a great thread! Emma, thanks for the recipe and I, also, can't imagine a heaping spoon of a liquid.

No bake cookies are about the same...butter or butter sub for the vegans, chocolate chips, sugar, vanilla melted and poured over rolled oats, then dropped by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Some recipes add peanut butter as well. Delish! I've been making those since the 70's, lol.

Here is the link to the Ina Garten episode and recipe.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/english-chocolate-crisps.html

Emma, not a Scottish thing, more a 'the little darlings ran out of Rice Krispies and used Ricicles instead' thing.

I was not posh enough for Snakebite. And have not even touched cider properly since the scrumpy hangover as a teenager.

Just did the maths, 350 grams of chocolate? Before the Corn Flakes and the Cranberries? These are not the light confections children make at school etc. All in a crispy cake I would imagine to be 20 grams, not 50!

Thanks for the recipe, Emma, and for defining "fairy cakes." I've always wondered - I had envisioned tiny little wafers, so light they almost float away... Now, what, exactly, is golden syrup? Is it corn syrup? We have dark and light Karo (corn syrup); is it something like that?

And "brown sauce." What is "brown sauce?" Thanks again; this has been fun.

Brown sauce is sauce that is brown. Less tomatoey, more vinegarry. Tomato ketchup is often referred to as 'red sauce'. Tangy.

I haven't had brown sauce for years, now have a hankering for a poke of chips and some brown sauce.

Golden syrup is a by product from refining cane sugar, generally sold under the Tate and Lyle brand.

Kudos to emma for making 'brown sauce' sound exciting. I was never a fan but it's now an essential accompanyment to my regular Sunday morning Pret Bacon Roll. Its an aquired taste but deffinately worth a try on a bacon butty from a greasy spoon. Point of clarity: the Pret Bacon Roll is a poor approximation of a good greasy spoon bacon roll, but has its own merits if its all you can get. Pret food is generally excellent though.

Wow! Thank you, MC, but Emma wins the crown. Or the toque! You've answered questions that have been bothering me for years. I do know what Marmite is, and sultanas. Who was it that said the US and England are two countries divided by a common language?

I agree with Mike over the bacon, sorry Emma, you've been out voted ;-)

One thing is as Mike said, brown sauce is better on the greasy spoon/chip shop product. Anything better than that and it does not always work. And better on anything that can go 'splodge' and ooze out of the side. Forget elegance, this is comfort food. Though I prefer red.

As Emma said, sometimes with food, especially traditional food, you do not want to know what is in it.

Should the UK stay in the EU? Should Scotland become independent? Should we retain the monarchy?

These are nothing compared to Cooked Breakfast Question that has been dividing these islands for centuries. Personally I am in the other camp to Emma, if a cooked breakfast, either a Scottish or an English one, has bacon, it needs the beans to make bacon juicy! And it must have at least two types of egg.

Bring it on. ;-)

And for the Americans, how is 'contains real sugar' a sales enhancing point on a can of Pepsi, as displayed in the American section of our local Tesco?

I like the bacon so crispy it needs bean juice! I generally avoid sausages of an unknown origin and it's always scrambled only for me, and here bean juice isn't welcome.

The best cooked breakfast on offer in London today is the Carluccio's Magnifica from the St. Christopher's Place location, on a slightly chilly, but sunny, Sunday morning... preferably with a Bank Holiday on Monday. Really high quality ingredients, nicely cooked with great service... absolutely no sauce.

http://www.carluccios.com/getattachment/Menus/Breakfast/Carluccios_Breakfast_Menu_AW15.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf

Jane, I bought golden syrup at Whole Foods in OKC. The store in Tulsa should have it.

Never been one for having baked beans with an English breakfast, I think that crept in during the 90's. Before then it always seemed to be tinned chopped tomatoes (and the juice mopped up with loads of bread and butter).

"Contains Real Sugar" is an ad campaign championing the benefits of sweeteners made from sugar cane vs high fructose corn syrup. If it is sweetened with Real Sugar, then it is better for you. So, go ahead and buy that sugary soda, it's a health drink. ;)

Thanks, Janet; I'll check it out. MC, not only is "real sugar" supposed to be "healthier," as Debra mentioned, but many people claim it tastes better. In our part of the country, Coca Cola imported from Mexico has been a "must find" item for some time, because it's made with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. Which is itself a highly processed reconstituted sweetener that became widely used here in commercial products because it is much cheaper than sugar.

And I had always believed treacle tart was made from treacle, which is, I believe, molasses. (As opposed to sorghum, which is much more available in the South/Southwest US.)

I'm fascinated by the Breakfast Wars. More, please!

What's the difference between a Scottish breakfast and an English breakfast? Me, I love when breakfast comes with fried bread!

Whoa here.

First - no beans.
Why hasn't anybody mentioned Fried Bread?!?!? [EDIT: simultaneous post with the above one]
Then again, I remember Fried Bread from my childhood, but nobody seems to have it any longer.
Frozen reconstituted molded lumps of potato deep fried - ala McDonalds which call them hash browns - are neither hash browns as I have seen them at Cracker Barrel in the US nor a constituent part of a British breakfast.
Must have black pudding, and or sausages (poncy ones ok, grew up with pink things that may or may not have had any actual pig in them from a certain national brand that sounds like those dry field dividers in rural areas made of stone). And bacon. Wife prefers crunchy American style, I prefer well done back bacon without any of that white bubbly stuff coming out.

Brown sauce, never red. Then again I don't use red sauce on anything.

Brown sauce isn't the same now that HP has been taken over by Kraft and production moved to Holland so they pay no tax here.

Tomatoes should be grilled half tomatoes not chopped ones from a tin, although that will do in a pinch.

Grilled mushrooms, not the poncy kind.

Scrambled eggs, not too dry.

Toast in a rack is not my style. Toast straight out of the toaster with spread, not butter, and French jam.

There.

Or porridge. Jumbo Oats. Unbranded from the local natural food distributors, The Daily Bread.

That explains why the few cans seem to be on permanent sale, the full sugar variety sounds like the formulation found in the normal soft drink aisle.

The difference between a Full Scottish and a Full English, apart from location seems to be:

Potato scones replace the fried bread
Lorne/square sausage replaces/augments the link sausage.

And for me a cooked breakfast must have beans, otherwise too dry.

Yes, Emma, you may.

Consider that a deal!

Thanks, MC. I don't think I've ever had a potato scone. As for sausage, patty form or link form, it's all good!

Wow, what an interesting discussion, but I shouldn't have started reading it as I'm now craving a full English breakfast.

"Golden syrup is deliciously evil. I don't think there is a direct U.S. equivalent."

Rogers Golden Syrup is readily available here in Canada. I haven't bought any for awhile, but most stores usually carry it.

We also have two types of brown sauce here, the classic HP and also A1 Sauce (HP seems to have a more spicy taste).

"but deffinately worth a try on a bacon butty from a greasy spoon."

I've been told by people in the U.K. that a bacon butty / bacon sarnie isn't "complete" without either red or brown sauce (brown usually preferred).

"Why hasn't anybody mentioned Fried Bread?!?!?"

The only place I've been served fried bread was at a small B&B in North Yorkshire. Now you've got me craving that too.

For me, sauce is for butty's, I never have it with a Full English, that's what the beans are for. And people who put ketchup on fish'n'chips! no people, no! Much as I love fried bread, I believe just typing the words can shorten your life expectancy. Tattie scones emma... get it right :o)

Mike J,

No ketchup on Fish & Chips?? What are the usual condiments for Fish & Chips with mushy peas?

"Brown sauce isn't the same now that HP has been taken over by Kraft and production moved to Holland so they pay no tax here."

I always buy Hammonds brown sauce now for that reason.

"No ketchup on Fish & Chips?? What are the usual condiments for Fish & Chips with mushy peas?"

Usually just salt and vinegar but I sometimes "indulge" myself and have brown sauce on the fish. Ketchup.........Food of the devil.

I'm a purist... for me it's salt and white pepper (white pepper is just a personal fav, most people don't have it) on the fish and the chips, and malt vinegar, not too much, on the chips only. Tartar sauce (a kind of sweet mayo with finely chopped capers and gherkins, if it's the proper 'home made' stuff and not out of a bottle. The Heinz bottle stuff is acceptable in an emergency) is very traditional with fish'n'chips, but personally, I don't like it with proper F'n'C from a proper 'chippie'. All F'n'C are not created equal, and it can be a struggle to find the good stuff. I might use Tartar sauce if the F'n'C aren't that good. Only a 'chippie' (fish and chips shop) does good F'n'C imo, and as emma has said before, they generally aren't very good from pubs, although there will be some exceptions. Mushy peas are a bit of a treat, and take the place of any sauce. I never use lemon. This is just how I do F'n'C, there isn't a right or a wrong way... except ketchup, wrong!

Brown sauce with F'n'C! oh my.

Mike, it was me who used the Potato Scones, thought as this was for Americans the formal name might help ;-) So Emma was replying to me!!

As for fish and chips, I use ketchup, and they must be served with mushy peas. And if you are lucky the batter bits... They make the peas crunchy.

For travellers they should be aware of the cod/haddock line. South of this line, that runs from the North Wales coast to the Humber it tends to be cod. North it is haddock with a bufferzone in the Lancashire/Yorkshire areas.

I should have known emma was replying in context :o)

"Brown sauce with F'n'C! oh my."

Much better than the disgusting habit (introduced by "Johnny Foreigner") of having mayonnaise with the chips. :-)

No ketchup on Fish & Chips?? What are the usual condiments for Fish & Chips with mushy peas?

Only thing that goes on fish and chips is a good solid shake of salt and a good strong pour of malt vinegar.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Mushy peas, if at all (where DO they get that neon green colour?), can stay in their little styrofoam cups until eaten. They don't need to go on the plate at all; especially not if you have no plate at all. And how do you push the little mushies up the little wooden pointy thing or even worse the little plastic pointy thing?

Stick with the fish and chips, with an occasional saveloy or pickled egg.

"Stick with the fish and chips, with an occasional saveloy or pickled egg."
Or a "wally".
http://www.dictionarycentral.com/definition/wally.html

I was also going to mention your neighbors across the Channel that smother their chips with Mayonnaise. I've tried it but that's not a habit I'll be adopting anytime soon.

"Mushy peas, if at all (where DO they get that neon green colour?), can stay in their little styrofoam cups until eaten."

I was served Mushy Peas in the little paper cup at a Pub in London in September, and I was annoyed to find see that the cup only contained a few tablespoons of peas. I hope they could spare them. The Pub also provided Tartar Sauce with the order. I'll have to keep the salt to a minimum though (Doctor's orders).

"Ketchup.........Food of the devil."

LOL!!! On that topic, there seems to be a bit of a "cultural divide" as ketchup in this part of the world is the norm rather than the exception. Some shops also provide white vinegar rather than the malt variety. I will agree that brown sauce on F&C sounds rather disgusting (but of course, each to their own).

"In my local chippie in North London they sell "Rock Salmon" which i think is the polite name for dog fish?. No where near as nice as cod but cheaper."

To expand on that point, lately I've been getting more concerned about the source of the foods consumers are being provided with both in the grocery stores and restaurants, and have been doing some research on the subject. Greedy corporate entities will source products where every they can get the best price (and not necessarily pass the savings on to consumers). In the case of fish, that could mean buying products from the far east that are grown in "questionable conditions", or substituting cheaper types of fish for more expensive varieties (and again no savings for the consumer). Restaurants also tend to source products from the cheapest sources so they can maximize profits, and chains may have to buy at least some of their foods from their corporate suppliers. Nutrition Action Newsletter (published by CSPI) produced an excellent report a few months ago on different types of fish, and which ones may not be as "safe" for consumption. That was a very interesting story!

" I will agree that brown sauce on F&C sounds rather disgusting (but of course, each to their own)."
Only on the fish, not the chips, that would be sacrilege. :-)

For me it is ketchup, and ketchup alone. I don't put salt on anything, am not, as the late Sir Terry Pratchett would have said an 'auto-condimentor'. And will move the peas to the plate. And like mayonnaise on chips, especially mixed as in Belgium and the Netherlands with the ketchup!

As for the pickled eggs, I think our local chippy keeps them as decoration only. The chickens that laid them became pies before we went decimal.

It is funny with the rock salmon/dogfish, that chippies are selling seafood for a dish in part introduced to the UK by Jewish migrants in the 19th C that is not necessarily kosher!

The only contribution I have to this thread is a big thank you to all the posters. It's sure fun to read and quite an education. An English breakfast complete with fried bread is my all time favorite meal.......

I agree with Andi. This has been a highly entertaining -- not to mention hunger-inducing -- thread. Thanks for starting it, Jane!

Now, can someone please explain Nando's?

I have heard Nando's described as KFC for posh people, but it is more than that. And like Keith has pointed out there were none and then they were everywhere, we went from none locally to five in six months. With advertising being very much word of mouth.

Though in South Africa they produce gems like this one that the Zimbabwe government did not like.

Not heard of the phrase 'going for a cheeky Nando's' but have heard of 'popping out for a cheeky pint' from years ago. Probably a dialectal origin but no one is sure which dialect in question.

You're welcome, Teresa. And I just looked up "saveloy." I'm surprised none of the Americans or Canadians (I know, I know, but we don't have a term that distinguishes US citizens from Canadians and Mexicans - Ussians?) ...but I digress. I can't be the only person on this side of the Atlantic that had no idea what a saveloy is. Looks like a spicy hot dog.

This has turned into a fun thread; thanks, everybody.

Nothing spicy about a saveloy. Sausages with meat of an unknown origin were accepable 20yrs ago, people are much more switched on to the rubbish that gets put in cheap sausages these days. Traditional... But best avoided.

Its funny... A thread about rail closures and not being able to get here... 2 replies... A thread about what to eat if you do finally arrive... 63 replies, lol.

So, basically, "going for a cheeky Nando's" means "I'm going for some chicken," and the "cheeky" bit is just to throw off foreigners? ;)

I've never had peri peri (never even heard of it, for that matter), but maybe I'll give it a try when in London next spring. I'm getting a bit tired of Pasta Bella or Bella Pasta or whatever the name of that chain is.

To add to Emma's comment, sometimes with British English the pleasure between speakers of the same is deciding in the conversation of what you are talking about.

Last time I visited family in the south, I realised I did not know/had forgotten how to order fish and chips à l'anglaise. Scotland orders it differently, and Glasgow differently to Edinburgh.

As for cheeky. Well, take 'a cheeky pint'. A cheeky pint can mean anything from just that, a secret pint between friends after work on Friday on wards, to potentially waking up on Sunday wondering where Saturday went. And why have you got a 'When Red Light Shows WAIT HERE' sign in the bathroom. Context, the magic word.

In Scotland in general a portion of fish/pie/sausage and chips is an 'xx supper'.

So ordering three haddock, for it is haddock here, I prefer cod, is 'three fish suppers'. No species required. Where my family is the phrase is 'cod and chips thrice', where the species name is required.

Also if you want salt and vinegar in the west, Glasgow, it is simply 'salt and vinegar'. In the capital it is 'salt and sauce'. Yes, the vinegar becomes a sauce in this instance.

One difference between Scotland and England is that a large number of Scottish fish and chip shops also sell home made ice cream.

I just want one that has a decent choice of fish, plaice, haddock and cod (as most do around my way), freshly battered, large fish, please, with good fresh chips (no, I said a cone (a small portion served in a paper cone or not in a cone but about a cone size - still huge but smaller than normal) of chips, and I only need about half of that; can I have the fish separate please, and they don't need to do much of anything else except keep a spit of kebab "meat" on the back counter for anybody in the group who doesn't want fish or a saveloy.

I can always go elsewhere for cold dessert items. I couldn't get the ice cream in the car with the steaming fish, and it would have long melted before I had finished the fish and about a quarter of the chips - besides I'd want that to settle a bit before any ice cream. It would just be soup if anybody had ordered a tray of kebab meat - just salad and a little chilli sauce and some tzatziki sauce in a cup please. That takes ages to get through.

Or is this some oh so posh sit down variety of a chippie? Last time I sat down was between trains in Kidderminster about 12 years ago. Always wrapped to take home, or sit on the bench down the road and try to eat it with one of those pointy wooden things or even worse one of those pointy plastic things.

Such a variety in such a simple act of getting a nice piece of fish....

You normally do not order them at the same time though, you can if you want, and with commercial freezing it might be a while before you can eat the ice cream.

Traditionally the ice cream kept the business through summer, the fish and chips through winter. For some of the shops the ice cream was the primary business, the fryer secondary. And vice versa. My local the ice cream is better, even if it the second string. With one exception, all the local chippies that sell ice cream as well, which is all of them, are take away only.

The Aussie version of this dish is called Chocolate Crackles. For as long as I can remember, (and that is a long time!!!), Choc Crackles have appeared on the table at every kid's birthday party and on cake stalls at school fetes.
Recipe as follows:- 4 cups Rice Bubbles, 1 cup icing sugar, 1 cup desiccatted coconut, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, 250 g. Copha - chopped. In large bowl mix the Rice bubbles, icing sugar, cocoa and coconut. Slowly melt chopped Copha in saucepan over low heat. Cool slightly. Add to mixture in bowl, stirring until well combined. Spoon mixture into paper patty pans (fairy cake things) and refrigerate until firm.

Just did some research on the net and have found that Copha is not readily available in the USA. Apparently a product called 'Palmin' is identical and is available in a lot of European/Continental delicatessens.

What is Copha? Or Palmin? Some kind of stabilizer?

Copha is a vegetable fat shortening made from hydogeneted coconut oil

Thank you. So Crisco or another vegetable shortening (I use store brands) would be the equivalent, I suppose.