gratuity in England?

Ask your friend what she, her friends and family do. There is no reason you need to act differently from them just because you're American, gracious or not. The deeply engrained notion that we need to hand people extra money for doing their job is a cultural thing, not a universal Natural Law.

The only things you likely would tip for is meals and taxis.

For meals, it depends on the place. In a Pub for example, in the bar area, you go up to the bar and order a drink and if you are eating, you order your food, take your drink, they bring your food to the table. In this case there is no need to tip, as with any place that you order at a counter.

If you are at a full service restaurant (sit at a table, they take your order and serve you, this includes at some pubs that have a dining area) then some type of compensation is expected. Be careful though, many places do put a 12.5% service charge on the check, if so, then no need to tip additional, if not, then tip ~10%, up or down depending on service, but nowhere near the 20-25% many think is necessary in the US.

For cabs, round up to the Pound or add a Pound.

Per all my British friends, tipping in the UK is the same as here.

Thank you all so very much. I will check with my friend and see what she does in each situation.

A guide to tipping:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g186216-s606/United-Kingdom:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html

Please remember though, you don't have to tip in the UK and certainly not 15%. You won't be chased down the road if you don't tip.

Tipping custom in the UK is not the same as in the USA - but neither is it like most of continental Europe either. it falls somewhere in between.

This fairly recent thread covers it - although titled for London the principles in general hold throughout England.

Here in the US, if you asked 10 people this question, you could get 10 different answers. Some people tip well, some people don't. Some people tip for certain services, some don't. I suspect it's the same in the UK.

I always wonder if there are really any hard and fast rules.

As an example, in the TripAdvisor article about tipping in the UK, it says it is typical to tip Hairdressers and Barbers. I was told it is not necessary to tip them. I never have and never received a nasty look.

As stated earlier, ask your friend and follow her lead.

Susan said it very well: "Here in the US, if you asked 10 people this question, you could get 10 different answers. Some people tip well, some people don't. Some people tip for certain services, some don't. I suspect it's the same in the UK."

In fact, you might get more than 10 different answers!

One notable difference is that if you order and pay for a drink at a bar in the US, even if you're sitting at a table, but especially if you're sitting at the bar, it is common to tip at the time of purchase. (How much to tip is a whole other debate!) That tradition does not exist in England.

But if you're spending time at the bar in a pub, especially in a locals pub with a friendly/knowledgeable bartender or publican, I think the offer of a drink: "Will have one with me?" is appropriate (and traditional). Often the response may be "thanks, I'll take one for later," and your new friend will add two or three pounds to that order.

BTW, pubs are great resources for expanding your local knowledge and getting good recommendations - ask questions and you'll get great answers and make friends.