Food in Ireland and England

You shouldn't have any problem finding some of the same foods you eat here. We were in Ireland last month and they serve fries with a lot of things. I also saw burgers and chicken on menus. You don't have to eat anything "weird" to try some new things. I had excellent beef and guinness stew in Ireland. Also, fish and chips (fries) are common. Pub food is great and less expensive.

Sadly Shannon you'll be able to find all our American junk food there in England.
Go to see Windsor Castle. As you walk from the train station you'll see Pizza Hut, Burger King and KFC. You'll also find Budweiser in the some of the pubs in Ireland. You'll be in heaven.

Maria - Of course you can find healthy food too! Most Brits have fish and chips and pub grub as a treat not as an everyday meal. Obviously it depends on what restaurants and cafes you choose (same as in any country). It's not hard to find salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes. Pubs and cafes will often serve delicious homemade soup too. If you are near the coast you will find seafood restaurants. If you are in a city or large town you will also find lots of foreign food restaurants.

Anyone visiting Britain has to go for an Indian - it's traditional!

One of the best meals I ever had was in a London pub one very hot July night. I just didn't want anything very "heavy". I had homemade tomato soup with a "jacket" potato (we call it a baked potato). Light and absolutely delish!

I agree.. even the pickiest of eaters can find something in Ireland and England.

Shannon, even though you're picky, see if you can think outside the box and try something local. If this is your first time outside the USA, wouldn't you like to find it adventurous instead of being "just the same as" Indiana??

You won't have any problems with potatoes... fried, baked, mashed, or pureed. Chicken is plentiful as well.. baked, fried, sliced and breaded. I will tell you that the pizza is much better in Italy, and you should save the cheese burger for home.

Enjoy your trip... and do as the locals do.

And please keep in mind that many English foods sound strange to us Americans, but in fact are not that unusual. Don't give up on trying some good bangers and mash or a toad in the hole just because they have weird names. You'll miss out on some great food.
Google 'em if you don't believe me!

I have a bit of a different question from Shannon. Is it easy/possible to eat healthier in the UK? Or is it all fried food?

What's not healthy about a deep fried Mars bar:)

The UK has some of the best pub grub! Roast chicken with mashed potatoes or roast potatoes. Roast lamb, beef and pork. Varieties of vegs (and I am not a veg eater) Try the steak and ale pie or shephards pie. I too am a picky eater! There are lots of things I won't eat or even try- but many of the UK resturants are into "simple" food. That's the way I like it- no strange sauces, etc. I like to know what I'm eating! Ireland has great food ,too though I've only been one time. I don't eat fish due to allergies, but my hubby loves the fish and chips and the broiled or baked fish, too.

Thay have alot of the fast food places, including KFC and Pizza hut. Also TGIF restaurants! Most food is the same. Just remember this, though, if you order a sandwich somewhere. Chicken or Tuna Salad sandwich will usually mean you will get something like chicken or tuna with mayo spread on the bread with tomato,lettuce and cucumber. Also the tuna salad has corn in it. Weirdness.

At most pubs or smaller restaurants you can order off menu if you ask nicely. This is what I did last summer while travelling with my daughter (and most 7 year olds are very picky eaters). I would order one entree to share and then request a side dish of steamed mixed veg which was usually a large bowl of carrots, green beans, zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower, with just a bit of melted butter. On one occasion, my daughter was desperate for really plain pasta and they offered linguini with a bit of butter and parmesan which she loved. These side dishes were usually only 2 - 3 GBP.

We also bought lots of our meals from grocery delis and that was a great way to try all kinds of new foods (I discovered I have a passion for Chicken Tikka Pasties). Groceries in the UK have great fruit and veg departments with lots of takeaway options. We were buying big boxes of cherries from Sainsbury for 2 or 3GBP and they were amazing.

The food is actually good in the UK, especially if you avoid the fast food chains.

Ireland and England both have plenty of offerings for picky eaters. You don't need to stick to American fast food restaurants to find a good meal.

For meals on the go, try some of the outdoor street markets - many have food vendors. Grocery stores like Tesco, sandwich shops like Pret a Manger and food halls like Marks & Spencer have nice salads, pastas, deli sandwiches or wraps to go.

There are lots of ethnic restaurants and takeaways in Ireland and England - Indian, Chinese, Thai, Greek, Italian. Not everything offered at these places will seem strange to you - something as simple as a grilled kebab of steak or chicken with vegetables and a pita bread can make a decent meal.

Don't expect some of your familiar foods to be exactly the same there as what you get here. If you only eat deep dish pizza with mozzarella and tomato sauce in Indiana, you may be disappointed when they place a thin crust in front of you with chopped tomato and goat cheese. Your pub cheeseburger might have blue cheese on it when you hoped to get a slice of American. They will likely place a bottle of malt vinegar in front of you when you order french fries so you'd have to ask for ketchup.

Try some of these variations - you might find you really enjoy them.

Shannon-

After being gone for about 3 months I was a little home sick for American food. Let me tell you how you fix it...

The Pizza Hut does taste better in London. (Could have been the homesickness but it did!)

They carry the BEST cereals in Europe. There's a brand of granola there that you just can't get here, we had it in a hotel in Venice and found it pretty much everywhere, even in Edinburgh.

Ireland we shopped at the grocery store. We were able to find local shops by using our MTV Europe guide, it provided a listing for certain area's and asking around. We packed breakfast/lunch/dinner almost every day and ate pretty much the same way we always did. Except because the good cheese didn't have to cross seas it was less expensive, so I say we ate better and did it cheaper than when we were here. And being a southern girl, I fried chicken in the hostel in Dublin, you wanna talk about funny looks? That was a winner. Haha. Oh well, I had a craving.

If you're staying in hostels, meet people and have meals together. We did that often and were able to try new foods because everybody ordered something different and then we split it up. Ask around!

Be open minded and don't worry, as long as you can find a market, you can eat the same way you do at home if it comes down to that!

Good luck & have fun!

EMarie, I can see about getting homesick for "American food" after 3 months.

I'm just in awe that if someone is going to spend hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on a European trip, why would KFC and Pizza hut be the first choice??

If Shannon said she's up to trying new things.. I hope that means something besides the processed, fast food junk that Americans have come to live on.

first off Im a male.... ha ha

yes i know the name is deceiving..

Yes I am all for trying new things which I will do, but im think just incase.... ha ha

Thanks everyone for all the great information..

I had a Budweiser with my bangers and mash in London 1 night for dinner...we also had beef nachos! (thought it was kind of funny to have that in London) The Budweiser was the Czech Bud not the USA Bud. We also ate at some Italian chain restaurant one night in London near Piccadilly Circus. Only had 2 nights in London...we spent a week in Ireland. I had salmon almost every day. yummy. Smoked salmon with breakfast. Lamb shank in Galway and the best fish and chips there too. Steak one or twice I think...beef does taste slightly different since they eat different food. Had a corned beef and cabbagge boxty in Dublin. I tried the blood pudding with the Irish breakfast a couple of times...tasted a little like dried out sausage maybe. I had it in Wicklow, Cobh, and Galway and each place it was a little different.

It is your vacation...eat whatever you want and have fun!

Shannon, Just remember that although we have many things in common with the Irish it is a different country and culture. I have meet several tourists who are unhappy and complain because "things are not done like this at home". This is a great time to be able to expand your culinary experiences. You can seldom go wrong ordering the seafood anywhere in Ireland.

It's not Asia. Food may be slightly different, but the basic ingredients will be what you are used to.

Lots of food over there is similar to ours...do you eat beef pot pies? Substitute hamburger instead of beef, and instead of a pie top, mashed potatoes are placed on top. In England and Ireland it's called 'cottage pie." (Some places call it Shepherd's Pie but real Shepherd's Pie is made with lamb.)

Do you eat hot dogs? How about Brats? In England, they're a little milder and called "Bangers"-usually served with mashed pototoes.

Chips are Fries. Crisps are Potato Chips. Jacket Potatoes are baked potatoes. Pizza is everywhere. Rotisserie Chicken is everywhere.

But now it's also time for you to expand your horizons. Your taste buds may actually apreciate it.

You may want to look at this, IMO rather good, site created by a Junior School in Kent. There is a section on English food and eating customs.

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/food/index.htm

If you get a chance to try deep fried pizza go for it.
On the healthier side you can find organic and/or vegetarian restaurants in most of the bigger cities. (The Farm in Dublin is good.) Seafood is a good choice in coastal towns. (Blue spot chowder, around Glengariff, is worth a try.)

My favorite is Sausage and Chips from the Chippy (Chip shop). The sausage is much softer (probably ten times greasier) but has such a good flavor its worth a splurge.

Actually, the sausage is softer because it has bread or breadcrumbs in it. That tends to hold the moisture (ok, grease) and makes the texture soft.

I thought a deep fried Mars bar was a Scottish dish. It's still better for you than a deep fried Big Mac. I'm a great advocate of English food. (except for jellied eels) You'll find a lot the same foods maybe just prepared a little differently. I'd never before had corn or tuna on a baked potato but now I do. And things on toast. We love things on toast.

Ah Karen, thanks! I didnt know that. My Brit husband says I dont want to know whats in it. LOL. I know I just love it! Especially in the sausage roll... flaky yummy greasy delight.

Best on the go food we found in London and Bath the last trip was "cornish pasties" at Victoria Station in London, and near the Pump Station in Bath. They come in two main sizes - big, and freaking huge. Biscuit dough around what tastes like a blander dinty moore beef stew. Best eaten when hot. Now if they only had salt or more seasonings.....hmmmmmm. You should be able to find them anywhere. Donner Kebabs (endless variations on spelling) seem to be the local name for what I would call a Gyro sandwich. Generally served with onions, tomato, and a sour cream/cucumber sauce on a flat bread (pita?). Street food, usually quite tasty. Don't ask about what the mystery meat is, you'll be happier. :)

Belfast (my experience in NI) has a number of eateries, and soups, stews, roasts and such should be pretty close to what you would expect. Potato in every form short of injectable on every menu. Try the cider if you are of age, but be aware its quite strong, and you might not notice.

Try any new condiment in moderation before you slather it on. Note - just because it has the same name or look as a condiment in the US, does not mean it will taste the same. No examples spring to mind, with the exception of a Burger King breakfast sandwich I got at Canary Wharf in East London that came slathered with HP sauce. Different, but not what I would have ordered if I had known.

In any case, try the local "pub grub" as others have mentioned, and you usually won't go wrong. When in doubt ask what the folks there like. Part of travel is the adventure!

Cheers,

Glenn in Tucson

Plan on spending about double what you would in the US. Soups are an affordable option and sandwiches are on every corner

Just remember a couple of simple rules.
1) If you want fries, ask for chips.
2) If you want chips, ask for crisps.
3) For some reason, you will not be able to get a ham and cheese sandwich in Ireland. Yo will be able to get a cheese sandwich, or a ham sandwich. If you must have a ham and cheese sandwich, buy one of each, and feed the seagulls the extra 2 slices of bread.

In England:

If you want an egg salad sandwich, ask for egg mayo. Otherwise you may get sliced boiled egg with lettuce, tomato and cucumber (hence the "salad" part)....and sometimes pickle (like sweet relish with different veggies)

Same goes for Chicken salad. It wont be mixed with mayo, it'll have the cucumber, tomato, etc with in instead.

If you want a salad for lunch, ask if they have green salad. No Ranch dressing though. Boo.

They also tend to butter the bread before making the sandwich, apparently it is supposed to keep it from going soggy...

Potato salad is also alot different. Not bad, just different. Prepare for it to be on the sweet side.

Cornish Pastys are delicious. You can get them vegetarian as well as classic steak and swede (rutabaga, turnip like veggie)... and also try the sausage rolls or cheese and onion rolls, they are usually sold as pasty shops as well. Delicious!!!

Scotch eggs are one of my favorites, boiled egg wrapped in sausage and breaded and fried.

And if you like Black Coffee, its a good idea to order it black. They mostly serve it with milk already added unless you specify that you want it black.

My daughter and I just got back from Ireland and joked that they served french fries with everything. I ate a lot of the soup of the day and it was all good. Be prepared for trying some new things or familiar things made in a different way. My daughter got a ham sandwich made with ham, onion and corn kernels!