The British One Hundred

Michele at Life, Lightly Salted brought a very interesting "One Hundred" list to my attention this morning: The British One Hundred, originally posted by Helen on her blog Food Stories. With it's narrow focus on British specialties, I found it to be an interesting study - and I was surprised at how many of the foods here I'd not only already tried, but that I actually have old family recipes for (mom's side of the family being from the UK.)

So, first the rules:

1. Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2. Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4. Link back to Food Stories, if you would be so kind.

And on to the list (with commentary in some cases):

1. Grey squirrel - Not only have I eaten grey squirrel, I have personally killed the ones I ate.
   
2. Steak and kidney pie - I'm not all that fond of kidney, but I admit the pie was pretty good.
   
3. Bubble and squeak
   
4. Spotted dick - I've only had this canned (by Heinz, of course!) and I bought it because of the giggly name (which is, of course, sophmorically naughty in the US)
   
5. Hot cross buns
6. Laver bread
7. Toad in the hole
8. Shepherds pie - Only when made at home. For some reason, Americans can't fathom the difference between "shepherds pie" (made with lamb) and "cottage pie" (made with beef) and call them all "shepherds pie."
   
9. Cottage pie - see above.
   
10. Scotch egg
    
11. Parkin
12. Welsh rarebit
    
13. Jellied eels I can scarcely imagine anything more wretchingly nasty than jellied eels. :: huarrf f::
    
14. Stilton
15. Marmite - I like Marmite, but I like Vegemite much better.
    
16. Ploughman’s lunch
    
17. Cucumber sandwiches - (yawn)
    
18. Coronation chicken - Helen says, "now THIS is another reason why we have a bad rep," but this is just a rather dull variation on chicken salad.
    
19. Gloucester old spot - If I had a larger yard, I'd try raising one or two, though.
    
20. Cornish pasty
21. Samphire
22. Mince pies
23. Winkles
24. Salad cream - but I prefer mayonnaise.
    
25. Malt loaf
26. Haggis
    
27. Beans on toast
28. Cornish clotted cream tea
29. Pickled egg
    
30. Pork scratchings
31. Pork pie
32. Black pudding
33. Patum Peperium or Gentleman’s relish - This list is the first I've ever heard of Gentleman's Relish, and now that I've looked it up and read about it, I MUST FIND SOME because it sounds to me awesomely delicious.
    
34. Earl grey tea
    
35. Elvers- Gaaaaah! Seriously, do eels really need two places on this list?? :: hurrrrk ::
    
36. HP Sauce
37. Potted shrimps
38. Stinking bishop - I'll eat it if ever I find some.
    
39. Elderflower cordial
40. Pea and ham soup
    
41. Aberdeen Angus Beef
    
42. Lemon posset - Not yet, but I found a recipe for this and I plan to try it soon.
    
43. Guinness - To all of you out there who are ravenous fans of Guinness: If ever we meet, I will happily buy you a pint to keep from having to drink it myself, but on the next round you agree to buy me a lager.
    
44. Cumberland sausage
45. Native oysters - Native to me, LOL. If I'm ever in the UK, I'll eat the native oysters there too.
    
46. A ‘full English’ - just once. A New England "farmhouse breakfast" is very similar, though, and that's my family's favorite way to start a Saturday (and our only meal until supper that night!)
    
47. Cockles
48. Faggots - Anyone have a recipe for these? It's another thing I've never had that sounds delicious.
    
49. Eccles cake
50. Potted Cromer crab
51. Trifle - My mother and my aunt discovered trifle in the mid-1980's and it instantly became their favorite dessert for the next fifteen years. I am so sick of trifle.
    
52. Stargazy pie
53. English mustard - No spice cupboard is complete without English mustard.
    
54. Christmas pudding - Every Christmas, without fail, as long as I can remember. Thanks, mom!
    
55. Cullen skink
56. Liver and bacon with onions - One of my favorite meals when my wife and daughter are away; no one else in my family will eat liver and so when they are gone, I make this for supper and share it with my very appreciative dog.
    
57. Wood pigeon
58. Branston pickle
59. Oxtail soup - another family favorite.
    
60. Piccalilli
61. Sorrel
62. Chicken tikka masala
63. Deep fried Mars Bar (eewww.)
    
64. Fish, chips and mushy peas
65. Pie and mash with liquor
    
66. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (with gravy) - This was my grandmother's favorite Sunday dinner, and I don't fault her a bit for it.
    
67. Pickled onions
68. Cock-a-leekie soup
69. Rabbit and Hare
70. Bread sauce
71. Cauliflower cheese - One of my daughter's favorite vegetable sides.
    
72. Crumpets
73. Rice pudding
    
74. Bread and butter pudding
75. Bakewell tart
76. Kendall mint cake
77. Summer pudding
78. Lancashire hot pot
79. Beef Wellington - Highly overrated.
    
80. Eton mess - No, but Strawberry Shortcake is very similar.
    
81. Neeps and tatties
    
82. Pimms
83. Scampi - Not the way in which Helen intends. Also, whenever I hear the word "scampi" I think of this.
    
84. Mint sauce
85. English strawberries and cream - I'm counting native strawberries and cream as equivalent.
    
86. Isle of Wight garlic
87. Mutton
88. Deep fried whitebait with tartare sauce
89. Angels on horseback
90. Omelette Arnold Bennett
91. Devilled kidneys
92. Partridge and pheasant
93. Stew and dumplings
94. Arbroath smokies - I smoke my own trout, salmon, bluefish, etc. so I'm counting this; we're part of a universal brotherhood.
    
95. Oyster loaves (but I wonder if we're referring to the same thing)
96. Sloe gin
97. Damson jam
98. Soda bread
99. Quince jelly
100. Afternoon tea at the Ritz

So that's it - sixty-eight out of one hundred; I'll no doubt whittle down on a few more of them now that Helen and Michele have me interested. Alas, some of them - Afternoon tea at the Ritz, for example - may never be checked off the list.