What is the food in England like?

Question

I am a college student in California, United States and I am going to study at Oxford University for a six week study abroad program. Anyway, I am extremely picky with my food and the things that I like. I wanted to hear from people who live there or have lived there all about the foods you can find there. I know that they have all sorts of fastfood. I wanted to know if the stores there have 2% milk. Does England have Mexican food? Like bean and cheese burritos? Is the cheese the same and the butter the same as it is here? Let me know and with as much detail as possible. Thanks!!

Answer 1

I am English and have eaten bad food abroad as often as I have at home. The most common fastfoods available are Burger King, McDonalds, KFC, pizza, fish & chips (if available fish fried in matzo meal is generally crispier and less greasy), Chinese and Indian takeways and Kebab shops. Mexican is not widely available, we don't have Taco Bell here. Quality of food is variable, much as it is anywhere. Some pub food is really good and some really bad. Service is generally poor compared to the US and Canada. Marks & Spencer is the best supermarket, Asda is the worst. I assume 2% milk is what we know as skimmed milk (to remove the fat/cream) which is widely available. Butter is pretty much the same and you'll probably find cheese you like too. Sunday lunches are traditionally roast beef, or lamb, or pork with vegetables. Good steaks are usually hard to find but Outback restaurants have finally crossed the ocean and although expensive the steaks are consistently good. It's quite expensive to eat out here compared to the US but I'm sure fellow students will be only too happy to recommend good places to eat. I hope you enjoy your visit, Oxford has some wonderful architecture particularly the University and churches.

Answer 2

The milk and cheese are not an issue but do be aware that the food is more expensive than what you pay here. The pubs that are not the most visited touristy places are often the best. I was just at Oxford this past August. I was at St. Anne's College. Oxford is made up of many different colleges (38 if I remember correctly), and some are closer to the city centre than others.

There are a few places to try along St. Giles.

The Eagle and Child has good food (I am from California as well). It also has great history in that it is where Tolkien and C.S Lewis used to drink for 30 years or so.


The Lamb and Flag is another. It is a fairly new building in that it is only 500 years old. Thomas Hardy is supposed to have written parts of his novel Jude the Obscure at the pub and indeed the obscure tavern in a rough place referred to near the end of the book is none other than the Lamb and Flag Inn itself. The Lamb and Flag is across the street from The Eagle and Child.

The Bear is the oldest. It was built in 1242. I didn't manage to eat there so you are on your own there.

If you are not used to breakfast then brace yourself. The typical "full" breakfast consists of two eggs, sausage, baked beans, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, toast, and hash browns (more like our tater tots).

I have been to the UK many times. I even met my husband in Scotland. The one thing that I found I craved was a salad. Just a salad. Be careful when ordering a sandwich because there salad means the lettuce on a sandwich. You have a sandwich with salad. LOL

Good luck and enjoy yourself. It is a great place.

Answer 3

British food has never had a great reputation abroad, and I think that up until fifteen years ago that was probably well deserved.

But I think what you have to realise is that Oxford is not far from London and the whole of that area now has some of the finest dining in the world, you can choose to eat all manner of different cuisines and all cooked fantastically if you find the right place - which thanks to great food journalists is now easier to do than it ever was.

In fact if you spend 6 weeks in the UK and don't eat good food at least 90% of the time I would have to say that it would not be down to the food on offer, but your inability to read up, explore and try new things.....

Take the Fat Duck in Bray for example, not that far from Oxford, or any one of many great London restaurants, plus the great places in Oxford itself....you have no excuse not to go on a culinary journey...and as far as supermarkets go...prepare to be amazed at the quality of the fresh produce.... and remember it's quality not quantity that counts....

Answer 4

Katie, my girlfirend is from England and I have been there dozens of times over the past six years. You can generally find the same things there that you can here. Things are slightly different...some better and some worse. Personally, I have found it very difficult to get a really good steak in the UK.

And I can honestly say...there are no good mexican restaurants in England. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to even find someone who knows how to make a decent margarita.

2% milk is available in grocery stores. I would even go out on a limb and say that you will be blown away by the grocery stores in England. They are so much better there than they are here. Check out Marks and Spencer...amazing prepared foods. I love their Egg salad sandwich. and cheese and butter is all the same. no worries.

Enjoy your experience and don't be afraid to try new things. and hey, the chocolates and candy bars are much better than anything they have in the U.S. yum.

Answer 5

Fish and chips is ALWAYS a winner. Its sold in every British pub. Get a nice big of fresh fish -we usually opt for cod- make some homemade batter, some home-made chips -try not to deep fry anything- and some peas. Then squirt a lemon over it. YUMMY We also like things SLOSHED in gravy. A British Roast Dinner -what we usually eat on Sundays- can have either Lamb, Chicken or Beef. Personally, I'd go for a nice bit of fresh lamb and slow cook it. Also invest in some mint sauce, or homemake some. Then you want to roast some Parsnip, Sweet Potato and Cooking Potatos -I cant think of their proper name- boil -or preferably steam- some carrots and a mixture of runnerbeans and peas -people here like peti-poir-. Broccoli and cauliflower too if you fancy. You also, cant have a roast dinner without some Yorkshire pudding and mashed potato. And lots, and lots, of scrumptious gravy. Theres also something called Toad in the Hole. Which is very different to its name, using a batter mix -like what you would use for Yorkshire's- and pouring them in a dish that can be put in the oven with a few pork sausages in there. Then you can re-enact the steamed veg part of the above ingrediants. Also, look up things such as Cottage and Shepards pie, -mashed potato over a bed of either lamb or beef mince and, you guessed it, gravy!- My mum also likes to make a pie at the end of the week out of the scraps from what shes collected and hasnt used -waste not want not- usually she has some chicken left that she pulls off the bone, some carrots -she never peals them, just washes them- peas, leaks, anything from over the course of the week that hasnt been used gets chucked into a bowl. She then pours some concentrated "chicken soup" into the bowl. Makes up a pastry, lines a oven dish with it, pours the ingrediants in the middle, puts a pastry layer over the top, wacks it in the oven for a few hours. Sloshes it with yet MORE gravy! Splits it up, puts it on a plate. Monday night is SORTED. That, is my favrioute dinner, and it consists of nothing but leftovers. Scrumptious. We Brits are SO unhealthy Dont opt for the full "english breakfast"

Answer 6

Unfortunately we do have some of the revolting fast food restaurants that have come over from the great US of A so you will be at home in them.

As for cheese you should find some of the processed cheeses that you are used to.

Other than that you will find in a British restaurant you will be eating a good sort of protein accompanied by vegetables. To ensure you have a decent steak it should be scottish and well hung. You get what you pay for a bargain is not going to be the best steak.

As we are a multicultural nation you will find restaurants from all over including, Italian, Chinese, Cantonese, Thai, Mexican, Indian, Portugese, South African, Jamaican, Spanish, Greek, Japanese Sushi, Vegetarian, Bistros, Greasy Spoons, Pie and mash, Tea rooms, Steak houses, Pub grub and of course American Fast foot outlets.

Not sure you will find tacos with bean and cheese burritos but any fool could make them themselves.

Answer 7

I live in California, and I have visited England many times. Lucky for you that your stay is only six weeks! Yes, you will be able to find good food, but it probably will not be Mexican food. There are many good Indian restaurants, and many excellent Middle Eastern restaurants. There are the usual fast food restaurants. You will be able to find 2% milk. In grocery stores you will be able to find cheese and butter that is familiar to Americans. Pub food is available and in many places pub food is extremely good. Venture out and explore. I found Italian restaurants that were wonderful, and Persian fare that was stellar. You are probably more likely to find a Spainish restaurant with tapas. However, I must admit I don't recall anything Mexican! Maybe you shouldn't try to replicate what you know and experience what is there. On one of my trips to England I did an American-style barbecue for a group of people. Many years later some of the people tell me that they barbecue in the way that I showed them that summer. So, enjoy, experiment, and don't expect Mexican food in England!

Answer 8

i think when i went to england, the pub food was the best, very good, worth going into a few pubs there, then again, i think england has a pub on each corner

Answer 9

I visited there many years ago, and in reference to food, the 2 nastiest things that stick in my mind were Kidney Pie (silly me, I thought it had kidney beans inside). well, it was real kidneys in this pie. (YUCK)!! The other thing is called clotted cream. They say its just like butter, but the name itself kinda turned me off to butter while I was there. Good Luck!!

Answer 10

Not very good.......My step sister studied abroad over there and she said the food was really gross, but you may like it.