Summer berry trifle

I’m not big on memes, but I couldn’t resist The British One Hundred when I saw that Helen had created it in response to the Omnivore’s One Hundred that’s been doing the rounds lately.

British food is in the midst of a renaissance–long may it continue–and seeing this meme has reminded me that British Food Fortnight is coming up. Well, it’s at the end of October, so still a little while away, but this is a good way to get yourself in the mood for some seriously good food.

So, on to the list. Here are the rules if you would like to play along:

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) Optional extra: Post a comment at http://helengraves.co.uk/ linking to your results.

1. Grey squirrel (would happily try if I ever saw the meat on sale)
2. Steak and kidney pie
3. Bubble and squeak
4. Spotted dick (must be doused in proper custard)
5. Hot cross buns
6. Laver bread
7. Toad in the hole
8. Shepherds pie AND cottage pie
9. Scotch egg (I loathe Scotch eggs, but I have at least tried them)
10. Parkin
11. Welsh rarebit
12. Jellied eels (I’m not keen, I must admit. But I’d eat them, just to say that I’d tried it.)
13. Stilton (Fabulous on oatcakes)
14. Marmite (Great ingredient, but not a fan of it on its own)
15. Ploughman’s lunch (There must be plenty of pickles!)
16. Cucumber sandwiches
17. Coronation chicken (When made well this is fabulous. Otherwise, forget about it.)
18. Gloucester old spot (Such friendly pigs, and such tasty meat. We get ours from our local farm shop which rears its own.)
19. Cornish pasty
20. Samphire
21. Mince pies
22. Winkles
23. Salad cream
24. Malt loaf (Love it. With good, salty butter.)
25. Haggis (My absolute favourite savoury!)
26. Beans on toast
27. Cornish clotted cream tea (and Devon cream tea. The difference is in whether you jam your cream or cream your jam on the scones)
28. Pickled egg (I loathe hard-boiled eggs. No way would I eat pickled hard-boiled eggs. Yuck.)
29. Pork scratchings
30. Pork pie
31. Black pudding
32. Patum Peperium or Gentleman’s relish
33. Earl grey tea
34. Elvers
35. HP Sauce
36. Potted shrimps
37. Stinking bishop
38. Elderflower cordial (Bottlegreen is a great brand if you weren’t able to make your own, or just plain forgot like me.)
39. Pea and ham soup
40. Aberdeen Angus Beef (The best beef.)
41. Lemon posset
42. Guinness (A meal in a glass!)
43. Cumberland sausage
44. Native oysters (Tried them, enjoyed them, but unlikely to repeat.)
45. A ‘full English’ (The Gorge Cafe in Reading, Berkshire, serves the best.)
46. Cockles
47. Faggots (Get the best in the West at The Manor Kitchen.)
48. Eccles cake
49. Potted Cromer crab
50. Trifle (It’s not Christmas without a trifle as well as Christmas pudding.)
51. Stargazy pie
52. English mustard
53. Christmas pudding
54. Cullen skink
55. Liver and bacon with onions
56. Wood pigeon
57. Branston pickle
58. Oxtail soup
59. Piccalilli
60. Sorrel
62. Chicken tikka masala
63. Deep fried Mars Bar (No objection to the concept, just don’t fancy it being fried in the same oil as the fish or sausages.)
64. Fish, chips and mushy peas
65. Pie and mash with liquor
66. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding
67. Pickled onions
68. Cock-a-leekie soup
69. Rabbit and Hare
70. Bread sauce (Loathsome stuff.)
71. Cauliflower cheese
72. Crumpets
73. Rice pudding (Must be baked in the oven so that you get the glorious burnished skin on top.)
74. Bread and butter pudding
75. Bakewell tart
76. Kendall mint cake
77. Summer pudding
78. Lancashire hot pot
79. Beef Wellington (I must have had this, but I can’t remember it if I have.)
80. Eton mess
81. Neeps and tatties (Clapshot is the proper accompaniment to haggis.)
82. Pimm’s (Love it!)
83. Scampi
84. Mint sauce (I prefer mint jelly, but sauce is okay in a pinch.)
85. English strawberries and cream
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
95. Oyster loaves (never heard of this)
96. Sloe gin
97. Damson jam
98. Soda bread
99. Quince jelly (does membrillo count?)
100. Afternoon tea at the Ritz (I really, really want to do this)

Phew! What a fantastic list!

I’d add tablet, because you just haven’t lived until you’ve tasted its sheer magnificence; clootie dumpling, the best steamed pudding; and lardy cake. Oh, and lemon curd!

So, dear reader… how did you fare with this very British list?