I'm from Yorkshire, the best county in England some may say...and those who don't, well they're just wrong. So, I am going to admit that I haven't tried some of the famous delicacies of other counties but if I had, they may well have made it to my list.
The Yorkshire Pudding. This is an obvious one, or maybe that's because I'm a Yorkshire girl. Yorkshire puddings are like a dough/pastry kind of thing made out of batter. Wow, I don't even know what they are but they are amazing. You have them on roast dinners with meat and vegetables and gravy. SO MUCH GRAVY. The best thing is: you don't have to be from Yorkshire to have one. People all over Britain eat them because, as lovely Yorkshire folk, we love to share our traditions in order to bring joy to the world.
Also, in addition to this, Toad in the Hole is a glorious meal which I'm assuming is British, which is basically sausages in a giant Yorkshire pud, obviously accompanied by lashings of gravy, and usually veg too.
In the same kind of region I must mention the sausage roll. A sausage roll is basically a sausage, in a flaky pastry. There is probably a name for flaky pastry but I'm no expert. If you're in the UK and want sausage rolls, Cooplands is the place to be...I think that's only up north, but seriously, isn't that the best place to be? (Hint: yes)
CRISPS - yes I know Britain isn't the only place you can find crisps or potato chips, HOWEVER, we have the best kinds. Monster Munch, Skips, Frazzles, Space Raiders. I live for this shit.
Some may say that these are crisps...some may say that these are little sticks of Hell...TWIGLETS.
I don't really know what I would categorise these as, but they are worth a try...you will love them or hate them. I've yet to meet someone who is indifferent towards Twiglets. I heard they taste like Marmite (if you've never had that you should you might be missing out), which explains the whole love it or hate it thing, but I've never actually tasted Marmite so I wouldn't know. Another person said Twiglets reminded them of soy sauce...I don't know, maybe.
Fizzy drinks/pop/soda, whatever you want to call it...again we have some hidden gems. Vimto, despite it being an anagram of 'vomit', it is absolutely beautiful, imagine the nicest, sweetest fruit punch, and probably some really tasty additives, let's be realistic, and that is Vimto. Irn Bru (English people pronounce this like Iron Brew) is a MUST! Famously Scottish, this divine beverage is like no other. I honestly could not tell you what this tastes of but all I can say is you should try it.
There is also an amazing range of Vimto flavoured sweets, you've got fizzy laces, bon bons, lollipops, chewy sweets, all in the beautiful flavour of Vimto. *heart eyes emoji*
It is the most stereotypical thing about England: tea. Of course, we needn't mention it. But us Brits, when we have a cup of tea, all though for the majority, there are many cups of tea in a day, each and every cup of tea is special, and it is always a special and joyous occasion to sit down with a nice cuppa. So this is why biscuits are SO IMPORTANT. If you have shitty biscuits to go with your brew, it's a waste of tea really. You need to enjoy it. So here are a few biscuits you should try if you get the chance: custard creams and bourbons: classics loved by everyone, Jammie Dodgers and Party Rings, less sophisticated but delicious nonetheless, McVitie's (the rulers of biscuits) Hobnobs and Digestives...need I go on? My tip: EAT ALL THE BISCUITS.
This is an ongoing debate which I think was clearly seen as one of Britain's more paramount of issues, so much so that it was taken to court: The McVitie's Jaffa Cake. Is it a biscuit or a cake? After all it is a Jaffa Cake. These, to me, are not biscuits. They have a cake base, with a tangy orange jelly centre and have a top layer of chocolate. (For the record they are actually classified as a cake)
In the same vain...someone you must be aware of is Mr Kipling. I believe Mr Kipling is in fact fictional and it is the brand name but my God I have never eaten anything more incredible than a Mr Kipling Angel Slice. It's not a lie, Angel Slices were sent from heaven. It's basically sponge cake with vanilla icing...but it is so much more than that. I think this is the one British item I feel that everyone in the world should have a try of.
Personally, I think that you find better sweets/candy in the States, but I definitely think Britain does well for chocolate. The Crunchie and the Double Decker; two of my favourite chocolate bars, both made by Cadbury's. Crunchie bars are honeycomb coated with chocolate, and a Double Decker is kind of like soft nougat with a biscuity base, again coated in chocolate. And yet again, the description of these does not do it justice. I just wish the internet would be like those walls on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you know, the wallpaper where they lick it and "the snozberries taste like snozberries!"
Of course, you can't knock the British sweet collection though. Wham bars, despite giving me tooth ache just thinking about those sticky cavity inducing bars of lusciousness, they are a sweet that takes me back to my childhood. Sherbet Fountains are another classic: a liquorice stick you dip in a lemony sherbet. (I received a box about 100 Sherbet Fountains as a gift once, it was amazing. In fact I also received a cardboard box full of Space Raiders, the crisps I mentioned earlier)
Honestly, I could go on and on, and I know there are many that I will have missed out, so please if you think of any do let me know!
