Tipping in England, Ireland and Scotland

[chefestelle]

Yum. Yorkshire pudding! I tried to explain English breakfast to some young people not so long ago. We used to have it every Sunday cuz Mom was brought up that way: stewed tomatoes, pan fried potatoes, kippers, blood pudding, sausage, eggs, bacon, fried bread. Sometimes smelt or abalone for west coast BC flavour! Or sometimes Welsh rabbit...

 

 

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[moniquet]

Blood pudding is black pudding in the UK:)

 

For cheap and cheerful you can't beat pub grub. Steak and kidney pies etc. 3 good ones. Cheapest is the Weatherspoons chain which also does American type food too. One here on Whitehall a stones throw from no.10. Horse Guards Parade and Trafalgar Square.

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/london/the-lord-moon-of-the-mall-west-end

 

Here is the menu

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/food/menu?pub=7c67d31da97848e68e473f606bf522bd

 

Opposite the Prime ministers residence is the Red Lion. A bit more upmarket and often used by high flying Politicians....and myself:D

 

Evenings I like Covent Garden area for restaurants. Some good ones around by the Royal Opera House.

Edited March 6, 2016 by moniquet

[GUT2407]

Blood pudding is black pudding in the UK:)

 

For cheap and cheerful you can't beat pub grub. Steak and kidney pies etc. 3 good ones. Cheapest is the Weatherspoons chain which also does American type food too. One here on Whitehall a stones throw from no.10. Horse Guards Parade and Trafalgar Square.

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/london/the-lord-moon-of-the-mall-west-end

 

Here is the menu

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/food/menu?pub=7c67d31da97848e68e473f606bf522bd

 

Opposite the Prime ministers residence is the Red Lion. A bit more upmarket and often used by high flying Politicians....and myself:D

 

Evenings I like Covent Garden area for restaurants. Some good ones around by the Royal Opera House.

 

Yeah some "Pub Grub" is great.

[Bob++]

Eating out in the UK has changed dramatically in the UK over the last decade or two. The old days of soggy vegetables and unidentifiable meat, served up by couldn't-care-less staff are long gone. Of course, to some extent, you get what you pay for. At one extreme there is The Fat Duck where you can fork out £640, which, as a ballpark-figure, is what, with pre-dinner G&Ts, one decent bottle of wine and 12.5% service, a meal for two at the Bray restaurant will now cost. At the other end, if you want a sit down meal, the bill at most pubs would be less than £20 a head, with a bottle of wine for £15 or so. Add on a pre-dinner pint and the cost for two would be comfortably under a tenth of the Fat Duck price. In general, lunch is usually cheaper than dinner, so when we are out and about, we often have lunch in the middle of the day and a light snack in the evening.

 

The sheer volume of eateries shows how much the British have embraced eating out. Today (it's Mothering Sunday here - you try to book a table for lunch anywhere) a family Sunday lunch is much more likely to be in a pub than round a dining table at home. American fast food outlets proliferate for those who simply want to stoke up with calories, but old fashioned tea shops where you can get a pot of tea in a china pot, with home made cakes or scones are still thriving.

 

All this competition makes for a rise in quality. The food, the service and, maybe most importantly, the ambiance, has to be good or the customers will go elsewhere.

[LondonTowner]

Bob

 

Yes, you are right and London is far more cosmopolitan these days for choice of cuisine than any other city. Because we live in central London myself and OH like to drive out to say, Kent or Essex for Sunday roast. For anywhere decent it is essential to book.

 

Depending where we go the main course will cost between £12 to £17 which will be roast beef ( nice and rare), lamb, pork or chicken with all the trimmings.

 

Often the big difference in restaurant prices are the cost of drinks. In the south east of UK a bottle of wine would start from about £18, whereas in central London it is over £20 these days. Starters and desserts tend to be about £5 to £6 each.

 

On a weekday even in fairly expensive London restaurants you can get a 2 course lunch from about £12 upwards.

[moniquet]

Had a light lunch overlooking the sea in Sussex yesterday. Prawn sandwiches £10 for 2 people. Wine, although we didn't have any was £11 per bottle.

 

Talking of tea rooms, there are some excellent ones in Arundel close to my home. The Castle is worth a visit.

[chefestelle]

Now I want to go to England and have tea! I enjoyed tea on our Christmas cruise but it wasn't done quite like they do it in Victoria - where they are trying to emulate the "old country". Very civilized!

 

 

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[Kenswing]

Now I want to go to England and have tea! I enjoyed tea on our Christmas cruise but it wasn't done quite like they do it in Victoria - where they are trying to emulate the "old country". Very civilized!

 

 

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My wife is from Malta, another former British colony.. :D When her mom came to visit I took them up to Victoria to see Butchart Gardens and treated them to high tea at the Empress.. I scored big points for that day.. :cool:

[moniquet]

Had a light lunch overlooking the sea in Sussex yesterday. Prawn sandwiches £10 for 2 people. Wine, although we didn't have any was £11 per bottle.

 

Talking of tea rooms, there are some excellent ones in Arundel close to my home. The Castle is worth a visit.

 

Just realised I made a mistake. To friends over the pond I should have said SHRIMP:D

[Kenswing]

Just realised I made a mistake. To friends over the pond I should have said SHRIMP:D

 

No worries. We have prawns on the menu here too.. ;)

[Nigella]

I don't know anybody young or old who uses the word 'bathroom' when they mean the toilet.

 

In-flight announcements on BA, for at least the last 2 years, now use the euphemism 'bathroom' instead of 'toilet' or 'lavatory', at least that's been my experience on long-haul flights.

 

So for example, 15 minutes prior to landing, the seat belt signs come on and the cabin crew announcement will inform you that "the bathrooms are now out of use".

 

Drives me mad. There is no bloody bath in there. It's an aircraft toilet. There's no room to swing a cat, never mind have a bath!!

[LondonTowner]

Nigella

 

Agree

[chefestelle]

My wife is from Malta, another former British colony.. :D When her mom came to visit I took them up to Victoria to see Butchart Gardens and treated them to high tea at the Empress.. I scored big points for that day.. :cool:

 

 

I bet! Well done!

 

 

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[Tansy Mews]

I meant in Canada but I didn't make that clear. We often have different expressions from Americans as well. I think kenswing is American. You'll also occasionally hear loo and wc in Canada though we have never ever called a washroom a water closet.

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Knew you were Canadian, chefestelle! Americans don't normally use "washroom". They say "restroom". I find "toilet" a good general purpose word when travelling, understood in other countries too. I remember when I was working in London years ago directly someone to the coatroom when they asked for the cloakroom. Turns out they were together, thank goodness!

[Globaliser]

Nobody's mentioned the sunday roast. :rolleyes:

 

Roast beef (or mebbe pork or turkey) with Yorkshires, roast 'taters, parsnips, garden veg, and lashings of thick gravy. And a little horseradish or English mustard.

 

Washed down with a pint of flat warm beer.

 

Mmmmmmmmmmm

But not in a Wetherspoons pub. Not any more (and the eagle-eyed will see that chicken tikka masala has indeed supplanted it):-

Dear Customer

 

From Sunday 13 March 2016, Wetherspoon will no longer be serving Sunday roasts.

 

In most pubs, we are replacing the Sunday Club offer of a Sunday roast meal, including a drink, with one consisting of a Sunday Brunch and a drink – for a set price.

 

We know that the Sunday roasts are popular, but the size of our menu has increased, over time, along with the number of meals we serve on Sundays.

 

We are keen not to put ourselves in a position where we could start letting customers down with our service and have decided to concentrate on serving from our already-extensive menu.

 

With that in mind, we recommend several other meals which we feel are particularly suited to those customers seeking a Sunday-roast-type meal. Some of these dishes also include a drink:

• Sirloin steak (includes a drink)
• British beef & Doom Bar® ale pie
• Peri-peri roast half chicken (includes a drink)
• Mixed grill (includes a drink)
• Hand-battered fish and chips
• Vegetable Wellington
• British steak & kidney pudding
• Chicken & rib combo
• Gammon and eggs
• Breaded scampi
• Chicken tikka masala

For many years, we worked with the late Egon Ronay, who was highly regarded in the catering world. His adage was “do what you do, well”. We try constantly to improve our service levels and the quality of food which we sell – and hope that you can understand our decision to concentrate our efforts on our current menu.

 

Best wishes

 

John Hutson

 

CEO

[John Bull]

Nobody's mentioned the sunday roast. :rolleyes:

 

Roast beef (or mebbe pork or turkey) with Yorkshires, roast 'taters, parsnips, garden veg, and lashings of thick gravy. And a little horseradish or English mustard.

 

Washed down with a pint of flat warm beer.

 

Mmmmmmmmmmm

 

JB :)

 

But not in a Wetherspoons pub. Not any more (and the eagle-eyed will see that chicken tikka masala has indeed supplanted it):-

 

H G,

 

Yes, I noticed that Wetherspoons were doing away with their roasts.

But in honesty, that's no great loss. ;)

 

W's food ain't great and although I appreciate that generally that's understandable due to the low prices, I've tried their sunday roast a couple of times and it really was dire. The second occasion was a different pub, but just as bad as the first. :eek:

 

Plenty of excellent sunday pub roasts, though we've noticed the prices rise over the past couple of years - now around £10 to £12. Plus the increasing need to book, though in good weather there's no need to book at pubs which have good outdoor dining cos they daren't take bookings for outdoors in our fickle weather.

 

And plenty of pub carverys offering far better than W at or below W's prices (around £5 to £7) - the big drawback is the often-long queue at the servery.

 

JB :)

 

Those prices for provincial England. Add about 300% for London :p

[Enforcer]

Hi All,

 

Please don't think that Wetherspoons (aka Spoons) is a typical English pub, it is a "stack them high, sell them cheap" type of place and you get what you pay for.

 

Pete

[moniquet]

That is what I said, cheap and cheerful. Not all "typical" English pubs are great either. London is not always more expensive, depends if you are in the know.

 

The Grapes in London, owned by Ian McKellan the Actor is very reasonable priced. Historic links, Charles Dickens used to drink there. Good food and prices. Try it.

Edited March 7, 2016 by moniquet

[cruisemom42]

.....but can anyone explain mushy peas? Bubble and squeak? Spotted dick?

 

Anyone? :D

[SteveH2508]

mushy peas = green cow pats eaten with fish and chips (usually eaten up north) - horrid IMHO

bubble and squeak = cabbage and mashed potato mixed and fried - OK IMHO

spotted dick = pudding with dried fruits in - must be eaten with custard - lovely IMHO

 

We won't go anywhere near tripe - revolting.

But Marmite - food of the Gods!:D

[GUT2407]

.....but can anyone explain mushy peas? Bubble and squeak? Spotted dick?

 

Anyone? :D

 

 

OK

 

Mushy Peas are a died pea that is then soaked, normally for hours and then cooked so that they basically fall apart (delicious)

 

Bubble and Squeek a mixture of mashed vegetables, potato mainly as a rule, but including any vegetable you like (carrot, pumpkin greens onions sort of staples) fried, sometimes in oil sometimes just on a pan. Often formed into a patty first but probably just as often just done in a pan. a way to use left overs (again delicious)

 

Probably the best way to describe spotted dick is a cake (actually pudding) full of raisins sultanas and such dried fruit (a bit like fruitcake but a boiled or steamed pudding)

[Bob++]

.....but can anyone explain mushy peas? Bubble and squeak? Spotted dick?

 

Anyone? :D

 

Mushy peas no. In my youth, I lived as a lodger in a succession of houses. Landladies would usually ask about food likes and dislikes. I learned to say that I didn't like peas - actually I like some peas but it's hard to draw a line. I never expressed a preference for anything on the grounds that it would thereafter be served up four times a week.

 

Bubble and squeak is just a really nice way to use up leftover cabbage and mashed potato. It is best cooked in bacon fat and served with a fried egg and two rashers of bacon.

 

Spotted Dick is suet pudding with raisins and/or currants in it and it is very yummy served with custard. Not the posh stuff made with egg yolks, but proper Birds Custard. The name probably morphed from dough to duff and then dick. This is really school food and only people who are fit and active should eat it.

[Kenswing]

Never dreamed I'd learn so much in a thread about tipping.. :D

 

Now if we could just get Megatrain to sell tickets for Sunday travel.. :mad:

[LondonTowner]

I hate mushy peas, but my OH loves them. They are sold in fish and chip shops in the north of England but not normally in London or the south.

 

I love Bubble and Squeak, which is just using up the left over potatoes and vegetables after Sunday roast lunch. I normally fry mine in oil and like it burnt and crispy on the outside. It is nice with a fried egg with soft yolk served on top.

 

My Gran used to make the most delicious Spotted Dick, made traditionally, boiled in a Muslim cloth. It is a suet pudding made with raisins and sultanas and served with custard. As children we used to eat it cold the following day just with sugar. Nice and healthy.

 

She also made the most delicious bread pudding.

[John Bull]

Mushy peas is a "Northern" thing, but we're seeing it more & more down south. Mainly with fish&chips, never with a roast or a chicken tikka masala. (well, mebbe with curry on P&O ships, but that's another story)

Made with big marrowfat peas, looks a mess but tastes great.

Best mushy peas I ever tasted (and the accompanying fish & chips was pretty good as well) was in the Wheelhouse(?) pub on a Princess ship!! But the chef obviously didn't like the lumpy look of mushy peas so he puree'd it. Totally wrong, but very tasty.

If one has a modicum of decorum one dines in establishments which serve petit-pois rather than mushy peas.

 

Bubble & Squeak was always yesterday's left-over veg, mixed & chopped and fried in a frying pan to crispen the edges. Usually on a Monday with the left-over veg from the sunday roast lunch. Great when topped with a fried duck's egg.***

Same as bread&butter pudding and bread pudding were ways of using up stale left-over bread.

All three are back in fashion, but now cooked from scratch with fresh ingredients - except in our old-fashioned household.

 

Spotted Dick is another re-born blast from the past, as described by others.

Cheap & cheerful, warm & filling in winter.

Used to be on school menus, but I bet it's not nowadays due to being loaded with carbohydrates & fats & calories.

 

JB :)

 

*** the egg fried. Not the duck. ;)

Edited March 8, 2016 by John Bull