Food and Drink in BritainBy Jackie Maguire

本刊資料

1. Farming and fishing

Before British farmers decide what to plant or what animals to keep， they must think about the weather， the kind of land and whether it is flat or hilly， and how much money they can make. Some farmers have only crops （plants grown for food） or animals （like cows and sheep） but many have mixed farms— they grow some crops and keep some animals too.

Although Britain is mild （it never gets very hot or very cold） the weather does differ from one part of the country to another; the east for example， is drier and the west is wetter. In the hills of Scotland and Wales it rains a lot， so the grass grows well and there are more sheep. In the south it is sunnier and drier so more fruit， vegetables and cereals are grown. Different fruit and vegetables grow well in different areas—potatoes grow well on the flat land of the east of England; apples and soft fruits， like strawberries， grow well in Kent （in south-east England） and in parts of the Midlands （in central England）. Because of this， there are many farms where you can pick your own fruit and vegetables. This is often much cheaper than buying from a supermarket， and people like to know they are eating food at its freshest.

Fishing is also very important in Britain， but over-fishing and pollution have made life difficult. British fishermen have had many

disagreements with fishermen from other countries about who can catch fish. There are not enough fish in the sea for everyone， so governments must try to agree on how much fish each country can catch. Fishermen have to think about the present and the future： they need to make money today， but they also need to feed their families tomorrow.

Although there are many types of fish in British waters， in many sea-side towns the tourist business now brings in more money than fishing.

2. Home-cooked food

Some people like to “go to work on an egg”—they eat an egg for breakfast before going to work. But many more breakfast on cereal—often cornflakes①—while others have toast② with butter and marmalade③. And， whatever they eat， most people drink tea or coffee.

At weekends many people have a more traditional， cooked breakfast. If you stay in a hotel or a “B & B” （Bed and Breakfast）， you can have a breakfast like this.

Some people have their biggest meal in the middle of the day and some have it in the evening， but most people today have a small mid-day meal — usually sandwiches， and perhaps some crisps and some fruit.

The evening meal is usually called “tea” or “dinner”. A traditional British dinner is meat and two vegetables. The most popular meats are chicken， beef （from a cow）， pork （from a pig） and lamb （from a young sheep）. Vegetables grown in Britain， like potatoes， carrots， peas， cabbage and onions， are very popular， but today you can buy vegetables from many countries all through the year.

Two favourite meals with children are fish fingers and chips， and baked beans on toast. Baked beans， first sold in Boston， USA， but now very popular in Britain， are cheap to buy and quick to heat up. There are several different kinds， and they are eaten at almost any time—for breakfast， lunch or dinner！

Three traditional British meals are： bangers④， beans and mash （sausages， baked beans and mashed potato）， stew （meat cooked with lots of vegetables）， and the Sunday roast. Sunday is a day when many families like to enjoy a big meal together. They usually have a big piece of meat which is roasted （cooked in the oven for about two hours） with potatoes. Beef is eaten with hot white horseradish⑤ sauce， pork with sweet apple sauce， and lamb with green mint⑥ sauce—perhaps made with mint grown in the garden.

After dinner， people eat dessert—something sweet like fruit， chocolate cake， or apple pie.

Many people do not have time to cook traditional food today， so they buy food which is ready to eat or quick to make， but visitors to Britain often want to try “typical” British food. The best place to go is usually a pub and many pubs have a notice outside saying： “home cooked food”. One of the best known pub meals is the ploughmans lunch. A ploughman was someone who， years ago， worked in the fields， so his midday meal was simple： some bread， cheese， tomatoes and some salad.

And where do people eat their food when they are at home？ Breakfast is usually a quick meal， eaten in the kitchen. Lunch is often eaten at school or work. Dinner may be eaten in the kitchen， the dining-room， or the living-room—often in front of the tele- vision！

（本刊資料）