[personal profile] kittenscribble
We spent a lot of time at pubs, partially to get the "genuine" culinary experience, and partially because the atmosphere is just reassuring. You order at the bar, and they bring you drinks and food. You sit wherever, amongst the drinking, talking locals. The pubs offer a good choice of beers, but they are also happy to provide you with tea (quite a production, consisting of a cup and saucer, spoon, sugar and milk; the water sometimes comes in a separate pot with tea bag in, so you can wait until it steeps to perfection before pouring). I found pubs to be the perfect dining hangout. The ones in Yorkshire were a bit quieter than the ones in London, but the atmosphere was just as cozy.

Fish and chips: We got pub fish and chips, but we also went to a specific stand at one point. The stand in question was Oliver's in Harrogate. (There is some contention over whether Oliver's or Graveley's does the best f&c in town. K, who had both, says that Oliver's is pretty decent, but Graveley's is better.) It's a takeout place; you walk to the counter, give your order, and they hand over your food in a plastic bag. Walking in, you're surrounded by the thick scent of frying oil; you give your order to the youth behind the counter (haddock and chips, large order of mushy peas); he wraps each item in newspaper (not real newspaper; there's no print on it). The fish is a slab of white meat, battered and fried golden. The chips suffer slightly from being wrapped in paper, and lose a bit of their crisp edge. Their mushy peas were essentially a chunky pea soup and tasted great as a chip dip.

(Note: "chips" are French fries. "Crisps" are potato chips. More on crisps later.)

Meat pies: I liked ordering "pie of the day," which was basically a short, cylindrical pot pie with filling (lamb and onions, or chicken and bacon, whatever was on hand). The cooks were generous with the gravy and the pie would release steam when the pastry was first cracked. I burned my tongue several times, unable to wait until the food cooled.

(Note: when they say "bacon," they mean ham.)

Bangers and mash: nothing more than sausages and mashed potatoes, often with gravy. The sausages tended to be squishier in texture than I was used to, but meaty and delicious anyway. Sausages were often available in more than one combination; we had pork and leek sausage, which was excellent. The Brits mash their potatoes until they're nothing but paste, which sticks to the mouth like glue.

Jacket potato: what I got if I wasn't hungry enough for a full meal. A jacket potato what I would call a baked potato; they offer a variety of toppings, from simple things like grated cheese to more complicated constructions like "garlic and mushroom melt," "tuna mayonnaise," or "chicken guacamole." What arrives is a baked potato that's been opened and spread out on a gratin dish, with the toppings melted over it, the flavors seeping wonderfully into the waiting potato flesh. I love potatoes, especially baked with melted cheese; I could have cheerfully eaten them at every meal.

Yorkshire puddings: savory bread, with a thick meaty gravy. After a Sunday afternoon spent hiking in the Yorkshire Dales, we found a pub and got Yorkshire puddings for dinner. The story behind the puddings is that bread was baked below meat that was roasting on a spit; the juices from the meat dripped into the bread and got baked in. In our case, the puddings served as bread bowls for steak and gravy; our local friend had one with sausages instead of steak. Yorkshire puddings, I found later, are actually a traditional part of Sunday dinner. If I could have such a dinner every Sunday, I would be content. (And, probably, somewhat larger around the middle.)
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July 2011

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