British food

In some countries, like Italy and France, meals are a very important part of family life. But with the UK this isn’t the case. In the UK, families rarely eat together. Moreover, parents and children often have snacks in front of the TV or prepare their own food in the microwaves at different times.

However, there are some popular traditional dishes in England. And the most popular, of course, is fish and chips. There are about 9,000 fish and chips shops in the UK. Restaurants and pubs often serve ‘Sunday lunch’ (roast meat with roast potatoes and vegetables). Besides, many British people eat the so-called ‘Full English Breakfast’ which consists of bacon, eggs, tomatoes, sausages and a toast.

The culture of eating out is very popular in Britain. That’s why the British spend much time and money in restaurants and pubs. However, most restaurants do not serve traditional British food. For example, there are about 10,000 Indian and 8,000 Chinese restaurants in Britain. Different countries’ styles of cooking are now part of British culture. Guess what is the favourite British dish today? It’s chicken curry!

1 Match the highlighted words and their definitions.

a.       having a meal at a restaurant rather than at home.

b.      fried fish fillets and French fries.

c.       a machine used to cook the food in a very short time.

d.      a bar or a tavern.

e.       pungent dish of vegetables, onions, meat or fish, etc., often eaten with rice.

f.       a small portion of food or drink eaten between regular meals.