The importance of potatoes in the UK and Ireland

You cannot spend a single day in the United Kingdom or Ireland without realizing the importance of this product in all meals. It is a basic ingredient in their dishes and a side- in most of them. That is why there are so many recipes and websites about this topic which include all kinds of information about it: crops, different kinds of potatoes, recipes, nutritional information, official websides by the Government to support this industry or potato crops and so on.

If you haven't spent some time with a British or Irish family, this will sound quite strange; but my experience has made me learnt that this is true: a typical Irish dinner including fish or meat, peas, carrots, SMASHED POTATOES and BAKED POTATOES altogether, not as options. I must thank Marlene Moran, my Irish landlady while I was staying in Dublin for my "Spanish teachers of English" in 1992, who always cooked typical Irish dishes for her guests from all nationalities.

You'll find lots of websites (I'll show you some in the future) including recipes of all kinds, but basically is potatoes, potatoes and more potatoes every day.

Ir a: http://www.potato.org.uk/ supporting the British Potato Industry

Ir a: http://www.britishpotatoes.co.uk/ (supporting the B.P.I. and lots of recipes and information for children

Ir a: http://www.potatoesforcaterers.co.uk/ (B.P.I. and nutritional information)

Ir a: http://www.potatoesforschools.org.uk/ (for schools and teachers, to grow, to cook, ...)

Ir a: http://www.lovechips.co.uk/ (more original, about the Potato Week in February 2009)

Ir a: http://www.foodsafety.gov/ (an official website about alerts, consumer advise and education, ...)

Easter in Great Britain

When we think about something special at Easter in Spain, we usually think of Easter eggs (like the one in the photo to the right). Of course, there are "torrijas" all over the country. There are also lots of different cakes, sweeties and so on, according to the place where you spend your Easter holidays.


What about Great Britain and Ireland? What's the meaning of Easter for Britons? Remember they are not a Catholic, but an Anglican country. Even the name is from Anglo-Saxon origin, a goddess of fertility and springtime.


Easter in Britain and Ireland is similar throughout all four countries and, as in Spain, involves traditional cooking and baking with the highlight of the weekend of festivities involving copious amounts of chocolate eggs. Have you ever thought that Spaniards and Britons shared customs and traditions?


The two important cakes at Easter are the Simnel Cake and Hot Cross Buns. They were my first contact with Easter traditions in Britain during my first stay with my "British family" at Alice's. I must say that they were a Catholic family, a minority in London.


Hot Cross Buns are marked with a cross and were eaten by the Saxons to honor their goddess Eostre - it is thought the bun represented the moon and the cross the moon's quarters. To Christians, the cross symbolizes the crucifixion and traditionally eaten warm with butter on Good Friday (on the photo on the right).


The Simnel Cake signifies the end of Lent but as it was originally made on Mothering Sunday, I consider it deserves an entry apart.


Anything else important about Easter? Any other memories to share with you? Yes. It's nothing to do with food and drink, but all the same, you must know that British people share some traditions, as chocolate eggs and that they are not all so shy and reserved and you may think of them. "Easter Bonnet Parade" is a good example.

Ir a: http://www.visitbritain.co.uk/things-to-see-and-do/interests/food-drink/features/easter-food-traditions.aspx (about all kinds of traditions)

Ir a: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/ (news about 2009 Easter)

What can I cook on St. Patrick's Day?

From the very beginning of the day, this must be Irish. So let's start with an Irish Breakfast, hearty and simple as its people, which consists of tea and scones and a fine word or two from a poem by Yeats or the lyric prose of Joyce.




Ir a: http://www.csun.edu/~hceng029/yeats/collectedpoems.html
Ir a: http://www.poemhunter.com/william-butler-yeats/
Ir a: http://quotations.about.com/cs/poemlyrics/a/William_Butler.htm
Ir a: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Butler_Yeats (biography)
Ir a: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1923/yeats-bio.html (Official Nobelprize Website)
Ir a: http://www.online-literature.com/yeats/ (also for other authors)

Beef recipes for St. Patrick's Day

There are many options if you want to cook beef, but a simple and tasty one like this will make easier to enjoy the day.

That is why I've chosen this one. The ingredients are also really "Irish" (beef and Guinness) and this is another important reason. But of course, you can choose any other one you like, according to your tastes, time to cook and ability.

So go ahead!

Irish Beef Stew Recipe

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces (NOT extra-lean)
6 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
I cup of Guinness beer
1 cup of fine red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
(It's up to you the possibility of changing the quantities of the spices or not to use some of them if you don't like them; but remember the flavour will change)

Method
1 Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2 While the meat and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew in step one has simmered for one hour.

3 Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat. Transfer stew to serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Salt and pepper to taste. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)
Serves 4 to 6.



I consider this is a recipe very similar to some Spanish stews (beef, lamb,...) and it is easier to begin with a similar taste. Is there anything similar in your country?

Ir a http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/st-patricks-day
Ir a: http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/irishbeefstew_73826.shtml (bbc)
Ir a: http://http://blogchef.net/irish-beef-stew-recipe/ (good photos, free recipes, interesting comments)

Spotted Dick

"Spotted Dick" or "Spotted Dog. A curious name for a dish!

And here you are, ready to cook. Or perhaps, ready to explain a group of students "Food and Drink Vocabulary", or the difference between "countable and uncountable nouns" or "how to measure uncountable nouns", ... Or ready to prepare a cultural day.

In any case, you can read recipes or write your favourite dish recipe. Or better, your students can talk about one recipe they like or even prepare if you have got time and a suitable place.

If you try with a British recipe, this may surprising because of the name. What is a "Spotted Dick" or a "Spotted Dog" as it is also called?






Ingredients:

285g (10oz) Self-Raising Flour 150g (5oz) Shredded Suet 150ml (¼ pint) Milk 110-160g (4-6oz) Currants or Raisins 85g (3oz) Castor Sugar 1 Lemon, zest only, finely grated Pinch Salt


How to cook it:


Mix all of the dry ingredients, including the grated lemon zest, together thoroughly Add enough milk to produce a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface. Roll out the mixture to produce a roll approximately 15cm (6 in) long and 5cm (2 in) in diameter. Prepare either a tea towel lightly dusted with flour, or sheet of kitchen foil or a double thickness of greaseproof paper, brushed with melted butter. Wrap loosely but securely, leaving enough space for it to rise. Tie or seal the ends. Place in the steamer and cover tightly. Steam for 1½ to 2 hours. Serve cut into thck slices with hot custard. Other possibilities are cream, hot chocolate, ... but try your own one.

Ir a: http://www.grouprecipes.com/20861/spotted-dick-recipe.html


Ir a: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-spotted-dick


Ir a: http://www.shamrockfoods.ie/Recipes/Spotted-Dick-48.aspx



If you need more details to get a proper "Spotted Dick", follow the instructions shown in this marvellous video, including basic printed vocabulary.


Ir a:http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-spotted-dick

To help student with their own recipes, the following links may be useful.


Ir a: http://wazniak.mimuw.edu.pl/index.php?title=Lesson_3_-_Vocabulary_-_FOOD_AND_DRINK_-_Page1 with easy multiple choice activities


Ir a: http://www.saberingles.com.ar/lists/drinks.html for basic vocabulary and listening to learn how to pronounce


Ir a: http://www.englishclub.com/english-for-work/food-drink.htm for more especialized vocabulary.



And if you are more interested in the curious name, Spotted Dick", you can read interesting websites and surveys with different possibilities. All the same, when dealing with recipes, flavours are more important than background information or ethimology, aren't they?

British traditional breakfast

What is the traditional English breakfast?

The traditional English breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, baked beans and mushrooms. Even though not many people will eat this for breakfast today, it is always served in hotels and guest houses around Britain.

The traditional English breakfast is called the 'Full English' and sometimes referred to as 'The Full English Fry-up'. But depending on where it is served, it is called bacon and eggs, a fry, a fry up, The Great British breakfast, a full English breakfast, a full Irish breakfast, a full Scottish breakfast, a full Welsh breakfast or an Ulster fry. The complement of the breakfast varies depending on the location and which of these descriptions is used.

But Full English Breakfast has seen its last dawn, market researchers have announced.
Fry-up, as it was affectionately known to those who found calorific comfort in its fried bacon, sausage, mushroom, eggs and tomato - could not survive in the modern world.
According to Datamonitor, notoriously unhealthy Fry-up was killed by a flurry of activity. Britons are increasingly busy in the mornings and Full English was just too "time consuming to prepare".

There are even lots of news of different kinds of newspapers, broadcasters or magazines on science and health which include different articles about the health problems caused by too much fat and so on.

But what would be a visit to London or any other British place without tasting, at least for once in a lifetime, a Fry-up? Do it! Then compare ingredients, quantities, flavours, recipes, ... and decide if you like it or not.

Ir a: http://http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/food/meals.htm

Ir a: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_breakfast

The secrets of TEA

Where does it come? How to prepare it? How did it arrive in the UK? Spend a little time to get enough information to learn its qualities and advantages, how to prepare a cup of tea in a proper way and... Relax yourself with a nice typical British cup of tea (with milk, of course)!

Tea existence of tea dates back to 5000 years and is considered to be one of the most preferred beverages all over the world even today. Whether it is consumed hot or cold, tea is considered to be the second most consumed beverage, after water.

Tea with its rich history is still regarded as a high quality and refreshing beverage, inspite of the fact that a lot of new, innovative hot and cold beverages have now flooded the department stores, groceries etc. The delicious taste, soothing aroma, health benefits and often calming effect may be the reason for people taking a liking for this beverage all over the world.

Researches have found out through their various studies, that consumption of tea varieties and tea extracts have given relief to many an ailing. This feature of tea has attracted many researchers, medical professionals, scientists and even health conscious people, who are all seeking wellness from natural products, to suggest and acknowledge that consumption of tea has a lot of health benefits.

With these high recommendations and potentiality for improvement of health, there is a huge demand for tea arising all over the world. . To cater to the rising demands, tea manufacturers all over the world have started producing tea in various varieties, forms, flavors and specialty tea products, to give the consumer greater choices of tea and its products. Due to the increase in production, tea lovers these days are getting to taste new and more alternatives of tea.

All the varieties of teas available originate from the same evergreen plant, the Camellia Sinensis. But around three thousand varieties of the bushes of these plants are grown in the mountain ranges all over the world. The different varieties in harvesting and processing procedures done on the dried tea leaves and buds, resulted in developing various varieties of tea. Many of the world’s best teas are grown in large plantations, also referred as tea estates or gardens. The Camellia sinensis plant, although has a high growth, is normally cut to under three feet in size for harvesting tea. Regular pruning of these plants results in thick growth and makes plucking of the tea leaves easier and more efficient. The major varieties of tea are the black tea, oolong tea, green tea and white tea.

Black tea commonly referred as red tea in China, Japan and India, is the most popular among the varieties of teas that is easily available al over the world. Black tea has deep red color and comes in wide range of flavors and tastes from flowery and fruity to spicy and nutty. The process of deriving black tea is a tedious one. After picking the leaves, they are exposed to air for about 10 to 24 hours, by spreading it out to let the water in it to evaporate. The leaves exposed to sunlight curls and begin to dry. After complete drying of the leaves, they are rolled into balls and then cooled. When this process is taking place, the leaves creates a chemical change wherein the juices of the leaves emerge and the leaves start to darken. After this oxidation process, the leaves are finally heated to stop the process of oxidation and seal the flavor and aroma in them.

Ir a: http://teaonesite.com/