Best of British

Visit England has hit the news after its ‘Ultimate Hall of Fame’ competition has left some of our neighbouring nations a little bitter after its claims that we as a nation made some of their iconic dishes first.

The competition is asking the public to choose England’s best inventions from Cornish pasties to The Beatles. But some of our claims to fame seem to be stealing away other nations delicacies, from Italian lasagne to French Champagne. 

Research by Visit England says that Champagne was first made in Gloucestershire in 1662. It was suggested by British scientist and physician Christopher Merret that sugar and molasses should be added to wine to give it that extra je ne sais quoi and has been practiced here ever since.

 The Scots also stole their national dish, haggis from us back in 1430. The original recipe of sheep offal, suet, oatmeal and seasoning was originally drafted in Lancashire. Just you try and tell the Scots that though…

Visit England asked for submissions for its ‘Hall of Fame’ on its Facebook page before creating a shortlist. The public can vote on to establish England’s ultimate ‘Hall of Fame’ on their website. The winner will be announced on St George’s Day, April 23^rd.

Whilst looking through the shortlist I found it hard to believe how many things originated in Britain that I didn’t know about before, such as the scotch egg and how many things I thought were quintessentially British, like fish and chips didn’t appear on the list. After a little research it seems that the humble sea-side treat didn’t actually start its beginnings here, in fact from both Portugal and Belgium.

With this in mind I took to the streets of Sheffield to ask the public what foods they thought were British classics despite where they may have originally come from.

What foods do you associate with Britain? Tweet @Kelly_Kooks or comment below.