British Cuisine Recipes

Halloween Recipe - Pumpkin Pie.

(A traditional dish from North America - perfect for Halloween)

Ingredients: For the filling: Half a medium sized mashed, cooked pumpkin, 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk, 2 eggs, beaten, 165g of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of salt .For the pastry case: 335g plain flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 205g of margarine, 120 ml cold water.

Method: The pie crust: Prepare pie crusts by mixing together the flour and salt. Cut the margarine into the flour and lightly rub in. Add 1 tablespoon water to mixture at a time. Mix the dough and repeat until it's is moist enough to hold together. With lightly floured hands shape the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured board roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Line the pie dish.The filling: Halve the pumpkin and scoop out seeds and stringy portions. Cut the pumpkin into chunks. In a saucepan over medium heat, in 1 inch of boiling water heat the pumpkin to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain, cool and remove the peel. Return the pumpkin to the saucepan and mash with a potato masher. Drain well. In a large bowl, beat the pumpkin with evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust. Bake 40 minutes.

Traditional English Recipe - Roast Beef

A typical English meal, roast beef is the first one that comes to mind. This is a slow cook recipe, so you can use cheaper cuts of meat, but I recommend a good rump with a lot of marbling. It is traditionally served with potatoes and vegetables, along with yorkshire pudding and gravy.

Ingredients: 3 to 3 1/2 lb joint of boneless rump, olive oil, salt and pepper, 8 cloves of garlic (optional)

Method : Remove the joint from the fridge 1 hour before cooking (it should be at room temperature). Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the joint in a drip pan. With a sharp knife make 8 small incisions around the meat. Place a clove of garlic into each incision. Rub the olive oil, salt and pepper all over the meat. Put the joint into the oven fatty side up, so that as the fat melts it will bathe the entire joint in its juices. Brown the joint at 375°F for half an hour. Turn the heat down to 225°F. Roast it for a further 2 to 3 hours. When the joint starts to drip its juices and it is brown on the outside, check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Remove from the oven when the inside temperature of the joint is 135° to 140°F. Let the joint rest for about 15 minutes, covered in aluminum foil to keep it warm, before carving.

(http://www.learnenglish.de/Recipe/pumpkinpie.html)

Traditional Scottish Recipe - Scotch Broth

(Broth is just another word for soup)

Ingredients: 25g/1oz Pearl Barley, 225g/8oz Stewing Beef, fat removed, 1.1L/40fl.oz. Water 75g/3oz Leeks, sliced, 225g/8oz Carrot, diced, 225g/8oz Swede, diced, Salt and Pepper, 50g/2oz Cabbage, shredded

Method : Place the barley in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil then drain. Return the barley to the pan together with the diced beef and 1.2L/2pts of water. Bring to the boil, skim off the grease and oil, then simmer for 1 hour. Add the leeks, carrot, Swede and plenty of salt and pepper and continue to simmer for a further hour. After this time, add the cabbage and cook for a further 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Writing

Ex 5. Write a passage about your favorite dish (a recipe and explanations for cooking).

Home (optional) task

Reading

Ex 6. Read and translate the text. Write out new words. Make up a question to each paragraph. Ask the questions to your groupmates.

Drinks

By tradition, the British national drink is tea. It is drunk not only on its own but with or after meals, from breakfast to supper and from early in the morning (often in bed) to last thing at night. It has given its name to the character­istically British meal, tea, either 'afternoon tea' or 'high tea', meaning the meal itself rather than just a cup of tea or 'cuppa'. The traditional way to make tea is in a teapot, which is first warmed with hot water. When the pot is warm, very hot water is poured onto the tea-leaves, and the tea is allowed to 'brew' for a few minutes before being poured out. Most people drink tea with milk and many add sugar.

In recent times coffee has become much more popular and for many people has replaced tea as the usual drink. It has always been served as an after-dinner drink, when it is often drunk black, ie without milk, and cafes and coffee shops serve 'morning coffee' in the middle of the morning. Other hot drinks are those made with milk, eg cocoa, hot chocolate and drinks sold under brand names such as Horlicks or Ovaltine. They are often drunk as a non­alcoholic 'nightcap', especially in winter.

Children often drink milk when adults drink tea or coffee. Milk used to be provided free in all schools as a mid-morning drink. It has been advertised with the slogan 'Drinka pinta milka day' (Drink a pint of milk a day) and a pint of milk is often called a 'pinta'. Fruit drinks of all kinds are also popular with children. They include fruit juice, squash and fizzy drinks, often sold in cans. The trend towards healthier eating and drinking has brought an increase in the sales of mineral water, and water from many springs in Britain is now sold as well as imported brands. Sales of low-alcohol and alcohol-free beers and wines have also increased.

Among alcoholic drinks, beer is traditionally the most popular in Britain, especially with men. It is the main drink served in pubs, in pints or half-pints and is associated with leisure and conviviality. There are a number of different types, from the weakest, known as 'mild' to the strongest, called 'bitter'. 'A pint of best bitter' is a common order in apub. Traditional draught beer is served from the barrel by means of a pump. The more modern type of beer is called keg beer. It is usually served colder than draught beer, using carbon dioxide so that it is also more fizzy. CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is an association that supports traditional draught beer, which is also being replaced by canned beer, especially lager. Stout, a dark type of beer, is also popular, especially in Ireland. Shandy, beer mixed with lemonade or ginger beer, is also served in pubs. Cider, made from apples, is another traditionally popular drink, especially in Devon, Somerset and Herefordshire, where it is made.

Wine has for centuries been imported to Britain from France, but it is only in recent years that wine drinking has become common. Wine is now imported from many other countries including Spain, Italy, Germany, the USA and Australia and is also produced in small but increasing quantities in southern England. Sherry, imported from Spain, is commonly drunk before a meal, and port, imported from Portugal, is often drunk at the end of a meal, especially a formal one, and at Christmas-time.

Whisky is not only a popular drink in Britain. It is one of the country's major exports. There are over a hundred distilleries in Scotland and more than 80 per cent of what they produce is exported. Whisky is often drunk diluted with water or soda water and is more often drunk by men than women. A glass of whisky and soda is a traditional 'nightcap'. Gin is often mixed with tonic water or with fruit drinks such as lime or orange. Less traditional but popular mixtures are rum and Coca Cola or vodka and orange juice. Brandy and fruit-flavoured liqueurs are sometimes drunk at the end of a meal with coffee.

There are high taxes on alcoholic drinks in Britain. People who make their own wine and beer can avoid paying these taxes, but it is illegal to sell home-made alcoholic drinks. Shops need a special licence to sell alcoholic drinks and there are laws that restrict the hours when alcohol may be sold. It is illegal to sell alcohol to anyone under the age of 18, either in a shop or in a bar or restaurant.

In the USA there are also legal restrictions on the sale of spirits, but not of wine or beer, which is by far the most popular alcoholic drink. In many states it is illegal to sell spirits to people under the age of 21. As in Britain, there are high taxes on alcohol. During the period of Prohibition (1920-33) it was illegal to make or sell alcoholic drinks in the USA, but the ban on alcohol led to the rise of organized crime as an illicit trade developed. With the trend towards healthier living, cocktails, ie mixtures such as gin and dry vermouth (called a Martini) or whisky and dry vermouth (called a Manhattan) have become less fashionable, and long drinks like spritzers (a mixture of white wine and soda water) are becoming more popular. These are also called wine coolers.

Soft drinks are as popular in the USA as in Britain and Coca Cola is regarded throughout the world as a typically American drink. Drinks made with milk, especially milk shakes, are also popular.

The main wine-growing area in the USA is California but, as in Britain, wine is also imported from many countries in Europe and elsewhere.

Ex 7. Answer the questions:

1. What is the British national drink? 2. What drinks are popular among children? 3. What alcoholic drink is the most popular in Britain? 4. Do you agree or disagree with the next sayings: ‘A cup of tea revives you’; ‘Drinking coffee stops your sleeping’? Prove your opinion. 5. What countries is wine imported to Britain from? 6. Why alcoholic drinks are associated with leisure and conviviality? 7. What alcoholic drinks are popular in Russia? Why? 8. Speak on the traditional British drink and the way to make it.

Listening

Ex 8. Listen to people expressing their opinions about different restaurants and fill in the table below, then write about these restaurants, commenting on quality of food, service, atmosphere and price. (Enterprise 4, p.73, ex.13)

	Mexican	Fast Food	Italian
quality of food	… quality, …and spicy	…, not greasy or too…	only the freshest…
service	efficient, …	…	…, unhurried
atmosphere	…	…	relaxed, …
price	…	overpriced	… value for money

Ex 9. You will hear the conversation between three friends talking about eating out versus cooking at home. Listen and decide who said what. White G for Gary, S for Sarah or F for Frank. (Upstream Intermediate B2, p.125, ex.31.)

1. This speaker wants to go out for dinner. …

2. This speaker says that eating out is unhealthy. …

3. This speaker thinks that restaurant food tastes good. …

4. This speaker says eating out is expensive. …

5. This speaker thinks someone is making excuses. …

6. This speaker thinks someone is lazy. …

7. This speaker can’t cook well. …

Ex 10. You are going to hear a news report on young people’s eating habits. Listen and choose the best answer to the question below. (Upstream Intermediate B2, p.125, ex.35.)

1. The speaking says young people

a had a healthier diet in the past. / b think fast food is nutritious. / с would be healthy if they didn’t eat fast food.

2. Modern day families

a prefer to eat out. / b don’t have time to prepare healthy food. / с eat more than they should.

3. The speaker says

a people should skip breakfast instead of eating doughnuts or croissants. / b home cooked meals are very nutritious. / с no fixed meal times lead to bad eating habits.

4. Young people eat junk food at lunchtime

a because it is convenient. / b because it is filling. / с because they can’t afford anything else.

5. The speaker says teenagers

a eat unhealthy snacks all day long. / b sometimes eat nothing healthy all day. / с need to learn to cook healthy food.

6. Yong people today

a don’t eat fresh food. / b usually have a healthy evening meal. / с only drink sugary soft drinks.

Grammar

Ex 11. Which of the following nouns are countable and which are uncountable? milk book progress news weather pizza lemon knife pen rice information advice furniture biscuit luggage tooth

A/An + singular countable nouns

Some + plural countable nouns or uncountable nouns

Ex 12. Write C (for countable) or U (for uncountable) next to each of the nouns, then make up sentences.

Food: roast lamb …; grape …; olive …; olive oil …; ketchup …; rice …; spaghetti …; bread …; egg …; oyster …; mussel …; beef …; biscuit …; aubergine ….

Drink: milk …; orange juice …; lemonade …; tea ….; Coke …; coffee ….

Other: accommodation …; news …; police …; traffic …; advice …; warning …; job …; work …; Physics …; furniture …; coin …; travel …; money …; view …; scenery …; journey …; rubbish …; bag …; luggage …; information …; weather …; Maths …; bottle …;

I’d like some roast lamb, please.

Ex 13. Fill in a/an or some.

1. These is … ham in the fridge. 2. There is … bunch of grapes on the table. 3. I’d like … coffee, please. 4. If you are hungry, eat … apple. 5. Have … biscuits with your tea.

Ex 14. Underline the correct word.

1. She’s got some/a good number of furniture. 2. There are several/much bottles of milk in the fridge. 3. Could you put many/a little sugar in my tea, please? 4. You need to put plenty of/many oil in the pan. 5. A large number of/Much people suffer from food allergies. 6. Sprinkle hardly any/plenty of cheese on my pasta, please.

7. There were only a few/a little biscuits left, so we bought some more. 8. I need a couple of/a great deal of onions for this recipe.

Ex 15. Look at the sentences and say which suggest general preference and which suggest specific preference. Then, say what you generally like eating and what you would specifically like to eat tonight, using I prefer, I’d prefer and I’d rather.

1. I prefer tea to coffee. 2. I’d rather have tea than coffee. 3. I prefer eating home-made food rather than eating junk food. 4. I’d prefer to cook dinner tonight rather than buy it from a take-away. 5. I prefer to buy fresh vegetables rather than buy frozen ones.

Ex 16. Look at the following sentences and say which refer to the present or future and which refer to the past.

1. I’d rather stay in tonight. 2. I’d rather have eaten soup last night. 3. I’d rather you didn’t cook spaghetti tonight. 4. I’d rather you had come with me yesterday.

Competition Game

Ex 17. In pairs, think of a recipe and list the ingredients you need. Stand in front of the class and use your list to act out a dialogue as if you are making a shopping list for this dish. Students. in teams, try to guess what you are planning to cook. The first team to guess correctly is the winner.

S1: Have you got any eggs?

S2: No, we need to buy some.

S1: All right. What about butter? etc