First, I’d just like to clarify that the stereotype on British food and its bad reputation are completely and utterly false. You may have heard that British food is bland, or it is gross, or mushy peas might come to mind. I once told my doctor that I was going to England on holiday for two weeks and she told me, “Good luck with the food,” and all I could do was stare back with a confused look on my face. If there’s one thing I am certain of, and there aren’t that many things, it is that British food is one of my favorite things ever and I’m kind of in love with it.

Growing up in England gave me very specific and picky taste buds to a lot food. This also means that my love for sweets and chocolate is endless, and of course I can’t finish a meal without some sort of dessert or pudding as they call it. For instance, I’m a very hard critic on chocolate. Hershey’s chocolate does not even compare to Cadbury’s, and to be honest, I’m quite a snob about what chocolate I eat. Dairy Milk Bar, Dairy Milk Caramel Bar, Flake, Wispa, Twirl, and Crunchie are just a few of the various Cadbury chocolate bars that are delicious. Last summer my parents gave me £10 to spend on anything I wanted and I ended up spending it all on chocolate to keep me in stock for the year. I still have the orange Sainsbury’s bag tucked away in my secret drawer so that no one could steal my chocolate. It actually sounds kind of depressing the more I think about it. Moving on!

For me, nothing says British food more than the classic fish and chips. In all honesty, it does deserve all of the attention and hype that it gets. It’s one of my favorite meals and if you ever get the chance to eat it, then you should definitely take that opportunity. You won’t regret it. Favorite snack foods of mine are Hula Hoops and Twiglets. Hula Hoops are potato based and of course are in the shape of a hoop! When I was little I would put them on all of my fingers and then proceed to eat them. Twiglets are one of those foods where you either love them or you hate them. They have more of a burnt taste and have the flavor of marmite. Marmite is a sticky, brown paste that is very salty and is also one of those things where you love it or hate it. I think it is disgusting, but I still love Twiglets, which is kind of odd.

I brought to share with everyone Smarties. Smarties are similar to M&M’s but they do taste slightly different. It’s a rare occurrence for me to actually share my food, especially my British food. So you should definitely be feeling special right now! Whenever I eat Smarties I think of when I used to eat them at lunch in school, or coming home to my Granny’s house and seeing them stacked up for us. All of these foods are comforting to me, which seems kind of weird. However, these foods remind me of my childhood and all of the summers I have visited family in England. A memory that jumps out to me is when my family went on a picnic in Carding Mill Valley, a picturesque place that is hilly and perfect for hikes. We sat on the grass and had a lovely packed lunch with my favorite foods. It’s a random memory but of course I end up remembering the British food that I love so dearly.