UNITED KINGDOM
GEOGRAPHY OF UNITED KINGDOM
 The United Kingdom (UK) is located just west of the mainland of Europe. It is made up of several islands, the largest of which is Great Britain. Great Britain is made up of Scotland in the north, England in the southeast and Wales in the southwest. Northern Ireland is the northwestern part of Ireland, a separate island nation just west of Great Britain, but it is also part of the UK. There has been violence in Northern Ireland for centuries because of religious and political conflict there. Because ocean waters surround the UK, it has a mild, rainy climate. The country's farmers produce about 60 percent of the food the UK needs. From 1980–90 the farming became more mechanized, with farmers using machinery to plant and harvest crops. The productivity of UK farms increased during that period by about 10 percent. More farmers raise livestock than crops, and some of the world's best beef and lamb is raised in the UK  Location: Western Europe
Land Area: 241,590 sq km
British Coastline: 12,429 Km
Regions in United Kingdom:
England: 47 boroughs, 36 counties, 29 London boroughs, 12 cities and boroughs, 10 districts, 12 cities, 3 royal boroughs
Northern Ireland: 24 districts, 2 cities, 6 counties
Scotland: 32 council areas
Wales: 11 county boroughs, 9 counties, 2 cities and counties
Bordering Countries to United Kingdom: Republic of Ireland History and Food
 The United Kingdom (UK) has also been called the British Isles or Great Britain at different times in history. Great Britain is an island located within the British Isles and it is the ninth largest island in the world and the largest in Europe. It is located to the northwest of continental Europe and it is home to the United Kingdom which includes Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland (not actually on the island of Great Britain). Great Britain has a total area of 88,745 square miles (229,848 sq km) and a population of about 60 million people (2009 estimate). Each region has its own special cuisine.
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The island of Great Britain is known for the global city of London, England as well as smaller cities like Edinburgh, Scotland. In addition, Great Britain is known for its history, historic architecture and natural environment. At various times the English have ruled over the entire region, including all of Ireland. The English style of cooking does not use many seasonings and is sometimes criticized for its bland taste. During the 1700s and 1800s, English explorers and colonists were trading and developing settlements in the Caribbean region, Asia, Africa, and North America. Their colonial interests around the world became known as the British Empire.
British Empire History and Food
 The English were influenced by the cultures of their colonies, so English cooking began to use new spices and cooking techniques acquired in such places as India. Example is the Salmon Kedgeree (British-Indian Salmon)
 The agriculture practices of the Roman and Norman periods of England greatly influenced the recipes and culinary atmosphere in early kitchens long after those eras were through. Stewing and stuffing various farm and game meats originated from those periods, as well as roasting and spicing. Wales was famous for raising sheep, so lamb with mint sauce was a staple Welsh dish. In England, dishes such as steak and kidney pie, bangers and mash and Yorkshire pudding have embedded themselves in the food history of the country.
 Some of these traditions carried over to continental Europe and beyond, especially during the height of trading and colonization in the 17th and 18th centuries.
 It is a recent but common myth among some people is that food in Great Britain is poor tasting and ill prepared. While there were many influences that contributed to the decline of food in the U.K. during the 20th century, there has since been a rebirth of English cuisine, due to the decrease of mass scale production of food that lead to an increase in quality, the rise of television cooking shows that led to a greater awareness of quality cooking among the working class, and the fusion of cuisine from continental Europe and beyond.
Salmon Kedgeree (British-Indian Salmon) Ingredients
2 eggs
1 small onion, chopped
1¾ cups water
½ teaspoon salt
8 oz. can of salmon
¾ cup white rice
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Lemon wedges as garnish, if desired
Procedure
 Prepare hardboiled eggs: Place eggs in a saucepan and cover them with cold water.
 Put the saucepan on a burner over medium-high heat and wait until the water just begins to simmer. (Tiny bubbles will form and move slowly to the surface of the water.) Lower the heat, and simmer the eggs for 15 minutes.
 Remove from heat and run cold water into the pan to stop the cooking. Allow the eggs to cool, and then remove the shells carefully. Cut the eggs lengthwise into quarters.
 Cook the rice: Prepare rice according to instructions on the package to yield about 2 cups of cooked rice.
 Next chop the onion.
 Heat butter in a large skillet until melted and add chopped onion. Cook onion, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until softened. Stir rice into the onion.
 Drain canned salmon and add to rice mixture, breaking up the salmon with the wooden spoon. Add parsley, and lemon juice. Cook together until heated through.
 Serve, garnished with slices of egg and lemon wedges. Chicken Tikka Masala

Baked potatoes can be purchased on the go through at least one British fast food chain

 Anglo-Indian Cuisine Perhaps the biggest influence on current English cuisine has come from the Indian subcontinent, due to the British occupation there that last from 1858 until 1947. Just as British cooks living in India had an effect on traditional Indian dishes, so did the reverse hold true, and even popular dishes considered Indian fare today were invented or adopted by British cooks. Some examples of this include mulligatawny soup, chicken tikka masala and kedgeree, the latter of which was taken to India by Scottish troops, where it was adopted into common fare for that country.
 Modern Fare The most common dishes associated with British food include the Full English Breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, baked beans, half a tomato, hash browns and either fried bread or toast, fish and chips, roast beef and potatoes, and a curry.
But British citizens have become increasingly drawn to both vegetarianism and organic produce, and there has been a further effort to revamp the public houses and restaurants where food is served. The larger cities in the Isles, from London to Dublin and Edinburough, are starting to contain the best eateries in the world.
 United States Effect The fast food movement that began in the U.S. hit Great Britain soon thereafter, and now most major chains are located there, such as Burger King, Taco Bell and KFC, But this has also led to a series of British originated Fast Food chains, including Wimpy, Little Chef and Spudulike, a Scottish fast food company that specializes in filled baked potatoes.
Meals and Meal Times
Three main meals a day:
 Breakfast - between 7:00 and 9:00,
 Lunch - between 12:00 and 1:30 p.m.
 Dinner (sometimes called Supper) - The main meal. Eaten anytime between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m. (Evening meal)
Traditionally, and for some people still, the meals are called:
 Breakfast - between 7:00 and 9:00,
 Dinner (The main meal) - between 12:00 and 1:30 p.m.
 Tea - anywhere from 5:30 at night to 6:30 p.m.
BREAKFAST
 What is a typical English Breakfast? Most people around the world seem to think a typical English breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, mushrooms and baked beans all washed down with a cup of coffee. Now-a-days, however, a typical English breakfast is more likely to be a bowl of cereals, a slice of toast, orange juice and a cup of coffee. Many people, especially children, in England will eat a bowl of cereal. They are made with different grains such as corn, wheat, oats etc. In the winter many people will eat "porridge" or boiled oats.
 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'.
LUNCH
 What is a typical British lunch? Many children at school and adults at work will have a 'packed lunch'. This typically consists of a sandwich, a packet of crisps, a piece of fruit and a drink. The 'packed lunch' is kept in a plastic container.
 Sandwiches are also known as a 'butty' or 'sarnie' in some parts of the UK. DINNER
The evening meal is usually called 'tea', 'dinner‘ or 'supper'.
 What is a traditional British Dinner? A typical British meal for dinner is "meat and two veg". We put hot brown gravy, (traditionally made from the juices of the roast meat, but more often today from a packet!) on the meat and usually the vegetables. One of the vegetables is almost always potatoes.  What is a typical British Dinner like today? The traditional meal is rarely eaten nowadays, apart from on Sundays. A recent survey found that most people in Britain eat curry! Rice or pasta dishes are now favoured as the 'British Dinner'.
 Vegetables grown in England, like potatoes, carrots, peas, cabbages and onions, are still very popular. The Sunday Roast Dinner
 Sunday lunch time is a typical time to eat the traditional Sunday Roast.
 Traditionally it consists of roast meat, (cooked in the oven for about two hours), two different kinds of vegetables and potatoes with a Yorkshire pudding. The most common joints are beef, lamb or pork; chicken is also popular.
Beef is eaten with hot white horseradish sauce, pork with sweet apple sauce and lamb with green mint sauce. Gravy is poured over the meat.
Afternoon Tea and High Tea in England
 AFTERNOON TEA (The traditional 4 o'clock tea) *This is a small meal, not a drink. Traditionally it consists of tea (or coffee) served with either of the following:
1. Freshly baked scones served with cream and jam (Known as a cream tea)
2. Afternoon tea sandwiches - thinly sliced cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off.
3. Assorted pastries
Afternoon Tea today
 Afternoon tea is not common these days because most adults go out to work. However, you can still have Afternoon tea at the many tea rooms around England.
Afternoon tea became popular about one hundred and fifty years ago, when rich ladies invited their friends to their houses for an afternoon cup of tea. They started offering their visitors sandwiches and cakes too. Soon everyone was enjoying Afternoon tea. text taken from and copyright of pro.
HIGH TEA (The traditional 6 o'clock tea)
 The British working population did not have Afternoon Tea. They had a meal about midday, and a meal after work, between five and seven o'clock. This meal was called 'high tea' or just 'tea'.
 (Today, most people refer to the evening meal as dinner or supper.)
 Traditionally eaten early evening, High tea was a substantial meal that combined delicious sweet foods, such as scones, cakes, buns or tea breads, with tempting savouries, such as cheese on toast, toasted crumpets, cold meats and pickles or poached eggs on toast. This meal is now often replaced with a supper due to people eating their main meal in the evenings rather than at midday.
Most Popular Traditional Dishes in England
 Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding *This is England's traditional Sunday lunch, which is a family affair.
 Yorkshire Pudding *This dish is not usually eaten as a dessert like other puddings but instead as part of the main course or at a starter. Yorkshire pudding, made from flour, eggs and milk, is a sort of batter baked in the oven and usually moistened with gravy. The traditional way to eat a Yorkshire pudding is to have a large, flat one filled with gravy and vegetables as a starter of the meal. Then when the meal is over, any unused puddings should be served with jam or ice-cream as a dessert.
 Fish and chips Fish (cod, haddock, huss, plaice) deep fried in flour batter with chips (fried potatoes) dressed in malt vinegar. This is England's traditional take-away food or as US would say "to go". Fish and chips are not normally home cooked but bought at a fish and chip shop ("chippie" ) to eat on premises or as a "take away"
 Ploughman's Lunch This dish is served in Pubs. It consists of a piece of cheese, a bit of pickle and pickled onion, and a chunk of bread.
 Shepherds' Pie Made with minced lamb and vegetables topped with mashed potato.
 Cottage Pie Made with minced beef and vegetables topped with mashed potato.
 Gammon Steak with egg
 Lancashire Hotpot A casserole of meat and vegetables topped with sliced potatoes.
 Pie and Mash with parsley liquor A very traditional East End London meal.
The original pies were made with eels because at the time eels were a cheaper product than beef. About fifty years ago, mince beef pies replaced the eels and have now become the traditional pie and mash that people know. The traditional pie and mash doesn't come without its famous sauce known as liquor which is a curious shade of green and definitely non-alcoholic. The liquor tastes much nicer than it looks. Jellied eels are also an East End delicacy often sold with pie and mash
 Bubble & Squeak Typically made from cold vegetables that have been left over from a previous meal, often the Sunday roast. The chief ingredients are potato and cabbage, but carrots, peas, brussels sprouts, and other vegetables can be added. The cold chopped vegetables (and cold chopped meat if used) are fried in a pan together with mashed potato until the mixture is well-cooked and brown on the sides. The name is a description of the action and sound made during the cooking process.
 English breakfast Eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, mushrooms, baked beans
 Bangers and Mash Bangers are sausages in England. (The reason sausages were nicknamed bangers is that during wartime rationing they were so filled with water they often exploded when they were fried.)
 Bacon Roly-Poly (made with a suet pastry)
 Cumberland sausage This famous pork sausage is usually presented coiled up like a long rope
 Favorite Children Meals Three favorite meals with children are fish fingers and chips, pizza and baked beans on toast.