UK Consumers Search for a Healthier Diet but Still Stick to Traditional Meals

Traditional British food is, generally, considered to be a very fine food that satisfies your heart, fills your stomach, and it meets your energy needs. Although drastically different from most European cuisines, UKs food is still something you should get used to if you live and work there. These are some of the traditional meals from all over the United Kingdom that you should definitely try.

From 2004 to 2020, the British showed more interest in healthy food than before, which can be seen by the names of food days that are used as the keywords they type in Google search and on Instagram. Betway composed a top 10 list of most searched food days in the UK and some of them are part of a traditional cuisine we’ll write about. Food that’s considered “non-healthy” still occupies most places in the ranking. 

Sunday Roast

Most families in the UK sit together for lunch every Sunday. This may not be practiced that much anymore due to rush lives they have nowadays, but still, Sunday roast (which you can, actually, consume any day of the week not only on Sundays) is still a very popular meal. Beef, chicken, lamb, pork or – especially at Christmas time – turkey is traditionally baked in the oven. It’s served with a choice of vegetables – such as roasted potatoes, carrots, cabbages, roasted onions, sprouts, peas – as well as small sausages wrapped in bacon and gravy of meat juices.

Fish and Chips

The British have been eating fish and chips since the 19th century. This is a traditional street food that you can eat with your fingers and that was once served only wrapped in a piece of white paper or newspaper. These days, local shops and food outlets are likely to serve this meal in a polystyrene bowl and with a small wooden fork.

Traditional British Pudding

Most traditional British desserts, like puddings, aren’t for those who are on a diet. For instance, Eve’s pudding. The apples are covered with crushed flour, sugar, and butter and served with egg, milk and vanilla cream. Bread and butter pudding is made of sliced bread that’s interwoven with dried fruit and baked in cream. It’s definitely different from the pudding most Europeans are used to.

Let’s go back to our top 10 list of most searched food days in the UK. For instance, this dish is ranked very high. British Yorkshire Pudding Day is #2 in the ranking with an increase in the search volume of 3200% in the period we took into account.

Full English Breakfast

No one in the UK will eat breakfast like this every day, but most people will admit to eating it sometimes. The preparation may consist of fried or baked bacon, sausage or two, fried egg, baked beans (canned beans in tomato sauce), baked or fried tomatoes, slices of fried bread (or toast), and fried mushrooms. The English breakfast is served in any combination, with a little brown sauce or tomato ketchup on the side.

Haggis

Sheep’s pluck or haggis is a traditional Scottish dish, always eaten at Burns Night, celebrated by Scottish national poet Rabbie Burns. Haggis is a sheep stomach filled with a mixture of chopped sheep heart, liver and lungs, oatmeal, onions, fat, and spices.

British Sausage

Unlike European sausages, most British sausages are made from fresh meat instead of dried. Sausages are usually made and stuffed with pork or beef and are flavored with herbs and a number of strong spices.

Lancashire Hotpot

The Lancashire hotpot is a traditional stew that originated in the North West of England. It’s made from mutton, lamb, and vegetables, with sliced potatoes. This is a relatively simple dish to prepare and also very cheap to make. It’s cooked very long and slow, so the meat is very juicy and tender and the taste is extraordinary.

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