British Foods That Don’t Make Sense to Anyone Outside the UK

What is a Scotch egg, we hear you ask? Well, it’s essentially a boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs, and then deep-fried, so it’s crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside. Yeah, it’s weird. But it seems as though Brits love this traditional British food, and you’ll normally see it in everyone’s picnic baskets during the warm-ish summer months. When it’s not raining, anyway. 

Beans means Heinz, apparently. In fact, the people of England and their taste buds love baked beans so much there’s even a popular song associated with it that goes, “Beans, beans, good for your heart. The more you eat, the more you fart!” But despite the fact that this song literally tells the British public they’re going to suffer from gastrointestinal issues if they eat beans, they still have them with basically every meal. 

In the UK, Jelly is Jell-O – but we’re not sure if that little clarification makes this British food better or worse. One thing we do know for sure is that Brits love this dessert combo, especially when they’re younger. Go to any kids’ birthday party in England and you’ll no doubt find bowls and bowls of this stuff. We can’t help but wonder about the strange textures going on here, though. 

British people must have different taste buds to us. What they consider to be British delicacies often seem like kitchen disasters gone wrong to us, and that’s certainly the case when it comes to mushy peas. After all, everyone loves peas – so why fix what isn’t broken? But those Brits decided to mess with an iconic delicacy and mash those peas up to create a lumpy bright green sauce. 

You should know by now that British people love their fish and chips. But while there are some Brits who are content with having a plate full of fries, fish, and the dreaded mushy peas, a huge portion of the population loves to finish off their meal with a chip butty. And if you’re wondering what that is, it’s essentially a whole load of extra fries popped into a buttered bun! 

We’re not quite sure what is weirder here, the name of this strange food, its bizarre jelly-like appearance, or the fact that laverbread is actually made from seaweed. It seems as though this food is so niche it’s actually popular anywhere outside of Wales! But the people there absolutely love it, spreading this thick, brown spread onto their toast every single morning as part of their breakfast. And while we know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, we think we’ll pass. 

If you didn’t already know, British chips and American chips are very different. While American chips are flat and crispy and come in a packet, British chips are thick and chunky – more like huge fries. But it seems as though the weird chip choices don’t end there, either. When Brits treat themselves to one of their favorite delicacies, they don’t smother their chips in Ketchup or mustard. Instead, they smother them in curry sauce. 

Look, we love a sandwich as much as the next person (who really loves sandwiches). But there’s no doubt about the fact that Brits do their sandwiches a bit differently. Take a cheese and pickle sandwich, for example. To the average American, the fact that someone would eat a sandwich with cheese and green pickles out of a jar is pretty weird. But what’s even weirder is the fact that British pickles aren’t like that at all! 

Toad in the hole may sound like an amphibians’ worst nightmare, but this dish is actually a very famous British delicacy – even if it does look like their standard beige meal. That’s because toad in the hole is essentially a few sausages sitting on a bed of Yorkshire puddings. And while it sounds very strange, the Brits absolutely love this dish, especially when it’s topped with gravy and served with mashed potatoes.

For starters, let’s just take a minute to understand the language barrier here. Brits consider custard cream to be a biscuit  – but it’s not the kind of biscuit that we have with gravy across the pond! In our terms, a custard cream is actually cookie (but don’t get us started on what the Brits consider to be a cookie), and it’s a very weird one at that. After all, just look at it! 

You might know it as a shrimp cocktail, but prawn cocktail is a huge deal in the UK. Not only Brits delight their taste buds with a literal shrimp cocktail as an appetizer, but popular crisp brand Walkers (the British equivalent of Lays) has also turned this appetizer into a chip flavor. And while the idea of having prawn cocktail-flavored crisps sounds pretty weird to most people, those across the pond absolutely love them.

If you couldn’t already tell, British people love carbs – especially when they’re beige! And while some Italians may be looking at this picture and cursing up at the sky, it seems as though Brits have no problem merging different cuisines together onto one plate. In fact, they love eating their lasagna with garlic bread (okay, that’s acceptable) and chips (okay, that’s not acceptable). Why? Well, we’re not sure why.

Brits and Americans may speak the same language, but we definitely don’t have the same taste buds – and there are definitely some discrepancies on the language front. Yes, the picture below is apparently spaghetti on toast. But while we know spaghetti as the long and thin pasta that’s rich in Italian history, it seems as though Brits know spaghetti as spaghetti hoops. And they love to have this stuff on toast. 

What a creative name, right? We wonder if they call mustard the “yellow sauce” or mayonnaise the “white sauce” in the UK? Whatever the case, there’s no doubt about the fact that brown sauce is an incredibly popular condiment across the pond. The British delicacy can be found in every single grocery store, and while there are a few different brands out there, the HP brand is definitely the top dog in the brown sauce race. 

Marmite is to British people what Vegemite is to Australians – and if you’re from America, you probably won’t understand at all. But while Brits love burning their taste buds by slathering this British delicacy on their toast in the morning, it’s easy to understand why those elsewhere in the world don’t understand this British food. That’s because Marmite is actually made from the by-products of the beer brewing process. Ans that’s weird, right?

Everyone needs a birthday cake on their birthday, right? Well, you’ve be happy to hear that the people of England don’t disagree. They love a birthday cake, but there’s one particular birthday cake that flies off the shelves every single day. And that is the Colin the Caterpillar cake made by the British grocery store, Marks & Spencer. Sure, it’s whimsical and kind of cute – but what makes this cake so special?

You knew this was going to make its way onto the list at some point, right? After all, haggis is infamous. And while you won’t find that many British people actually eat this food, a huge portion of people in Scotland regularly eat this strange creation. It’s even been crowned the official food of Scotland – but you might want to listen to what we have to say about this food before you try it during your Scottish adventures. 

Depending on where you are in the world, you might actually be familiar with this British delicacy. That’s because you can actually find Vienetta in many places in North America – but there’s no doubt about the fact that it’s nowhere near as popular in the US as it is in the UK. Brits absolutely love this ice cream log, and if you go into any British grocery store you’ll see various different flavors in the freezer. 

Frozen foods are great to have in the freezer for when you just can’t be bothered to cook, and it seems as though Brits have the same idea. They stock up their freezer with all kinds of foods, from frozen chips (fries to the rest of the world), turkey dinosaurs, potato smileys, and even some fish fingers. Of course, that’s not too uncommon. But what is uncommon is the fact that Brits eat these fish fingers in a sandwich! 

It seems as though the Brits and their taste buds can’t get enough of butties. They will shove anything in a sandwich, and that’s probably why crisp butties have become so popular! When these guys settle down for their lunch, they’ll either make a crisp butty from scratch with some bread and a packet of crisps, or they’ll add the crisps into their already-prepared sandwich – which is pretty weird. 

If you’re looking at this photo and wondering what the heck you’re looking at, you’re not alone. And the word “scraps” probably doesn’t help the situation, either. But it turns out that this British food is a true delicacy, and something that really makes a Brit’s taste buds tingle. What are scraps, though? Well, scraps are leftover batter bits found in the fryer after restaurants have cooked battered fish or sausages. 

Corned beef isn’t too uncommon, right? Made from beef brisket and cooked incredibly slowly so it’s very tender, corned beef is a common food across the globe. But they do things a little differently in the UK with their corned beef. Instead of leaving the beef to do the hard work on its own, they add gelatine to the beef to make it more like a spread. Then, they spread it in their sandwiches.

There’s a high chance that you’ve heard this name before, but have you ever been able to pronounce it properly? Well, the jury is still out on how on earth you make all of those consonants sound like an actual word, but the jury definitely isn’t still out on a Brit’s love for such a sauce. Often called Lea and Perrins, this sauce is a rather spicy, thin sauce that just can’t be explained. 

We wouldn’t blame you if you thought that butter pie was quite literally a pie made from butter. It would make sense, after all. But it seems as though those Brits just like to confuse us with the names of their British food, as a butter pie actually has a potato and onion filling. It can usually be found in the north of the country, and northerners absolutely love this savory pie. 

Ben & Jerry’s, peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper… these are all things that go together perfectly. But it seems as though English people also think that curry and chips are a match made in heaven. Not only do they slather their chip-shop chips with a thick curry sauce, but when they order a traditional Indian curry you’ll always find chips on the menu, too. That’s just the British way. 

Considering it’s close proximity to France – AKA the pastry capital of the world – you’d think that the British food world would be full of amazing pastries and sweet treats. However, there’s a big question mark hanging over that assumption. This is especially true when you see things like this. Yes, this is what the Brits call an iced bun, ladies and gentlemen. And no, it’s not a frozen treat. 

No list of British food would be complete without a full English breakfast, right? This is perhaps one of the most famous British foods of all time, and it’s safe to say that people in England take their breakfast very seriously. A full English breakfast has everything from sausages to bacon and baked beans on the plate, and in true beige-loving form some people even have chips (AKA fries) for breakfast, too.

When you think of British life, you might think of tea and crumpets. But have you ever stopped to think about what crumpets really are? A famous British delicacy, crumpets are made from batter and have large holes in them – and this, apparently, is what makes them so delicious. It’s said that Brits slather their crumpets with butter, making sure the melted butter drips inside the holes for full flavor coverage! 

If you’ve ever been to England, you’ll know that British people have a weird obsession with the bakery chain Greggs. You’ll find one of these bakeries in every town, and there’s actually more Greggs’ in the country than there is McDonald’s! And while this place offers a whole host of food, there’s no doubt about the fact that most people will choose to buy one of their sausage rolls. They’re iconic, apparently. 

Sundays are a day of rest, but in the UK, Sundays are the day of the Sunday roast! Many Brits take this extremely seriously, making sure they plan their whole day around this delicious feast. And while there’s some debate amongst Brits as to whether they should eat a roast at lunchtime or at dinnertime, the general consensus is that every Sunday should be filled with a Sunday roast. No exceptions! 

We’d like to rename British people “beige-lovers,” because it seems as though they’ll only really eat something if it’s been coated in some kind of beige addition. And this is certainly the case when it comes to fish. Instead of eating fish as it comes, they cover their fish in the batter mix and dunk it into the fryer so it becomes all crispy. And while probably makes it more delicious, it’s definitely not healthy. 

If you ever go to the UK, you need to have their traditional afternoon tea. Here, you’ll find cucumber sandwiches, little cakes, tea, and scones. But you don’t have these scones plain! You need to smother these things in clotted cream, apparently. This stuff is made from heating cow’s milk using steam, and then leaving it to thicken. In the end, the consistency is more like ice cream than thin cream. 

By now you should know that British people love their bread. They will shove any filling in some bread and call it the best sandwich they’ve ever made – but at least a bacon butty is something we can all get behind. A bacon butty is essentially a bacon sandwich. British bacon is very different to American bacon, though, as it’s much leaner which can often make it much crispier. 

You probably don’t need us to tell you that potatoes are extremely versatile. They can be fried, mashed, boiled, baked, and even made into waffles! But have you ever heard of potatoes being turned into bread? Well, it seems as though the carb-lovers in England have struck again. Potato bread is extremely popular in England, even if they do have very different names depending on where you are in the country. 

If you ever go to the UK, order a full English, and then see some round black circles on your plate, you might want to reconsider your menu choice. That’s because you’ve been served black pudding – a British delicacy not dissimilar to blood sausage. It’s normally made from animal fat, grains, onion, cereals, and cow or pig blood. It’s then stuffed into an intestine to create the sausage shape. 

Let’s be honest; grilled cheeses are the best. There are different iterations of this iconic food across the globe, and in true fashion the Brits always have to be different. Instead of making their grilled cheese in a pan, they make sealed toasties in a toastie maker. And what makes this so different is the fact that the edges are sealed – something we’re not used to in the United States! 

Despite the fact that the UK is famous for its root vegetables and fruits, it seems as though Brits prefer a different kind of British delicacy. And you can bet your bottom dollar that this delicacy is going to be beige! Yes, those across the pond can’t get enough of turkey dinosaurs – and we can sort of understand why. Like turkey chicken nuggets in the shape of a dinosaur, this food is pretty fun. 

Yes, Brits do eat rabbit – but rarebit is very different. Although you’ll mostly find this dish served in Wales, there’s no doubt that its popularity has also spread across the whole of the UK. It seems as though people can’t get enough of the Welsh rarebit – but if you need a little clarification, rarebit is essentially a fancy grilled cheese. Of course, in the UK they’d call it “cheese on toast.”

Most people are familiar with fruit pies. After all, these delicious desserts can be found across the globe, in so many different countries. And while there’s no doubt about the fact that Brits can make a mean fruit pie, they’ve made another dessert to rival it. We’d like to introduce the fruit crumble! Similar to a fruit pie, it has stewed fruit at the bottom. But instead of a pastry top, this has a crumbled top made from float, sugar, butter, and oats. 

One thing you might not realize about the UK is that, while the united countries may be incredibly small, the whole place is incredibly diverse – especially in terms of food. If you head to Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, or mainland England, you’ll find a huge array of local food that is very specific to that small location. In fact, that’s the case with soda bread and jam, which you can see below.