Since I'm marrying an Irishman in just 16 short days, I thought I'd take this opportunity to share some of my favorite foods from Ireland and England. Now, Ireland is NOT part of the UK, however they do eat many foods from the UK such as Cadbury chocolate. In the four years I've known my fella, he's introduced me to many lovely snacks that come from his side of the pond! If you have a grocery store with good international choices or even better, an Irish or English store nearby, I highly recommend trying any of these yummy treats! If you're in the New York area, I'd recommend The Butcher's Block on Queens Blvd & 41st Street in Sunnyside, Queens or in Manhattan you could go to Myers of Chiswick or Tea & Sympathy, both located downtown.
Shepherds Pie - YUM! The More gravy the better!!!
Go here for an easy recipe to make it yourself. http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000216easy_shepherds_pie.phpI could never be a proper Irish wife without enjoying the occasional Bailey's on the rocks! Mmmmm! I always have Bailey's at Christmas time especially - there's just something so Christmassy about it!
I was skeptical at first when mister introduced me to potato waffles, but these beauties are DELICIOUS!!! You pop them in the toaster (at least 2 or three times at the highest setting to get them nice and crispy!) and then smear them with butter! Salt & pepper or season to taste and they are to die for!!!
Rountrees Pastels - gummy snacks with a sugary coating! TOTALLY ADDICTIVE!!!
Quality Street candies are a staple at Christmas as well - they are slightly similar to Hershey's Miniature in that you buy a box and each color is a different flavor! The Brits & Irish simply do better sweets - no contest!
PG Tips is my favorite tea! I just had a cup with milk and it was delightful! I've been drinking PG since I was a senior in college.
Mi Wadi is what the Irish & British refer to as squash. Basically, you use a little Mi Wadi in a glass of water. It's a great way to trick children or even yourself into drinking water. It's yummy and when I stayed with a family in England, this is pretty much all we drank at their house in the way of non-alcoholic beverages. I always keep a bottle in my fridge!
Kerrygold Aged Irish Cheddar is one of the best cheeses on the planet! Kerrygold also makes really nice real butter, but beware, it's fattening!
Jaffa Cakes are soooo good! Basically it's a little cookie with a cakey consistency. In the middle there's an orange flavored gel and it's covered in chocolate. It sounds disgusting, but they are soooo good! I don't even like orange & chocolate confections, but I love these! *Note: In Ireland, they often give these to fatigued soccer players for energy - they contain electrolites (like in Gatoraid) and other good stuff too, but they taste sinful!
Rountrees Pastels - gummy snacks with a sugary coating! TOTALLY ADDICTIVE!!!
Quality Street candies are a staple at Christmas as well - they are slightly similar to Hershey's Miniature in that you buy a box and each color is a different flavor! The Brits & Irish simply do better sweets - no contest!
PG Tips is my favorite tea! I just had a cup with milk and it was delightful! I've been drinking PG since I was a senior in college.
Mi Wadi is what the Irish & British refer to as squash. Basically, you use a little Mi Wadi in a glass of water. It's a great way to trick children or even yourself into drinking water. It's yummy and when I stayed with a family in England, this is pretty much all we drank at their house in the way of non-alcoholic beverages. I always keep a bottle in my fridge!
Kerrygold Aged Irish Cheddar is one of the best cheeses on the planet! Kerrygold also makes really nice real butter, but beware, it's fattening!
Jaffa Cakes are soooo good! Basically it's a little cookie with a cakey consistency. In the middle there's an orange flavored gel and it's covered in chocolate. It sounds disgusting, but they are soooo good! I don't even like orange & chocolate confections, but I love these! *Note: In Ireland, they often give these to fatigued soccer players for energy - they contain electrolites (like in Gatoraid) and other good stuff too, but they taste sinful!
Jacobs Cream Crackers are like large saltines without salt. The difference is that they're made with cream so they aren't as dry and taste, well, creamy! These are lovely with some cheese or buttered with soup!
Rowntrees Fruit Gums - They're just like pastels, but chewier, more tangy than sweet and don't have the sugary coating!
An interesting tidbit - tea was more easily ready for Irish wives of the past. When my mister's mother married in 1963, she had to give up her job as a librarian to marry. It was not legal for women to work and be married!!! Now that women are working and keeping house, the new rage in Ireland when we were there in 2007 was getting a house keeper, which was pretty much unheard of previously! It's not uncommon at all for people in Ireland to drop by your house unannounced for tea - when we lived in NYC and our Irish friends dropped by unannounced, it used to drive me mental - shoving everything under the couch before they walked up the three flights of stairs and scowering the cupboards for the last few biscuits in the house! I'm used to it now and always prepared - though no one drops in down here. But if they did, I'd be ready!
Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel - I could eat my body weight in these, but for obvious reasons, I stick to about 1 every week or two!
Club Orange or Diet Club Orange - This is like orange juice mixed with sparkling water! My favorite soda substitute!
White Chocolate Cadbury Buttons
Brennan's Bread Pan - This is FRESH bread! The Irish certainly love their bread! And foods overseas don't always have as many preservatives as they do in the US. For that very reason, it drove me mad to buy this bread in NYC because it goes bad within a day or two. But it's so nice - fluffy and white! Makes the very best toast!
Heinz Baked Beans Blue Tin - these are great! Though we have the US version, it has more sugar in the sauce, so it's sweeter. These have more of a tomato taste to them. I prefer them and I'm a huge fan of beans on toast, a popular English & Irish breakfast! Sprinkle a little cheddar on top and serve with a soft boiled egg & Irish bacon or bangers for a proper Irish fry!
Most of these foods are expensive in the US, but you're paying for the import and shipping. They are worth it if you're feeling a little international one day! I'm so glad that we can get most of these things here on island, not just for me, but so my sweetie doesn't feel homesick! Because Cayman is an English Colony, every store has a British foods section, though some Irish things are very very hard to find.
McVities Caramels Digestive Biscuits - Any proper Irish wife is ready to make tea at a moment's notice! Now, you can't possibly have tea without biscuits! That just won't do! Across the pond, a biscuit is not the fluffy white bread we get at KFC, it's more like a cracker or cookie! Most are sweet. For special guests, one should pull out the fancy biscuits. Plain ones are much like graham crackers. The next step would be like these caramel ones or anything with a little chocolate or fruit and for very special occasions if not serving cakes or scones, super fancy biscuits have all the bells and whistles and can somewhat resemble a malomar. This is the best way I can describe it - this is what I've learned from the Irish women I know - it's different in England and I don't pretend to be an expert. Anyway, this is my favorite biscuit!
An interesting tidbit - tea was more easily ready for Irish wives of the past. When my mister's mother married in 1963, she had to give up her job as a librarian to marry. It was not legal for women to work and be married!!! Now that women are working and keeping house, the new rage in Ireland when we were there in 2007 was getting a house keeper, which was pretty much unheard of previously! It's not uncommon at all for people in Ireland to drop by your house unannounced for tea - when we lived in NYC and our Irish friends dropped by unannounced, it used to drive me mental - shoving everything under the couch before they walked up the three flights of stairs and scowering the cupboards for the last few biscuits in the house! I'm used to it now and always prepared - though no one drops in down here. But if they did, I'd be ready!Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel - I could eat my body weight in these, but for obvious reasons, I stick to about 1 every week or two!
Club Orange or Diet Club Orange - This is like orange juice mixed with sparkling water! My favorite soda substitute!
White Chocolate Cadbury Buttons
Brennan's Bread Pan - This is FRESH bread! The Irish certainly love their bread! And foods overseas don't always have as many preservatives as they do in the US. For that very reason, it drove me mad to buy this bread in NYC because it goes bad within a day or two. But it's so nice - fluffy and white! Makes the very best toast!
Heinz Baked Beans Blue Tin - these are great! Though we have the US version, it has more sugar in the sauce, so it's sweeter. These have more of a tomato taste to them. I prefer them and I'm a huge fan of beans on toast, a popular English & Irish breakfast! Sprinkle a little cheddar on top and serve with a soft boiled egg & Irish bacon or bangers for a proper Irish fry!
Most of these foods are expensive in the US, but you're paying for the import and shipping. They are worth it if you're feeling a little international one day! I'm so glad that we can get most of these things here on island, not just for me, but so my sweetie doesn't feel homesick! Because Cayman is an English Colony, every store has a British foods section, though some Irish things are very very hard to find.
Night Night!
xoxo,
Pink Julep!
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