Toffee, Toasties and Take Away: Food in London

By Laurel Pauling

LONDON -- After traveling for almost 21 hours, one of the main things on my mind once I reached my apartment in London was eating something other than airplane food. My first meal in the city was a huge improvement. We had a group meal at Ship Tavern, which opened in 1549 and was used as a secret meeting place for Catholic mass during the reign of King Henry VIII. We were offered a choice of several meals, including "bangers and mash," a traditional British dish of mashed potatoes and sausage, and several varieties of pies.

Chicken pie, mashed potatoes and vegetables

A "pie" in Britain is what Americans know as a pot pie, and they're a very popular dish. I chose a chicken pie as my dinner, and it was better than any I've had at home. The flaky pastry crust was delicious, and it was filled with large pieces of chicken in a thick, creamy sauce. We were also offered dessert at the tavern, and I chose sticky toffee pudding, something I had never heard of but that was highly recommended to me by both my professor and one of our guides.

Sticky toffee pudding

Since the dessert had the word pudding in it, what I got was not what I was expecting. It had the constancy of a moist, crumbly brownie, and came with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream. This was obviously very different than the creamy chocolate or tapioca dessert I associate with the word pudding, but in Britain the word pudding is used in place of the word dessert. It was unlike anything I've tasted before, and it was rich and very sweet.

For lunch on our second day, some of the group stopped at Pret A Manger, a chain restaurant that exists in the states on the east coast as well as in Hong Kong, and that is very popular in England and France. They have pre-made sandwiches, wraps, fruit cups, salads, and other quick foods that you grab off a shelf and either take to go, or sit down with in the restaurant. I was surprised to find that there was a price difference between getting food for take away, the British term for "to go," and eating at the cafe-style restaurant, which was the more expensive option.

Ham, cheese and mustard toastie

I picked up a ham and cheese sandwich with mustard that said it would be warmed up, and when it was given back to me I recognized it as a panini. The word used by Pret for the sandwich is a "toastie." According to the information on the bag, toasties have been a favorite food of the British people for the last 30 years. My toastie was a more gourmet version of the ham and cheese melts I have made as lunch for myself at home, although there were many more diverse options.

So far, my meals in London have more than made up for the ones I ate getting here.