English food has a bad reputation abroad. This is most probably because foreigners in England are often obliged to eat in the more “popular” type of restaurant. Here it is necessary to prepare food rapidly in large quantities, and the taste of the food inevitably suffers, though its quality,from the point of view of nourishment,is quite satisfactory. Still, it is rather dull and not always attractively presented. Moreover, the Englishman eating in a cheap or medium price restaurant is usually in a hurry—at least at lunch—and a meal eaten in a leisurely manner in pleasant surrounding is always far more enjoyable than a meal taken hastily in a business-like atmosphere. In general, it is possible to get an adequate meal at a reasonable price;in fact, such a meal may be less expensive than similar food abroad. For those with money to spare,there are restaurants that compare favourably with the best in any country.
In many countries breakfast is a snack rather than a meal,but the traditional English breakfast is a full meal.Some people have a cereal or porridge to begin with. If porridge is prepared from coarse oatmeal(in the proper Scottish manner)it is a tasty,economical,and nourishing dish,especially when it is eaten with milk or cream,and sugar or salt. Then comes a substantial,usually cooked,course such as bacon and eggs,sausages and bacon or,sometimes,haddock or kippers. Yorkshire ham is also a breakfast speciality. Afterwards comes toast,with butter and marmalade ,and perhaps some fruit. Tea or coffee is drunk with the meal. Many English people now take such a full breakfast only on Sunday morning.
The traditional English meal(lunch or dinner,lunch generally being the lighter meal) is based on plain,simply-cooked food.British beefsteak is unsurpassed(with the best steaks coming from the Scotch Angus cattle)and is accompanied by roast potatoes;a second vegetable (probably cabbage or carrots),and Yorkshire pudding(baked batter,a mixture of flour,egg,milk and salt).
English lamb chops,best when grilled,make a very tasty dish,particularly when eaten with fresh spring peas,new potatoes and mint sauce.English pork is good,but English veal is sometimes disappointing.
As regards fish,Dover soles are a delicacy.So are British trout and salmon. Unfortunately ,they are not cheap!
Apple pie is a favourite sweet,and English puddings,of which there are various types,are an excellent ending to a meal,especially in winter.
English cheeses deserve to be better known than they are. The “king” of cheeses is Stilton,a blue-veined cheese both smooth and strong,and at its best when port is drunk with it. Cheddar,Cheshire,and Lancashire cheeses are all pleasing to the palate, and cream cheeses are to be had in various parts of the country. In Devon, excellent clotted cream is made, which goes well with English strawberries and raspberries.
But what, you may say,shall we drink with our meal? Many will say English beer,preferably bitter or pale ale,or cider. If it is real Devonshire country cider,be careful—it is stronger than you think when you first taste it!
In recent years the British have become more cosmopolitan in their eating habits,and many families frequently sit down to meals whose ingredients or recipes may come from India(curry is a well-liked dish),China,or anywhere in the world.
译文:
英国食品
英国食物在国外的口碑不太好。这很有可能是因为外国人在英国总是被迫要到“大众化的”餐馆吃饭。在这样的餐馆，必然是快速地准备好大量食物，味道也必然很糟，虽然从营养的角度来说是很不错的。而且，它相当无味，也不一定诱人。再者，英国人在一个便宜或中档价位的餐厅吃饭通常都很快——起码午餐是这样——在舒适的环境里悠闲地吃饭总是比在商务式气氛中匆忙吃饭要令人愉快得多。一般说来，在一个适当的价位吃一顿足量的饭是有可能的；事实上，类似的一顿饭在国外或许会便宜些。对于那些要省钱的人，这些餐厅比得上任何国家最好的餐厅。
在许多国家，早餐是点心而非饭食，但是传统的英国早餐是丰盛的一餐。首先是谷物或粥。粗糙的燕麦做的粥（特有的苏格兰方式）十分美味，经济，营养，特别是当它和牛奶或奶油加上糖或盐一起食用时。然后上一道丰盛的，经过烹制的菜，比如咸肉和鸡蛋，香肠和咸肉，或者有时是鳕鱼或腌鱼。约克郡火腿也是早餐中的一道特色菜。然后上吐司，抹上黄油和果酱，也可能是一些水果。早餐喝茶或咖啡。许多英国人现在还会在星期天早上享受一顿如此丰盛的早餐。
传统的英国膳食（午餐或晚餐，通常午餐不太重要）以简易烹制的食物为基础。英式早餐是很棒的（苏格兰安格斯牛制成的优质牛排）比如烤土豆；其次是蔬菜（可能是卷心菜或胡萝卜），还有约克郡布丁（烤饼，一种用面粉、鸡蛋、牛奶和盐调成的糊状物）。
英国羊排，烤着吃是最好的，味道极其鲜美，特别是和春季的豌豆、嫩土豆，薄荷酱一同食用时。英国猪肉很不错，但英国的牛肉有时却令人失望。
至于鱼呢，多佛比目鱼是一道佳肴。还有就是英国的鳟鱼和鲑鱼。不幸的是，他们并不便宜！
苹果派是最受欢迎的甜点，和英国布丁一样有许多种类，它们是一顿饭的完美谢幕，尤其是在冬天。
英国奶酪值得人们去更加了解它。“奶酪之王”是斯蒂尔顿奶酪，一种有蓝色纹理的奶酪，光滑而坚硬，同饮波特酒时它的味道最美。切达，柴郡和兰开夏奶酪都是清香爽口的，并且奶油干酪遍布英国各地。在德文郡，盛产和草莓木莓相配的优质的凝乳油。
但是，你也许会问，我们在吃饭时喝什么酒呢？许多人会说 英国啤酒，最好是苦啤或麦酒，抑或是苹果酒。如果是正宗的德文郡乡村产的苹果酒，当你第一次喝的时候请当心——它比你想象中的要浓烈！
近年来，英国在饮食习惯上更具世界性，而且许多家庭经常围坐着吃一顿配料或烹饪法是来自印度（咖喱是一种很受欢迎食物）、中国或世界上任何国家的饭。