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:
英国食物
英国食物在国外的名声并不怎么好。这其中很大一部分原因可能是在英国的外国人经常被迫去一些更为“流行”的餐馆就餐。在那些地方，食物原料都是大批量准备得，食物的口味自然也就不怎么样了，虽然从营养学的角度来看，其价值还是相当可以的。另外，食物品种单调，色相也不引人。此外，英国人在低中档餐厅就餐时常常十分匆忙——至少午餐时间如此——而在一个愉快的就餐环境下悠闲得享受一顿正餐要比在商业环境下匆忙得胡抓一顿要来得愉悦得多了。总得来说，在英国，享用一顿食物还算丰盛而花费也算合理的正餐，也是有可能的；事实上，
类似的食物，在国外可能要花费你更多。对于那些，囊中稍有闲钱的人们，英国也有些餐馆可以和任何国家的最好的餐馆相媲美。 在许多国家，人们认为吃早餐无非就是吃点点心而不是一顿饭。但是传统的英国早餐可堪称为一顿完整的正餐。一些人会先喝上一碗燕麦或是粥。如果这粥是用粗燕麦（合理得用苏格兰人方法）熬制，那么，这将是一道味道极好，又经济又营养的好菜，尤其当你拌着牛奶或是奶油，以及糖或盐一起食用。吃完了粥，接着上来的一道菜通常都是蒸煮过的热菜，如咸肉和鸡蛋，火腿和咸肉，也有一些时候，是鲟鱼或是腌鱼。约克郡的火腿可以说是早餐的“特别来宾”了。然后，上来的就是烤面包了，涂上黄油或是果酱，亦或是拌着些水果。在就餐期间，还会饮些茶和咖啡。现在的很多英国人，也只有在周日的早晨才吃上这么一顿完整的早餐了。
一顿传统的英国正餐（午餐或是晚餐，通常来讲晚餐会更丰盛些），食物通常都简单易做：一道英式牛排，举世无双（其牛排取自苏格兰安格斯牛，品质一流），伴以烤土豆；第二道菜为蔬菜（核能是卷心菜或者萝卜），然后是约克郡布丁（将面粉、鸡蛋、牛奶和盐混合搅拌，焙烤而得）。
英国羔肉，以烧烤为最佳，也是一道非常美味的食物，尤其与春季的新鲜豌豆、新种的土豆和薄吧酱一起食用，味道更佳。英国的猪肉也很不错，不过，小牛肉，有时就让人有些失望了。
说到鱼，英国多佛的鲽鱼堪称味美。另外，英国的鲑鱼和三文鱼也非常的不错。只可惜，它们的价格可不便宜。
苹果派是一道很受推崇的甜点，另外还有各式各样的英国布丁，可以作为一顿正餐完美的收场，尤其是在冬日这样清冷的季节。
英国的奶酪理应更为人所道。奶酪中的“极品”为斯第尔顿奶酪，这是一种有着蓝色脉络的奶酪，味道平滑而又强烈。喝一口葡萄酒，再吃上几口奶酪，其美味就尽显无疑了。另外，切达奶酪、柴郡的奶酪、兰克郡的奶酪都能愉悦你的味蕾，还有各式各样的奶油奶酪遍布整个国家。德文郡的浓缩奶油做得很是出众，而且就着英国草莓和木莓一块吃，味道极佳。
不过，也许你们为问，我们吃饭时该喝些什么呢？很多人会说英国啤酒。而且偏好味苦的淡色啤酒，或是苹果酒。如果你喝得是正宗的产自德文郡的苹果酒，而你又是第一次喝，那你可得当心了。它可比你想象中的要烈得多了。
近几年，英国人的饮食习惯也变得越来越国际化了。许多家庭烧制的家常菜肴，其配方或是秘方，有可能来自印度（咖喱就是一道很受欢迎的菜肴）、中国，甚至世界上的任一地方。