Author Archives: britrish
The secret to good fish and chips
Photo credit: The Independent
Sorry, America, your chips suck.
Too many fish and chip shops in the U.S. rely on limp, frozen, thick-cut fries and they try to pawn them off quietly, blanketed underneath a fine piece of crisp, beer-battered fish. It’s a travesty that is happening in too many so-called London fish and chip shops that are a dime-a-dozen in the U.S.
But there is a secret to good fish and chips and you don’t need to have British-grown spuds to succeed. Just double fry the chips! It makes a world of difference and the Brits know it!
Check out The Independent’s guide to perfect chips every time – at home!
Pity Shitterton’s tourism board
On our last visit to the north of England, I snapped this pic of one street, Slack Bottom, in Yorkshire, but it really doesn’t hold a candle to some of these names.
No shit. The U.K.’s worst place name goes to Shitterton in Dorset, according to a recent contest by Findmypast.co.uk.
But there is no uh, end, to the list of poorly named villages in the country. Here’s their top 10:
1. Shitterton, Dorset
2. Scratchy Bottom, Dorset
3. Brokenwind, Aberdeenshire
4. Crapstone, Devon
5. Golden Balls, Oxfordshire
6. Ugley, Essex
7. Crackpot, North Yorkshire
8. Backside, Aberdeenshire
9. Great Snoring, Norfolk
10. Happy Bottom, Dorset
These are good, but they’ve completely missed some beauts that were catalogued by the Daily Telegraph, including Cocks, Cornwall, Butt Hole Road in South Yorkshire and Hornyold Road in Worcestershire. Check out their list.
British muesli in the USA
My husband, like so many Brits, loves his muesli. But Americans haven’t really hopped aboard the muesli train yet. The American cereal aisle is still steeped in the post-80s granola movement of super-sweetened nuggets made with vanilla, almond, honey, pumpkin spice. The kind of ingredients you would also see at a candle store. (In fact, the granola people and the candlemakers should get together to buy their ingredients in bulk.)
And so it was pure serendipity that we stumbled upon the real British brand, Dorset Cereals, made in the small English village of Poundbury, now sold at Whole Foods.
Union jack cake
The Great British Bake-Off started its second season earlier this month and the above union jack battenburg cake has been making the rounds on the British baking (and cooking TV) blogs. I bet this cake is delish with a cup of tea!
If you’re interested in making this at home, the recipe is here, courtesy of the BBC.
I’ll see you back here on Monday!
London in wood
I don’t know what I love more – the above London map done in wood by Neighborwoods or the tagline of Neighborwoods (“Your hood etched in wood.”) $64 for an 11 1/2″ by 14 1/4″ piece and they’re based in New York.
Pedoscope, anyone?
See the above contraption? What do you suppose it is? Any guesses?
Well, would you put your foot in it?
My MIL recently told us that this was an actual devise used in shoe stores to provide an X-ray of one’s foot – and indeed to check to see if there was enough room for toes inside a shoe. I kid you not.
Not sure what was wrong with the method of just pushing on one’s toes through the shoe to gauge, but yes. These were used instead. Apparently, they were known as pedoscopes and were popular in the U.K. through the mid-1970s. I’ve never seen one, never heard of one, but my MIL has reported that my husband’s foot was pedoscoped back in the day!
Wikipedia also reports that they were also used in the U.S. from the 1920s through the 1950s until they were outlawed (probably due to all the pesky radiation! What a buzzkill!).
The Holy Grail of British jeans
Rachel Weisz in MiH Breathless jeans
I have been a fan of Hudson jeans for about a year now. I bought a pair at last year’s Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale and loved the fit (yay for a petite cut!) and for the little union jack on the bum.
But lately, I’ve ben searching for that elusive jean – something petite again, but also skinny without being too skinny, straight and fitted just so. Not too tight on the ankle, but not too loose. The answer might be in the form of the British brand MiH and their Breathless jean. I was flipping through the August issue of Glamour and lo and behold, the dream jean was there: “Something slim-fitting but not too tight, spiffy enough for Saturday night but also perfect for a casual brunch” and there were photos of Rachel Weisz, Rosie Huntington Whiteley and Elizabeth Hurley sporting the look.
Have you ever tried MiH? Is it all that and a bag of chips (or should I say crisps)? Inquiring minds want to know (I want to know!).
Fall line at Mini Boden
Sniff, sniff. Can you smell that? I think fall is nigh! (Or should I say autumn?) (And should I say near?) 🙂
Mini Boden’s fall line is exquisite, playful and gorgeous, with a British nod to style. I particularly love the cosy gilet, the duffle coat and the Westminster Printed Skirt. Lush!
Viva Las Vegas
So apparently what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas – unless you’re Prince Harry and someone commemorates the occasion on film. I’m ashamed for him. Couldn’t he have just hung out in the buffet at Bellagio? Maybe caught Celine Dion in concert? And checked out the beautiful pool and cabanas at the Palms (and then regretted eating so much at the buffet)? That’s how I roll when I’m in Vegas.
At any rate, it could be worse. At least Prince Harry still has all his teeth. Do you want to send Buckingham Palace a copy of “The Hangover” or should I?
Scotch! For your nails!
Have you heard about Scotch nail polish (translation: nail varnish), a non-toxic, eco-friendly line of colors with names like Loch Ness Mystery, Black Tartan and Highland Mist? Even cooler? The bottles are fashioned after whiskey bottles. Love it! (Oh yeah, and they’re based here in the U.S. but available in the U.K. and quite a few other countries globally!)
BRITRISH.COM 