Anglophiles MESSAGE BOARD

Ah! A place to post all those random thoughts (it would help if I actually posted the thoughts when I name the thread, eh?)

So, have we all exhausted our great passion for all things anglo so quickly? Or has that other similar group recently created drained our human resources? Perhaps, we need a boost, a brief departure from the books...

Perhaps we need a cup of tea and a crumpet. They sell crumpets over here, but they're Canadian:-) My daughter's boyfriend who hails from the London area shared his brand of decaf tea with me - er, Tesco Red Label decaf. I set about making my usual 2 quarts of tea with three tea bags for iced tea and nearly choked on the strength.

And then there's those BBC costume dramas and mystery series. Gotta 'ave 'em!
I'm just finishing up the first (and apparently only)DVDs of the Dalziel and Pascoe mystery series based on the books by Reginald Hill. How can I get the other 40 episodes? Let's see, the latest Jane Eyre, was that BBC. Wonderful, except Jane's eyebrows were a distraction.

Please, unburden yourself here of all your other anglophilian passions; we don't always have to talk about books:-)

I am devoted to BBC Radio 4 Intelligent Speech. The shows are great. They have Arts and Drama, History, Science, Religion and more. My very favorite program is In Our Time hosted by Melvyn Bragg. I often listen while I work and In Our Time archive alll its program and you can listen to them at any time. They also have Radio 7 Listen Again where you can hear other programs you may have missed through the week. Most recently I've listened to a dramatization of Dorothy L. Sayers Strong Poison, and The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club; and a dramatization of the Trojan War "Troy."

So, have we all exhausted our great passion for all things anglo so quickly?

...no! :P ... The kettle is on for my next cup of tea. And I have spent the evening hunting for DVDs of the BBC's David Copperfield and Anthony Trollope series on eBay.

#4 does this help?

David Copperfield (BBC, 1974) ~ David Yelland, Patience Collier, Colette O'Neil, and Pat Keen (DVD - 1974)
Buy new: $29.98 $26.99

57 available offers from $16.14

This is on Amazon.com

>4 digifish_books: Although not all BBC (and why stop there?), don't forget the various Thomas Hardy productions (i.e. The Woodlanders, miramax, starring Rufus Sewell) and Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters and North & South or George Eliot's Middlemarch or Daniel Deronda.

I've managed to separate the book and the film productions in my head so that I can enjoy the latter even if it may not follow the book to the letter.

Thanks for your suggestions avaland & Gautherbelle. I saw North & South recently on TV - it was very good. I plan to chase up the DVD of Wives & Daughters after I've read the book, it is supposed to be excellent also.

I'm in Australia, so I'm bidding on a 1999 version of David Copperfield and a new boxed set of Trollope on Oz eBay :) I like Amazon but the shipping to Oz can get a bit pricey. Most things are available on eBay or OZtion.com.au

Powell and Pressburger's films from the forties. A Canterbury Tale; The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp; The Thief of Baghdad; Contraband;A Matter of Life and Death. All very different, but they share that drily sophisticated British wit, even the dramas. Highly recommended.

pamelad, you just made me think of The wrong box, absolutely hilarious movie from the homonymous book by Robert Louis Stevenson, starring Michael Caine, Dudley Moore, and Ralph Richardson. I must look for it, I really enjoyed it.

Thank you, avaland, for the opportunity to declare my love for Eddie Izzard. His one-man shows (all available on DVD, I think) are brilliant--erudite humor (with generous leavening of pure silliness).

You are very welcome, cabegley, hope it was cathartic (why do all the posts on this thread have pink boxed percentage signs after the user name?).

Explanations for the pink percentile boxes are on the LT blog...

Lois, how come I cannot see any percentage box? Do you think there is something wrong with my computer?

I could see them on everyone but my own posts. They do take a minute to appear...

today is the first time I've seen the precentages, can anyone tell me why?

Thanks

Belle

see message >12 avaland:

Avaland - will have a look for The Wrong Box. Anything with Michael Caine in it has to be good. Also planning to look out for more Ealing comedies - recently saw The Maggie and Whisky Galore! The authorities subverted!

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/445526/

pamelad, I did not know I was avaland!

:-))

Aluvabri - so sorry. Must have been a long day.

I understand the feeling, believe me.....and I AM flattered to be compared to avaland!
:-))

and avaland is flattered that you are flattered.

:-))

...and if someone could confuse me with either avaland or aluvalibri then I would be happy too.

WOW! That was the BEST compliment I received in quite a while. You made my day, Amanda. Thanks!!
:-)))

It must be the "A" clique!

I admire all three of you!!

uh, would that be the A-List or the A-Team? :-)

Well, too bad we are all so far away from each other (except myself and bleuroses)....:-((((

By the way, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mothers on LT!!!!!!!!!

Paola :-)))))))

#25 And I admire you bleuroses!

Oh, let's set up a thread where we endlessly compliment each other. It would be the one place where we have no inadequacies - a kind of Utopia. (Please note the literary reference.)

Keeping in mind, of course, that Utopia was a satire...
:-)

Perhaps it is more of a Heterotopia! (thank you, wikipedia!)

#29 jenknox
I don't know you but I can tell that you are utterly fabulous.

Uh, thanks amandameale. Right back atcha!

I'd just like to take a minute to say: I think that color looks fantastic on you, bleuroses.

To begin at the beginning: my own passion for things English has not abated 'one whit'! I was simply out of town for three weeks, and harried before and after. :) In fact, let me sing the praises of Fortnum & Mason shortbread; various of their and Taylors of Harrogate's and Twinings' teas; all manner of simple baked goods (as set forth in my newly-acquired, if aged, copy of English Bread and Yeast Cookery, or evidenced by Rich Tea biscuits, or the crumpets I ate while I was gone - albeit still in the U.S.); Robertson's Golden Shred (and all strong marmalades)... and this, before I get to confections or cheeses or stout... or....?

As for film, let's hear it for Powell and Pressburger, indeed! I'm a late-comer, but appreciative. Thanks, pamelad, for a fuller list (message 8) than I've actually seen. I look forward to making inroads on it.

Not to stem the tide of compliments - one could assuredly confuse our A-list writers with each other at times, if only through similar excellent qualities and a tendency to online proximity. (Born, of course, of similar interests.) It's a mild, flattering, alphabetically-enhanced confusion. Others of you may be less readily confused on a quick reading, but seem to have found appropriate and congenial company, with them. My best to you all....

And best to you too, Eurydice! Nice to see you here.

:-))

Pamelad's list of P&P films has three glaring omissions - I Know Where I'm Going, Black Narcissus, and The Red Shoes. The first of these films is a charming B&W romantic comedy, much under-rated; the latter two are probably, along with 'A Matter of Life and Death', the best films they made. (Not sure about 'The Thief of Baghad' being seen as a Powell film, there were 6 directors on this film. Best seen as an Alexander Korda film - Korda was a Hungarian emigre who dreamt of making big British films to take on Hollywood).

#33 - a slight correction, shortbread is Scottish, including F&M's which is made just outside Edinburgh.

'Rich tea' biscuits - what is the point of them? Why are there no 'poor tea' biscuits? They don't have the dunking potential of a ginger nut (the only acceptable dunking biscuit), nor do they have the favour and flexibility of a digestive biscuit. (Or a hobnob, which is a kind of uber-digestive). My aunt used to serve rich tea biscuits, and it was like getting a Milky Way, a treat that wasn't really a treat. As a child I felt cheated.

Fact of the day - 52 milk chocolate digestives are eaten every second in the UK.

Aluvalibri: thank you! :) It's nice to be back here, on LT.

Jargoneer: my apologies, but I'm a bit Scottish, too, and I forget. British-English does blur sometimes in the mind (not that I said so). As for Rich Tea, I like their simplicity, their subtle warmth without too much sweetness, and happened to have them on hand; but bow to the desirability of both digestives and hobnobs, with more obvious and delicious charms. I don't dunk, but no one with sense could turn a gingernut away!

Yes, the films I've seen are Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes. I Know Where I'm Going is next up, of course: but I was glad to see some less familiar works listed.

More Powell and Pressburger.

Jargoneer - I saw "I know Where I'm Going" recently and liked it. A few years since I've seen Black Narcissus or The Red Shoes. Of course they are excellent. My list was of P&P films recently seen and enjoyed. A Matter of Life and Death is on the top, followed by the semi Powell "Thief of Bagdad". Great colours, clever thief, wicked villain, drippy prince, gigantic genie, magic carpets. Wonderful.

Also saw "Age of Consent", Helen Mirren's first film. Best thing I can say about it is "Nice scenery". James Mason very hammy.

Currently seeking 49th Parallel and One of Our Aircraft is Missing.

Oh, I loved 'One of Our Aircraft is Missing' - ages ago. If it holds up for you, let me know, and I'll look again, myself.

"The Thief of Baghdad" is very well made, and stands up quite impressively still. (But then again, so does the original Douglas Fairbanks one).

War always brings the best out of British film-makers - "The Dambusters", "In Which We Serve", "The Cruel Sea", "Ice Cold in Alex", etc - half of which seem to feature John Mills.

Is there any more English film than "Goodbye, Mr Chips"? Robert Donat is almost forgotten now but he was one of the best actors of his generation, he won an Oscar for this role, and this was in 1939 (the annus mirabilis of American cinema) - and for once was truly deserved.

#39 Yes, The Robert Donat version is the best of the "Chips" films. Also, my favourite Great Expectations is the one with Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson.
Rich tea biscuits - I remember those from the 1960s! I quite liked them, but there wasn't much to choose from.
The Red Shoes - wonderful film.

What about The Winslow Boy? Loved that - the old one.

I know this is completely random, but has anyone heard the BBC radio broadcasts of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? They are so incredible! I have been on a quest for them and cannot find.

Jargoneer -- great statistic on the digestives. Though everyone knows the plain chocolate (what would be considered dark chocolate in the U.S.) are the better kind. And Hob Nobs trump digestives!

Dunking. My daughter was horrified to see her British boyfriend dunk a double-stuffed Oreo cookie in his tea. In fact, there may have been a collective gasp throughout the country when it happened.

Anyone have a recipe for crumpets?

Yes, take them out of the pack and toast them.

What do you guys put on your crumpets? My husband puts cream & maple syrup on them (yuck :P) but I just like plain old butter on mine. To me, a crumpet should be more of a savoury than a sweet snack....

>45 digifish_books: I like butter and marmalade on mine.
There is an interesting mix of flavours.

#43 - Delia Smith is the most famous tv chef in the UK. This is her recipe - Delia's Crumpets.

>47 Jargoneer: Why thank you, jargoneer...although I may have to locate "a jug"...not something I usually cook with...

>44 amandameale: yes, I like that recipe also:-) I've had the ones at the local supermarket (a Canadian brand) and my daughter brought back some Tesco brand crumpets from her last trip over. I'm just curious if I can recreate it...

We're introducing her boyfriend to pies which have something other than meat in them. I think he'll adjust.

Delia Smith is like the UK's Martha Stewart but with better morals and even more popular. I've used a few of her recipes and they tend to be very successful. (When she mentioned using cranberries in a recipe a few days later there was a national shortage).
A 'jug' in the US is a 'pitcher', correct? What do you call 'jugged hare' then?

I think we all know that pies SHOULD contain meat (or fish) unless they are for dessert. :-D

Have heard of meat pies but never eaten any. Can't even imagine a fish pie.

My great grand mother was famous for her cobblers (deep dish pies). The crust was the secret. It had to be light, sweet and flaky and NEVER store bought.

#50> Belle, I have eaten meat pies both in England and Australia and they are.....DELICIOUS!!!
I have also made a couple following recipes taken from Australian cookbooks. Yummy!

#50 - how can you not have eaten a meat pie? They come in so many yummy variations - mince, steak, steak & kidney, steak & ale, pork, chicken, game, for example. The pie is a staple dish here (UK), people have small ones for lunch (there is also a pasty which is like a pie but isn't).

Fish pie is different, sometimes it can be a fish combination covered with pastry but more often it is a layer of fish in a cream sauce covered by mashed potato (if you replace the fish layer with mince you get Shepard's pie). Done properly, it is very very nice.

I have logged onto Librarything after a very wet Sunday at home with the kids to get a bit of culture and intellectual stimulation to find we are talking about meat pies.

Meat pies! Who ate all the pies?!?

Well I grew up eating a mixture of Chinese, southern, soul food (my family has crazy ethnicity). Aside from the regular southern fare, I've eaten lillies, bosom apples, celery cabbabe, brocolli and sweat meat, sweat potato biscuits, neckbones and sawmill dumplings, but meat pies were not part of the menu. Never knew anyone who ate them. If every I get to the UK I will certainly give it a go.

To further show my ignorance, what is mince? All I know is the statement about making mince meat out of someone, as in to thrash them.

Oh Belle,

If you ever come to the UK (which I hope you do) Please don't have meat pies at the top of your list for culinary British experiences.

Go for Afternoon tea at a nice hotel. Proper tea in a pot, triangle cut sanwhiches with fresh baked warm scones, fresh cream and strawberry jam.

Eat fish and chips at the seaside (They are fresher by the sea)

Eat Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding for Sunday Lunch.

After you have done all this then maybe try a meat pie but make sure you buy it from a really good shop they are usually filled with... (let's not go there)

Belle (#54)--I'm pretty sure mince is ground beef.

And now I'm really hungry.

cabegley #56 - You're correct, mince is ground beef suitable for chilli con carne or Cornish pasties; but beware of mince pies for they're not made of mince meat.

Instead see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mince_pie and remember to eat them at or near Christmas.....

I'm sure it's not the same but I've had tea here in L.A. One of my workmates and friends was a Brit originally from either Birmingham or Manchester, I can't remember but one of the better hotels here in L.A. had tea at 4pm each day. We went. According to my friend it was close to the real thing including clotted cream, I believe that what's it called. Anyway if I ever get to the UK I'll probably spend so much time in bookstores and museums that I'll forget to eat. I also thought mince was raisins and other dried fruits?

Cabegley is correct, mince is ground beef - mince because it gets processed through a mincer. On the other hand, mince meat is comprised of raisins and other dried fruits - mince pies of this variey are common at Xmas.

AnneBoleyn is correct is saying that cheap 'meat' pies are full of 'cheap meat', to put it politely, but proper pies are excellent - for good pub grub it's hard to beat a Steak and Guiness/Ale pie.

If you are going to eat fish and chips best to eat them in Scotland - the fish is better (haddock compared to cod).

MEAT PIES!

I happen to work in a neighborhood saturated in Columbian & West Indies culture.....meat pies are a staple! (I prefer the curry goat)

AND...the first time in England, as we were up and about early (searching in Mortlake's cemetary for Richard Burton's grave), meatpies were the only thing to be had! Lovely! Heavy! Memorable! Unidentifiable!

The meat pie is the national food of Australia, although I think it's facing a challenge from Chicken Tikka Masala.
Crumpets are eaten, for breakfast, with honey or golden syrup.
Beer is our national beverage although Chardonnay is catching up.

What's golden syrup?

Golden syrup tastes a bit like maple syrup, only stronger. It's viscous, like honey. Syrup dumplings are a winter dessert with a sauce made from golden syrup - they're very good with custard.

Butter and jam are good on crumpets.

Gautherbelle, "cobblers" over here (in New England) are fruit dessert dishes with a sweet biscuit dough baked into it, similar to a "crisp" (but a crisp is a topping). Deep dish pies are just that, deep dish pies (my favorite is apple, of course):-)

Jargoneer, yes, I assumed a jug was a pitcher...I just don't usually use my pitchers for anything but iced tea, lemonade and other cold drinks:-) (Did you cringe at the words "iced tea").

Mince pie here in New England was traditional made with venison (deer) but I suspect the commercial products are done with beef. Made with apples and raisins, it's served as dessert here, traditionally at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas (during hunting season!) - a favorite with the old-timers mostly.

The closest thing my mother made to meat pies were what we call pot pies. A thick chicken or beef stew in a deep pot covered with a thick biscuit dough and baked together. Ooooo, my favorite was the doughy underside of that top layer, the part that soaked up the stew juices... This can also be made with a pie crust like dough across the top which is what the commercial "pot pies" are like.

I'm sorry, golden syrup, which is evaporated sugar cane juice, cannot compete in taste with true maple syrup which is native to New England and is made by boiling down the the sap of sugar maples (the kind of tree that turns the very best colors in the fall).

And yes, I've heard about the whole Chicken Tikka Masala thing in the UK but really you should look at the rest of the menu sometime... Dukedom and I find amazing (and frequent) excuses to go out for Indian food...

>39 Jargoneer: & 40

>52 Jargoneer: ... how can you not have eaten a meat pie? They come in so many yummy variations - mince, steak, steak & kidney, steak & ale, pork, chicken, game, for example. The pie is a staple dish here (UK), people have small ones for lunch (there is also a pasty which is like a pie but isn't).

>61 amandameale: The meat pie is the national food of Australia, although I think it's facing a challenge from Chicken Tikka Masala.

And fish & chips is the national food of Britain, but it too is now losing out to Indian take-away alternatives. As James Hilton was heard to remark when he first arrived in the U.S. and he started to reminisce about good ol' Brit cuisine while waiting for Donats in Krispy Kreme:

"Good pie, missed the chips!"

>10 cabegley:

>54 gautherbelle: To further show my ignorance, what is mince?

Mince is what Eddie Izzard does when wearing 5" heels.

>43 avaland: Anyone have a recipe for crumpets?

Yeah ... on a Saturday night, take her out for some fish & chips and mushy peas after you've both been dancing down the local palais. Then whisk her down the pub for a couple of lager and limes. Once she's feeling a bit tipsy and smiling lasciviously at you start fondling her jugs - or pitchers if you prefer, but I've never heard 'em called that before!! - then slip your hand up her dress and caress her dumplings ...

BTW, I've also tried pouring maple syrup on them like someone else suggested here, but in my limited experience of dating crumpets, I don't really recommend it ... unless, of course, you particularly enjoy getting your face slapped and being kicked in the cobblers! :( And using golden syrup instead really doesn't help - it just makes them lash out more viscously.

#Oh Rule42! You must be English! Forgive him everyone - it's just a cultural thing.

Golden syrup has a thicker consistency than honey or maple syrup. It's a but more like molasses or treacle. And I agree with avaland -it doesn't taste like maple srup to me.

I don't think we should be comparing maple syrup and golden syrup. They're not the same thing at all, nor do they try to be. And, for what it's worth, pure maple syrup is readily available in the UK!

>69 miss_read:

Yeah, it's a bit like comparing true English crumpets with North American "English muffins" which most Americans and Canadians appear to think are identical. NOT!

>68 amandameale: #Oh Rule42! You must be English!

What on earth makes you think that? Was it the mushy peas? :(

#71 Rule42 Yes, and a few other things.

>72 amandameale: Yes, and a few other things.

How could you possibly tell from reading my posts whether my teeth are crooked or not? *looks genuinely baffled*

I bet it was my penchant (now there's a good Canadian word!) for fondling jugs. Hmm ... I guess every pitcher tells a story, huh?

I'm reading Engleby by Sebastian Faulks and Rich Tea biscuits have been mentioned three times. (Setting c.1974)

>74 amandameale:

HA! ... Rich Tea biscuits are for pulp fiction sissies. Everyone knows that real literary heroes eat and dunk Jaffa Cakes.

What are Jaffa Cakes?

This is a Jaffa Cake - Jaffa Cakes.

They were the basis of a well-known legal case in the UK as to whether they were being sold misleadingly - i.e., they were biscuits not cakes. In the end it was proved they were cakes.

#Rule42: see previous discussion of Rich Tea biscuits.

While I'm here - who among you has experienced Yorkshire Pudding? I was horrified, years ago, when my mother-in-law served a pudding with my main meal. Turned out to be a kind of pancake sort of dough sort of thing. No nutritional value.

I love Yorkshire pudding!!

Yeah, but what is in it?

Yorkshire pud is a kind of savory pastry I guess you'd call it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_pudding

It was a staple in the dining hall when I was studying in the UK - that and vol-au-vents. Of course, then I had properly prepared versions, instead of dining hall versions, and what a difference!!

>78 amandameale:-81

Yorkshire Pudding ...



Another type of Yorkshire puddin' ...



McVities Jaffa Cakes ...



A sissy that eats Jaffa Cakes ...

>82 Rule42:

What's sarong with that last image? Well, David Beckham is a perfect example of why a guy should NEVER, EVER let his wife dress him! All I can say is, Posh must really hate her hubby!

I'm gonna claim Becks as being THE exception that proves my rule as stated in post #75 above. Hmm, if only the England team had eaten a few less Jaffa Cakes before its game against Portugal ....

So yorkshire pudding is "a kind of savory pastry." Is anything in it, like fruit, or meat?

>84 Gautherbelle:

Yorkshire Pud recipe

Here are some recipes I found, by Sarah Beattie.
I ate them with roast beef and its 'drippings' (gravy for the Americans). DELICIOUS!!!!

Use metric or imperial measurements - DON'T mix them.

Classic Yorkshire Pudding

Like Grandma used to make - the secrets of success are Hot Oven, Hot Fat and Hot Heavy Pans.

I find semi-skimmed milk is better than full cream. Some cooks use half and half milk and water. Originally the pudding was cooked below the joint to soak up the meat juices which dripped down from the shelf above. Nowadays the puddings are often cooked in the top of the oven while the meat is resting and the puddings can be served as a first course or as an accompaniment. We've got main course and dessert recipes later.

Ingredients

125g / 4oz sifted plain flour
a pinch of salt
1 large / 1 medium egg
300ml / half pint semi-skimmed milk
oil or melted dripping

Make sure the oven is hot - 220C / 475F / Gas Mk 8.

Using a wooden spoon, gradually beat the egg and milk into the flour and salt until you have a smooth batter. Beat well and leave to stand.
Pour a little oil or dripping into each cup of a heavy gauge bun tin (I use a cast iron American Popover Pan). Alternatively use a roasting tin for one large pudding. Place in the hot oven to preheat for 5 minutes. Beat the batter again and decant into a jug for speed. Without allowing the oil to cool, pour the batter into the hot pans, half filling the cups. Bake for 12 - 20 minutes - depending on size - until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.
Try not to open the oven door until they're done - glass doors are useful. If you have to, just open it enough to take a quick peek.

Classic Yorkshire Pudding | Classy Yorkshire Pudding | On Golden Pond | Yorkshire Pond Puddings

Classy Yorkshire Pudding

Like Grandma never made!

Batter as above with the addition of two finely shredded sun dried tomatoes, a couple of minced black olives and one crushed clove of garlic. Beat well. Have ready a dozen asparagus pieces, about 5cm / 2in long. Heat the pans with the oil as before, using olive oil for preference. Place a piece of asparagus in the base of each cup in the hot oil and pour on the batter. Bake as before and serve as an amuse geule or starter scattered with shavings of Parmesan or mahon.

Classic Yorkshire Pudding | Classy Yorkshire Pudding | On Golden Pond | Yorkshire Pond Puddings

On Golden Pond

Make Classic Yorkshire Pudding omitting the salt. Serve as dessert drizzled with lots of Golden Syrup and wedges of juicy oranges and lemon. A great favourite with children of all ages.

Classic Yorkshire Pudding | Classy Yorkshire Pudding | On Golden Pond | Yorkshire Pond Puddings

Yorkshire Pond Puddings

Nothing like Sussex Pond Pudding - this is a Double Chocolate Yorkshire Pud, deep dark and muddy! Serve with thick cream and some hot strawberries, stir fried in butter and vanilla sugar.

110g / 3 1/2 oz plain flour
15g / half oz cocoa
1 tbs caster sugar
1 large / 1 medium egg
300ml / half pt semi-skimmed milk
light vegetable oil
a handful of chocolate chips

Proceed as for Classic Yorkshire, sifting the flour, cocoa and sugar together and beating in the egg and milk. Preheat the pans with a little vegetable oil in each cup. When hot, pour in the batter and add 4 or 5 chocolate chips in the centre of each pud. Bake until risen and firm (about 12 minutes). Serve immediately, dusted with icing sugar.

>78 amandameale:

"Rule42: see previous discussion of Rich Tea biscuits."

I already had done. That reminds me ...

>35 Jargoneer:

"Fact of the day - 52 milk chocolate digestives are eaten every second in the UK."

Hey, I think I know that guy ... I'm pretty sure I used to work with him. Oh man, what a PIG!

Let's see a cake is a chocolate-covered cookie (or biscuit , as you say) and a pudding is a - dare I say - flaky pastry...then surely these must be the culinary ancestors of the Boston Cream Pie which is a cake!

Now THIS is a Jaffa Cake:

http://www.pimpthatsnack.com/project.php?projectID=332&pageID=1

And clearly as you can see in the step by step, it's definitely a cake! ;)

#88 No, a cake is a cake. A Jaffa cake is a cookie (biscuit).

No, Yorkshire Pudding is not flaky, in my experience - stodgy would be a better word. It's a pile of batter that's cooked in the oven and rises. You can make it in a baking tray or in muffin tins (individual ones).

#82 Bravo for the photos BUT thumbs down to Becks-bashing. He's a poor simple lad who had to leave the team he loved because a Scotsman (?) threw a shoe at his head.

Hello everyone, just discovered this group and am loving this particular thread! I know I've come to the right place when all of your percentage thingies are >80 Gautherbelle:%. I recognize a few like-minded readers from other threads also.

Anyway, this thread allows me to reminisce about my 4 years living in the UK (am back in the US now) and enjoying digestives, mince pies, mince (the other kind), Pimm's, shandies, but not, I repeat NOT, marmite.

Today I live vicariously through groups like this one and BBCAmerica TV, which alas shows too much Footballer's Wives and not enough of the really good stuff like costume dramas.

>92 lauralkeet:

"... which alas shows too much Footballer's Wives and not enough of the really good stuff like costume dramas."

So I guess what you're really saying is that you would like to see a little less Posh (viz. "too much Footballer's Wives") but instead a lot more Becks (viz. "costume dramas").

>91 amandameale:

"He's a poor simple lad who had to leave the team he loved because a Scotsman (?) threw a shoe at his head."

Becks may be a simple lad but poor he is NOT. I don't know why Sir Alex kicked the boot at him because Becks is quite capable, once he opens his mouth, of putting his own foot in it.

"So I guess what you're really saying is that you would like to see a little less Posh (viz. "too much Footballer's Wives") but instead a lot more Becks (viz. "costume dramas")."

*snort* Spot on as ever Rule42....

So does How Not to Decorate count as costume drama? There is certainly plenty of drama, and Justin's ridiculously tiny ties certainly should count as costume....

I agree that BBC is a shadow of it's former self. And why would I want to watch programs about two women going to nasty houses and putting their noses in the filth? Also agree toooo much footballer's wives, toooo much decorating. Let's have some drama and some more Robson Green. What kills me is that late at night BBC America will show two or three episodes of a "mini series" i.e., Trust, NY LON, and never show the last episode. It's really pisses me off.

Gautherbelle... couldn't agree more. It seems like every time I turn on the tv BBC America is showing Cash in the Attic, ads for Footballers Wives or Robin Hood or Hex (or the shows themselves), or a decorating or cleaning show. Their new "themed" nights aren't doing much to improve the schedule, although it's nice to see MI-5 again, and I enjoy most of the Mystery Monday shows... I have the same problem with some of the mini series - if you miss them the first time 'round, even though they show endless repeats, they never seem to repeat the entire series! Very frustrating. I also wish they'd get new seasons of some of the shows they show again and again - i.e., I'm still waiting for Season 2 of Green Wing, which has been out in the UK for at least a year or two.... And when I saw that they were going to start what appears to be endless quantities of Hollyoakes, I about had a fit!

We are in complete agreement. Very frustrating. The same thing happened to A&E and Bravo, they use to be great and now they are awful. I too enjoy M1-5.

Belle

>97 jagmuse:: jagmuse, I confess I rather like Cash in the Attic ... although I agree it probably does take up a bit too much of the schedule.

I also far prefer the British version of The Office. Ricky Gervais also starred in a hilarious series called Extras which aired on HBO.

Those of you who keep complaining about what's on BBC America, take a moment to sympathize for those of us who do not GET BBC America. (Had it on satellite, don't get it on cable.)

Cabegley - you have my sympathy!!!

Lindsacl - I wouldn't mind Cash in the Attic if it weren't on all the time - although as a museum professional, I hate to see people selling their family's heritage without a thought.... if I had heirlooms like some of those folks have, I'd want to hang on to them... but that's just me!! ;)

And I have to say, I love the British version of the Office, but the American version has grown into its own, and I like it as well.

#94 Rule 42 Perhaps you are accustomed to having objects hurled at your person. Becks, however, is just a nice boy. (I admit, I appear to be his only advocate in the entire world.)

>101 jagmuse:: jagmuse, I think we're on the same page here. I enjoy Cash in the Attic because they find some interesting items and it's fun to see what they get at auction. But I agree, it's sad to see these people selling off their heritage, generally with the goal of spending it all on a holiday in Spain (where they will no doubt stay at a hotel offering full English breakfast!)

If I hadn't had to go in to work this morning, I would have done a full fry-up (minus blood pudding of course)..... *sigh*

Cabegley

Sorry dear -- I cried because I had no shoes then I met a woman who had no BBC America. I castigate myself!!

BBC America - half the shows that are mentioned are not BBC shows in the UK, i.e., Bad Girls & Footballer's Wives are ITV shows here, Hex is a Sky show, Green Wing is a Channel 4 show. What you get on BBCA is a mishmash of British television rather than programmes from just one provider.

#90 - Amanda, you are wrong - a jaffa cake is a cake. It's been legally proven. McVities were taken to court over false advertising so they produced a giant 12" jaffa cake to prove the case. This is how they are defined - over time a biscuit becomes soft while a cake becomes hard.

>106 Jargoneer:

"This is how they are defined - over time a biscuit becomes soft while a cake becomes hard."

Aha! Now I finally get it. So that's why my ex-gf always used to call me "her little cupcake" when we were spooning in bed, but in the morning (once all the superlatives and references to God had stopped being banded about) she just told me I was "crackers"!

>107 Rule42: - it's good to know that the spirit of Carry On is still strong. Sid James would be proud.

>107 Rule42:

As in: "What cracker is this ... that deafes our ears / With this abundance of superfluous breath?"

>108 Jargoneer:

I should cocoa!

*dirty laugh*

>108 Jargoneer:

Just as an aside here ...

As much as a Cockney spiv as Sid James usually made himself out to be as, say, Tony Hancock's nemesis / sidekick (TH is one of my all-time favorites of British comedy), he was, in fact, born in South Africa.

A consummate repertory artist to the last, Sid James died of a heart attack (not the first one to adversely affect his career) on the way to the hospital on the opening night of The Mating Season at the Sunderland Empire. Although Plum, like all theatrical comedy writers, probably would have loved to think that his humor killed audiences, perhaps this was one of the first times that it actually killed a leading member of the cast.

In the American South, cracker, aside from being a thin, salty, dry, piece of bread, is a pejorative for poor white people. There is also an expression of "looking like death eating a soda cracker" when someone is unwell or looking bad.

>109 thorold:

As in: "What cracker is this ... that deafes our ears / With this abundance of superfluous breath?"

Hey thorold, keep it clean, will ya?

I dunno about all that "superfluous breath" stuff, but I thought she meant "cracker" in the sense of someone that "cracks" a joke ... as opposed to someone who is one of a "a lawless set of rascalls on the frontiers of Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia, who often change their places of abode". But now I'm beginning to wonder which of those she really meant.

There's a KKK meeting in Atlanta next week ... so I'll be able to consult with my fellow comedians to try and better determine her true intent and I'll report my findings back here afterwards. :)

#106 jargoneer: apologies and thanks for the correction
#111Rule42: thanks for your info as well - I thought Sid James died on stage.

My favourite Carry On actor was Charles Hawtrey. Oh, and Kenneth Williams.

>114 amandameale:

"I thought Sid James died on stage."

You are probably correct. Before I made my post I grossly checked the facts (as I vaguely remembered them) using this web page which I found via Google: comedy ends in tragedy. The key sentences are: "The doctor called for an ambulance and Sid was taken to the Sunderland Royal Infirmary. It was later reported that Sid James had died of a heart attack on stage of the Sunderland Empire Theatre."

Does the bit in bold actually mean: "had died on stage of a heart attack" OR "had later died of a heart attack which he experienced on stage" ?

Since he was examined by a doctor where he had fallen on stage, who subsequently dispatched him off to the Sunderland Royal Infirmary in an ambulance, I unconsciously assumed the latter interpretation rather than the former one. If the doctor that examined him on stage had pronounced him dead, wouldn't they have simply taken him to the morgue instead? Of course, the morgue may have been at the hospital too (most of them are).

On a less morbid note, I did get a chuckle from the show's producer's reaction to the news of Sid's sudden demise:

"Within minutes of Sid’s collapse, the manager of the theatre telephone The Mating Season’s producer, Bill Robertson. "I’ve got something terrible to tell you," muttered the shocked manager. "Sid James has just died in Sunderland." Robertson replied : "Don’t worry, everybody dies in Sunderland."

I'm not one who has much time for pseudo-science and other nonsense, so I don't believe in ghosts. However, the sincerity of both Les Dawson's and Barbara Windsor's refusal to perform at the Empire after Sid's death really deserved further serious investigation - now I'm dead curious to know more!

Sorry to skip back about 30 messages and I'm not sure if this was covered earlier but it has to be said as it combines several earlier topics but it is indeed possible to eat yorkshire pudding as a pudding and in fact all you need to do is pour on, yes you've guessed it, golden syrup.

>116 Barry:

If you make the YP crisp and dry, as it should be, then you can just sprinkle sugar on it. OTOH, if your YP turns out somewhat soggy - like many do - then you have no option but to completely drown it in gravy (if the YP is used as an addition to the traditional British "Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding" Sunday fare) or in syrup (Maple, Golden, or whatever) and other popular forms for consuming molasses - such as canned apricots - when the soggy YP is destined to be part of a dessert.

I will never get used to the Brits pronounciation of 'aluminum'... wouldn't you know that a Brit gave it its original name.

From Wiki:
In the UK and other countries using British spelling, only aluminium is used. In the United States, the spelling aluminium is largely unknown, and the spelling aluminum predominates.(20)(21) The Canadian Oxford Dictionary prefers aluminum, whereas the Australian Macquarie Dictionary prefers aluminium.

In other English-speaking countries, the spellings (and associated pronunciations) aluminium and aluminum are both in common use in scientific and nonscientific contexts.(22) The spelling in virtually all other languages is analogous to the -ium ending. (See the box in the first column of this page for specific languages.)

When I was studying in Edinburgh, I got into a huge roaring debate with my friends about the pronunciation of aluminum, demanding to know why they felt the need to add an extra 'I' into the pronunciation. And then we finally realized that we spelled it two different ways, and it all made sense!

>119 jagmuse:

Ah, but what about sulphur? :-)

We seem to have gone dead quiet here in the Anglophiles group. Any suggestions to kick start it once again?

>121 avaland:

I don't know about anyone else but I'm still trying to come up with a meaningful riposte to post #120. So far, it has foiled every attempt I've made. :(

Is there such a thing as sulphur foil?

Any suggestions to kick start it once again?

Perhaps we could kick thorold instead? :) Or even ban him from posting further on this thread ... because one should never sulphur foils gladly!

Edited to fix a long-standing typo.

>122 Rule42:

Strange - I would have thought that my esteemed colleague would be getting rather accustomed to having fire and brimstone rained down on him by now. (He only does it to annoy / because he knows it teases)

I suppose sulphur foil could be used for making brimstone-proof hats. :-)

>121 avaland:

Perhaps we should avoid the subject of chemistry in future. It seems to have the same deadening effect on conversation here as it does in real life!

>123 thorold: I'm cool with Chemistry, its Physics which bores me. Chemistry was so much fun in school - the teacher would let us make our own sulphur dioxide ('rotten egg gas') or muck around with titration equipment. And then there were the DIY saponification experiments... what is there not to like about Chemistry...? ;)

Well, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind in #121. I meant, generally, not this thread specifically.

All right, I'll behave ;) I'm currently reading Our Mutual Friend, with all its murky goings on in the Thames. Has anyone seen Channel 4's series 'The Worst Jobs in History' - there was an episode which featured the 'Victorian scavenger' who picked through dust or mud to find valuables. Very Dickensian.

Great thread! It's nice to get away from the book talk for a change.

I've been going through a lot of Brit TV dramas on my Blockbuster Online subscription. Right now I'm into Catherine Cookson; just finished the 3-disc Dinner of Herbs. My queue is filled with old and newer classics.

I was lucky enought to spend a week in London last month--managed to see five plays. Two at the Globe (The Merchant of Venice and Othello); a great production of Pinter's Betrayal at the Donmar Warehouse with Toby Stephens; a great new play, Rafta, Rafta, at the National, and a reader's theatre of Elizabeth Cary's 1613 closet drama, The Tragedy of Mariam.

My friend and I have both been to London several times, so we skipped the usual touristy stuff in favor of some more interesting galleries and museums.

Speaking of movies, I still think one of the funniest ones of all time is Kind Hearts and Coronets with Alec Guiness.

And to add a tacky note, I've been listening to Tina Brown's The Diana Chronicles while driving about.

Oh, and I meant to add that the Brit TV I saw while there was AWFUL. They spawned the reality shows that have now become so popular here in the US as well, and it has gotten even worse. Many of the shows I saw while flipping channels were more like The Gong Show than American Idol or Big Brother. One of them featured women stripping in a pole dance competition.

>128 Cariola: Cariola, I think I've seen an American version of that pole dance show on the US side of the Atlantic.

We get a skewed view of English TV in the US because we get the best they have to offer, where the daily fare is no better or worse than the US. It's a shame though that the best show the US could send over there was Dynasty ...

>123 thorold:

'Ere, who da bleedin' 'ell ya fink yous callin' a friggin' "steamed coal egg" huh? I'sa bin called a lotta tings in me time but never bin called dat beefur! Is it sump kinda youthymism?

Don't yous ever call me dat agin 'til I'ves had a chance to look it up in a dickshunry! Ya hear? Udderwize it'll be yous wearin' da sulpha foil bumstone poof hats! Yous got dat, punk?

Gotta go ... Gilmore Girls just beegun.

#130 'Ere, Rule 42. Just seen Beckham's goal for LA Galaxy. A corker or wot? Bet youse are eatin' your 'at now, yeah?

>132 amandameale:

Hey, missy, I've not criticized Becks' soccer skills anywhere here (that would take a whole new thread by itself!) - just his DRESS sense! So you won't be finding me eating me tin foil hat over Becks' latest footy feats any time soon.

Oooh, all this chitchat about tin foil and Becks in a dress (a man in Amani?) has now made me hungry for a TV dinner! Your LT handle didn't help the situation any, either, Amani.da.meal ...

P.S. Your post #131 must have been really saucy for you to have deleted it before anyone else could read it! :)

Edited to fix the apostrophes WRT "Becks"! For now I only fixed the 3-post trophies ... I'll fix the 4-post trophies and all his cups and shields later.

Rule 42 - would love to say it was saucy, but it was just the message posted twice. And I'm so annoyed that I'm bothering to explain. And I've heard all the meal(e) jokes. Q:Why is you father so cranky? A:Because he's Mr Meale. (Missed-a, get it?)
Q: Who is that man with three children? A: That's Mr Meale and his three little snacks.
"Well, Amanda, you've made a meal of that. HAHAHA"

>134 amandameale:

And I'm so annoyed that I'm bothering to explain.

Hee, hee, hee, made ya do it! That was just me Yanking your Aussie chain ... you know, the one that holds you fast, Mrs. A. Meale! :)

Yes, I always take the bait. And that's Miss Meale to you, (and Mrs something else).

I always take the bait.

Ah, when it comes to baiting others, miss, I'm a master. It's not for naught that others often refer to me as being a great master ... er, never mind! :(

Miss Meale to you.

In order to remain on the fast tack I think I'll stick to Miss A. Meale instead. It's almost as punny as "misses a meal" yet not as tacky.

So are you loose as well as fast, Miss Meale? :)

Did I say I was fast?

I'm waiting for someone to flag you, Rule42. As for myself, I'm going to check out your library for profiling purposes.

Hmmm...

Rule42, wearing dark reflective shades, a box haircut, and a double-breasted Loriano silk suit, stood on the sidewalk, furtively looking up and down the street as though he were a Secret Service agent. When he saw Amanda approaching the front door he looked at her from behind his traffic-cop sunglasses, his expression flat, his hands folded in front of him. He noded his recognition to her and used his tongue to move the paper match that he chewed on from one corner of his mouth over to the other, before stepping aside to let her enter.

"Hey, Miss Meale! How ya doin'?" he said in his best Joey Tribbiani voice.

"Geez, Ru, I heard you were quiting LT?" she replied in curious acknowledgment of the greeting.

He held the tips of his fingers in the air, touched his cheek, then gestured with his fingers again. "Yeah, I almost did, but then this broad's conscious started bothering her and she changed her testimony. Whatcha gonna do?" He shrugged his shoulders as though a great metaphysical mystery had been placed on them.

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