Forget baked beans and tuna… Keith Lee needs to eat this British food

So influencer Keith Lee ate the abomination that is baked potato with baked beans and tuna, and he (and his viewers) probably came away with the impression that British food sucks. If he ate the best British food, he’d think very differently.

You don’t need me to explain why a baked potato (we call it a jacket potato) filled with beans and tuna is a culinary crime. Don’t blame SpudBros either – a hot, steaming spud with crispy skin and fluffy potato inside is a thing of beauty, and while I’m not a fan of cold fillings, tuna is acceptable. It’s the people who order it with beans AND tuna.

You see, we British people do have a habit of mixing food that we really shouldn’t. I think it’s because some appreciate value over taste – it’s why you see people with mile-high carveries (think an all you can eat, buffet-style roast dinner) or having a bit of everything when they order a takeaway curry as amusingly referenced in sitcom Gavin & Stacey.

So, Keith, if you want to leave Britain with a good flavor of its food, this is what you should be eating.

Fish & Chips

Americans don’t really do proper chips. Or, as soccer player Cole Palmer calls them, chippy chips. I’m not talking about potato crisps here (yes, I have made the mistake of ordering chips in America and getting a bowl of ready salted), but thick, fat chips, crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle.

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Pair with flaky haddock or cod in crispy batter and you have the ultimate food to eat by the seaside. This may be sacrilege to some British people, but I wouldn’t be tempted to douse it with gravy or curry sauce (soggy chips, bleugh), although you do need something sharp. So a tub of tartare sauce and salt and vinegar are all you need, really – along with some mushy peas on the side.

Pie

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We are really good at pies, savory and sweet. I am talking mostly about savory here, though – a steak and kidney in a suet crust or pastry, or a beautiful fish pie with a mix of smoked and unsmoked fish swimming in parsley sauce and topped with mashed potato. My favorite is a Shepherd’s Pie, made with minced lamb and mash. You just can’t go wrong with pie – even a balti pie at the soccer is a treat.

Curry

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Talking of balti, one of the best imports into Britain is food from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The UK’s first curry house in 1810, and more appeared as many South Asian immigrants came to the UK following World War 2. While its popularity has declined a little, there are whole streets in Manchester and London lined with curry houses. While I warned against mixing a variety of foods earlier, order a thali and you’ll get a variety of dishes in small pots along with rice, nan bread, and pickles.

Afternoon Tea

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Afternoon tea is a posh tradition in the UK where you go to a hotel or fancy cafe and are presented with a tower of sandwiches and cake. Now, admittedly, Keith Lee might prefer a massive Cuban or New York Pastrami sandwich overflowing with meat, cheese, and pickles to a dainty crustless cucumber number, but the real reason to go for afternoon tea is the cake. A delightfully light Victoria Sponge filled with cream and jam or a scone topped with clotted cream and jam. Ok, anything with cream and jam.

Rhubarb Crumble and Custard

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As well as hot pies, we are very good at hot puddings (don’t call it dessert). The likes of steamed treacle sponge, apple and blackberry pie, or a fruit crumble are just what you need to finish off your meal before heading out into the cold. My favorite is rhubarb crumble, the sharp, stewed, soft fruit under a crunchy crumble topping made with butter, flour, sugar (and ground nuts if you’re feeling fancy). Eat it with proper custard – I’m talking thick, yellow ambrosia here, not a pale, vanilla-flecked posh version.