Words we will not leave unexplained
Balti — Birmingham-associated curry style and the thin steel bowl it is cooked/served in. See curry houses.
Cask — Ale served from a cask without the fizz of keg. A pub test: is it actually moving?
Chippy / chip shop — Fried fish and chips as a trade, not a pub garnish. We send fish-and-chip nights to that page, not to a “British classics” tasting menu.
Clotted cream — Thick, scalded cream; the cream-tea ingredient. Cream tea.
Farm-gate — Sold at or near the place it was produced. Not automatically cheaper or better. Farm shops.
Full English / full Scottish — A cooked breakfast with regional parts. See breakfast and Scotland.
Mushy peas — Marrowfat peas, mashed, with fish and chips. Correct.
PGI / PDO — Protected geographical names (e.g. Cornish pasty rules, Arbroath smokie). Legal food geography, not a vibe.
Ploughman’s — Cold lunch: cheese, bread, pickle, onion, sometimes ham. Quality is the cheese.
Pudding — Here, the sweet course. Puddings. In older speech it can mean a savoury pudding too (steak and kidney, Yorkshire). Context decides.
Roast — The Sunday system: meat, potatoes, Yorkshire, gravy, veg. Sunday roast.
Stottie — Dense North East bread. Regional, not a nationwide supermarket fact.
Street food — Markets, vans, and halls. Not automatically better than a room with chairs. Street food · markets.
Yorkshire pudding — Batter, hot fat, rise. With roast beef especially.
Related: About · 50 dishes · How Britain eats now