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British food is known for its variety, class, healthy ingredients, and contrary to many rumours, its unique taste that is far from bland and tasteless.  The basic staples of British cuisine are nourishing and very healthy for the body. Those who want a true taste of what Britain has to offer may want to take a look over the quick cheat sheet to the best dishes in the country.

First up is the steak and kidney pie that is a treat in itself even if there is steak baked inside of a cripsy crust.  It is important to make the crust just right if you want to keep everything inside, but also keep in mind that you have to make sure the filling is gooey enough to hold the pasty in place as well.  If you do manage to get the consistency just right the pie will certainly eliminate room around the waist for a real dessert.

Those that are not huge steak fans should try out the Shepherds Pie instead as it is  peas and minced lamb covered with mashed potatoes instead of a pastry crust.  In terms of comfort food this is just about the closest you can get, and it’s a meal that will fill you up.

Of course, not everyone wants a heavy meal for dinner or lunch; which is why beans on toast can be the perfect solution.  Start with some Heinz beans straight from the can and pour them on a slice of toasted bread.  You cannot get much easier or much simpler than that!

Bangers and Mash is another quick and easy British staple that involves creating a V out of sausage and then tossing some mashed potatoes onto the plate.  Created in the memory of Winston Churchill, it’s a quick and yummy way to fill the tummy.

Of course, heavy foods are not all that Britain has to offer as it has some great bakery treats as well, such as the traditional scone. Although historians now believe that the Queen only through the scones at politicians, the scone still goes down in history as an object of violence.  However, if you bite into a light dainty pasty from a great bakery you will likely remember it differently.

Another great treat is Yorkshire pudding which is made from milk, flour, and eggs and then baked along with gravy.  You will find this pudding on the side of your dinner plate instead of on your desert plate so do not be surprised to see it sharing a place with your sausage or steak.

Finally, a trip to Britain would not be complete without fish and chips as it is the meal that without a doubt is quintessentially British. Although your fish and chips will likely not come wrapped in newspaper like in the olden days, in order to get the real greasy taste that made the takeaway dish so popular make sure to grab it from a stall in a marketplace  or the local pub instead of a fine dining institution.

The UK used to have a reputation for heavy, bland cuisine that depended on meat and potatoes more than anything else.  In fact British food has been described in more than one culinary report as “boring.”  Well, that situation is changing in many respects, and the British are branching out.  No longer are choices confined to beef, chicken, pork, beef, and beef; now you can go online or to one of a number of ‘alternative’ restaurants and suppliers and dine on kangaroo instead of cow.

It’s not likely that a good Sunday roast of beef or pork will disappear from the menu, either in UK homes or in the majority of restaurants, but the options are certainly expanding.  Take kangaroo for example:  the market for kangaroo steaks is growing rapidly, what with all the great qualities ascribed to ‘roo’ meat.  It’s low in fat and cholesterol, takes well to seasoning and looks almost like beef – just a bit gamey.

The trend towards diversity in the food industry is obviously the result of wider communication via the media and the internet, plus the relative ease of travel to other parts of the world and other cultures.  British chefs have been campaigning for years to upgrade the country’s international image as an unimaginative backwater, and compete with the rest of the world in presenting new and different taste sensations.

Alternatives to beef and spuds are everywhere, and some are more ‘alternative’ than others.  Aussies have been eating ‘roo for many years, but they’re also supplying ostrich, emu and crocodile.  From the U.S. the offerings lean towards bison and rattlesnake.   Game animals such as wild boar are not uncommon, but now you can also order zebra or eland or camel steaks, just to mention a handful of the exotic beasts now available for your dining pleasure.

The list is pretty extensive; suppliers such as Osgrow.com are offering a selection that ranges from springbok and wildebeest to locusts, snails, and frogs legs.  Osgrow will even deliver a meat hamper to your door, complete with Wildebeest, Kudu, Zebra, Eland and Springbok steaks, with Crocodile Tournados on the side, for about £43.50.

Traditional British fare is definitely undergoing a transformation; if you’re eager to try something different, it’s time to take the plunge.  Most people probably won’t change their preferences overnight, but with all these exotic options, it would be a shame to miss out on the chance to experiment.

British cuisine is typified to most of the world by fish and chips, Shepherd’s pie and the Sunday roast dinner, amongst a few other well-known dishes.  There is almost no place on the planet where you can’t order one or all of the above, but Britain is in the process of rejuvenating its reputation as a source of high-quality cuisine. Largely because of strict rationing during and after the World Wars, England wound up with a bad rep in the food department. For many years, the small size of fridges seemed to be an indication of the likewise limited scope for culinary exploration in most average British households. However, these days the kitchen has become the focus of British family life and social entertaining. Many households would think nothing of spending thousands of pounds on kitchen furniture. Expanding fridges, the newest cooking gadgets and the increasing popularity of dinner clubs mean that putting impressive and exotic meals on stylish tables is becoming an integral part British middle-class culture.

Of course the climate has influenced the U.K.’s traditional fare.  Hearty food such as meats, boiled vegetables, puddings and gravies have been staples of the British diet for hundreds of years, but during the spread of the Empire a lot of different cultures were tapped for their indigenous contributions.  Curry from India, tea from China, and potatoes from the Americas, to name only a few, are now part of the national culinary tradition.

Around the late 1980’s, a lot of British chefs began to turn back towards ‘native’ ingredients such as fish, dairy, game and produce that all abound in the country and the waters surrounding it.  With the modern emphasis on healthy diets, the ever-present mashed potato is often replaced with rice or pasta, and fish or fowl is used instead of beef or pork as an entrée, but the basics of British cuisine are coming back into their own.

In blithe and fortunate disregard of current low-everything diets; the English roast dinner is still a national treasure.  A ‘joint’ of beef served with Yorkshire pudding and roasted potatoes along with two other vegetables and a good strong horseradish sauce plus gravy is the consummate Sunday dinner, and Aberdeen Angus beef is world-renowned.  The same is true of British cheeses, which are also showing a welcome resurgence.

Modern British cuisine is taking its place amongst the finest to be offered anywhere, and London in particular is highly rated as a centre of world-class international cuisine