Having grown up in the UK but lived in Canada for the last ten years I have a mixed experience on what is better in what country. For example no one in Canada can cook Fish and Chips like they do in the UK. You can order a salad as a main meal in Canada which consists of more than one leaf of lettuce and a sad looking tomato. The list could go on and on.

One thing Britain wins hands down, not just over Canada but probably the rest of the world, is the quality of the TV programs.

Top Gear is a program about cars, but done ‘British style’. This means it is oozing with sarcasm, silly immaturity and lots of great analogies. Their Vietnam Special is a classic, I watched it last night and was hooked for a good 45 minutes. It is honest, hilarious, informative and shows some of Vietnam’s stunning scenery.

Enjoy it.

I know, I know, what type of person doesn’t like cheese? More so, what type of Foodist doesn’t like cheese? To answer such a mind boggling question (without too many graphic details), one who is lactose intolerant. Some would say I have a mental phobia against cheese to the point where the smell makes be queasy and the thought of cheese touching other food on my plate ruins the meal. I would presume it is similar to a vegetarian not wanting to have meat touching their food, or the smell of bubbling animal flesh may not be their aroma of choice.

Living in London, UK, before moving to Canada I would often buy lunch out. There is a huge sandwich culture in England and it is very common for people to have a sandwich for lunch seven days a week. There are great sandwich shops with so many varieties as well as catering for different types of food allergies. When I moved to Canada I was shocked that almost every sandwich has cheese on it. What’s with you people? I was most shocked to see that cheese had been added to a Roast Beef Sandwich. At this point in this post all the English readers are shocked and stunned by such a disgrace, and all the Canadians are thinking ‘and so your point is’. Adding cheese to a roast beef sandwich is as wrong as having ketchup flavoured maple syrup.

Sometimes a shop may sell an Egg sandwich which is great, but sometimes I am just not in the mood for that. I want variety. Most servers are nice and offer to remove the cheese, but they are missing the point. If I wanted that I would have asked for it. What, they can’t read my mind?

So pleeeeeeeaaasse help. Show me a world with no cheese. Where can I go for a traditional sandwich that has not been ruined by CHEESE?

Originally posted on Foodists.ca

Just found this site in the UK, selling a large variety of fun and creative products. Some of my favourites are: Raunchy wrapping paper, MyCuppa tea/Coffee, Hymn book and PickUrPine. Check out the site.

The upper portion of these shoes are old bus and train seats of London. Having gone to college in London, these shoe patterns bring back good memories of fun times on the tube and the buses.

Even though some patterns are not everyone’s taste, wearing the shoes not only make a statement but they are also good for the planet. All 100% salvaged UK waste. Remade in Portugal.

Check out the site.

The base of the house is fixed but has a ’second skin’ that slides to expose more sunlight to the glass section of the house or exposes the interior courtroom to the open sky.

Simple, elegant and intelligent.

Watch the movie that Wallpaper made about the house. The house was designed by London based dRMM Architecture.

View photo’s and more info at the site Inhabit. Whilst you are there look around the site, there is great content here. I liked the article about Green building 101, practicle information about how to cut down energy use in your house.

I’m a Yorkshire lad (pronounced York–sha) born and bred. Grew up eating scotch eggs and lard sarnies with crisps (chips) for Saturday (pronounced Sat-day) tea (evening meal).

So when I learned there was a British Butcher in town selling delights of my culinary childhood I was excited to visit.

The shop is located in North Vancouver (703 Queensbury Ave), a little off the beaten track, but is easy to find if you have a map. As soon as I walked in I noticed that it sells lots of meat products, pies as well as condiments and sweets (candy) from the mother land.

I was like a little kid who had been transported to their English youth. They sold Hula Hoops, which are crisps  in the shape of a band (like a wedding band) that you put on all your fingers and then bite them off. They sell English Mustard, like no other in the world. If you like wassabi you MUST try this, it’s amazing (my mum always brings me a jar from England when visiting).

They sell 36 different varieties of sausages. It was difficult to choose but I decided to be patriotic and buy the Yorkshire variety.

Then there was why I went, I had a craving for a Scotch egg. Put simply, imagine a circular lump of cooked sausage meet with a hard boiled egg in the middle, covered in bread crumbs, this is a Scotch egg. It was absolutely amazing. Great flavour and consistency, good quality meat, and was big enough for a small meal.

The one thing you realize when you visit the shop is how great the quality is of the products. On the website they say “we have found that it is not worth cutting corners to meet the demand as our customers have come to expect a high quality product”.

The website could do with a wee polish, but the food is first rate. Go there and spend lots and eat lots and then tell me how great it was.

Originally posted on Foodists.ca

After my parents recent visit I was reminded of an English delicacy I used to enjoy frequently – ‘Baked Beans on Toast’. This is my version of that classic.

Toasted English muffin, buttered
Two pieces of prosciutto
Baked beans
Pan fry crushed garlic until brown and crispy
Fry the egg in the same pan that the garlic was cooked in
Honey roasted walnuts
Black pepper and salt

My mum would call this “posh beans on toast”. Try it out, it was good.

Originally posted on Foodists.ca

I’m a Yorkshire lad (pronounced York–sha) born and bred. Grew up eating scotch eggs and lard sarnies with crisps (chips) for Saturday (pronounced Sat-day) tea (evening meal).

So when I learned there was a British Butcher in town selling delights of my culinary childhood I was excited to visit.

The shop is located in North Vancouver (703 Queensbury Ave), a little off the beaten track, but is easy to find if you have a map. As soon as I walked in I noticed that it sells lots of meat products, pies as well as condiments and sweets (candy) from the mother land.

I was like a little kid who had been transported to their English youth. They sold Hula Hoops, which are crisps  in the shape of a band (like a wedding band) that you put on all your fingers and then bit them off. They sell English Mustard, like no other in the world. If you like wassabi you MUST try this, it’s amazing (my mum always brings me a jar from England when visiting).

They sell 36 different varieties of sausages. It was difficult to choose but I decided to be patriotic and buy the Yorkshire variety.

Then there was why I went, I had a craving for a Scotch egg. Put simply, imagine a circular lump of cooked sausage meet with a hard boiled egg in the middle, covered in bread crumbs, this is a Scotch egg. It was absolutely amazing. Great flavour and consistency, good quality meat, and was big enough for a small meal.

The one thing you realize when you visit the shop is how great the quality is of the products. On the website they say “we have found that it is not worth cutting corners to meet the demand as our customers have come to expect a high quality product”.

The website could do with a wee polish, but the food is first rate. Go there and spend lots and eat lots and then tell me how great it was.