Us English folk might not be famed internationally for our cuisine, but we beg to differ! We know that there are some superb English farmers and producers championing exceptional, world-class produce, and family recipe books up and down the country passed down the generations brimming full of comforting, timeless recipes. So, ahead of St George’s Day we’ve rounded up the reasons why English food deserves a better name for itself! An English feast, perfect for St George himself.

The English Breakfast

Starting early in the morning, with the classic Full English! Breakfast is certainly a meal that puts England on the map. It’s a meal that has also helped to put us on the map too. So, whether you’re cooking your fry-up at home of a weekend and looking for top quality ingredients, or you like to treat yourself to a hearty breakfast out, Becketts knows breakfast like no other.

Pop by our Farm Shop for top quality bacon, pork sausages, locally sourced free-range eggs, freshly baked bread for toast and your fresh tomatoes and mushrooms for frying.

Or book a table and indulge in our all-day breakfast menu, featuring our aptly named Old Faithful!

Whilst on the subject of breakfast, we can’t forget another English staple – black pudding. Thought to have been invented by monks in Yorkshire, the Black Country right on our doorstep here in the Midlands lays a claim to its history too – known also as ‘Black Pudding Country’ being a top producer of this UK delicacy.  You can always pick black pudding up from our Deli counter.

If St George needed fuelling up for the day ahead before fighting the legendary dragon, we’re sure a full English brekkie would have done the trick!

Dinner, Tea or Supper!

We could argue until the cows come home on what the last meal of the day should be called, but one thing us English folks are pretty unanimous on is our national dish – Fish & Chips! 86% of us in a recent YouGov poll chose fish and chips as our favourite meal.

Our Farm Shop may be well and truly land-locked, but that doesn’t stop us from sourcing superb fish for freshly battered Fish and Chips in the Restaurant. Or if you like to create this dish at home, then the Wilja variety of potato is an excellent all-rounder spud, perfect for chips! Are you the tartare sauce type, or need a generous dollop of ketchup to enjoy your chippy tea? Either way you’ll find our shelves stocked with a range of gourmet sauces, made by English producers! For example, the fantastic range from Stokes, which is the condiment range that we offer in our Restaurant too.

When it comes to main meals we can think of a whole host of other English classics. Bangers & Mash, Shepherds Pie, Jacket Potatoes, Beans on Toast, Steak & Kidney Pie, Toad in the Hole, Cauliflower Cheese, Gammon & Eggs and not forgetting the ultimate Roast Dinner!

Just down the road from us is the Balti Triangle… yes us English folk (us Brummies even) invented a curry. A delicious one at that, and worthy of being recognised worldwide.

Pudding Please

When it comes to sweet treats, the English have some top-class options too! Here’s where we really strike culinary gold in the pages of those family recipe books. Apple Pie, Rhubarb Crumble, Spotted Dick, Jam Roly Poly, Chocolate Concrete, all doused with thick custard! And for the more ‘delicate’ sweet tooth, think of English afternoon tea; Victoria Sponge, Homemade Fruit Scones with Clotted Cream, Strawberries and Cream and Battenberg. We could go on!

After the dragon was defeated, we imagine St George popping via Wythall to celebrate with a steaming cuppa and a huge cream scone from Becketts Bakery counter. And shouldn’t that be the starting point of every celebration!?

English Food Champions

So that’s it. Our summary of some of our favourite English foods and culinary classics to make St George proud. We’re very proud to be suppliers of superb food and produce from little old England. And we’re delighted to serve some of these tasty staple dishes in our award-winning Restaurant too. Why not pay us a visit sometime soon, we’d love to welcome you. Don’t forget to let us know if we’ve forgotten anything in our round-up!