I took my Italian family to try popular British cuisine – here are the two things they hated
AFTER living in the UK for ten years and getting used to the food here, I decided to take my Italian family to try the foods Brits are most proud of.
They always lived in Italy and had no idea what to expect, so I took them on a tour around London to get their opinions.
I convinced my two cousins, Riccardo and Niccolò to come along, who both have very different tastes when it comes to food.
They got to try everything from English breakfast, tea and scones to fish and chips, Greggs and sticky toffee pudding. Here’s what they thought:
English Breakfast
- Vote 8/10
- Vote 7/10
Undoubtedly, there was no better way to start our food tour than with a classic English Breakfast.
With this one, I decided to keep it simple. So I took them to my local cafe to give them the proper British experience – and to make it even more authentic, they were also hungover.
The breakfast included bacon, fried eggs, sausages, beans, black pudding, potatoes and buttered toast.
They said the highlights were the sausage, eggs and “surprisingly the beans on toast”.
On the other hand, they disliked the black pudding and said “they would never eat it again”.
Riccardo gave it a 7 out of 10 “because it’s too much to eat for breakfast. We’re used to coffee and a pastry”, but he said he would have it again – without the black pudding.
Niccolò mostly agreed, giving it an 8. He said he enjoyed it and would eat it again, but maybe later in the day, making it a brunch more than breakfast.
Tea
- Vote 2/10
Although not technically food, we could not miss out on tea, Brit’s most consumed drink.
They had it with English breakfast and did not like it, agreeing on a harsh vote of 2 out of 10.
According to a study, about 100 million cups of tea are consumed daily in the UK, so I was shocked when they said “nope, nope, nope” after drinking it and rated it so low.
Scones
- Vote 10/10
- Vote 9/10
For this one, we just went to my local Sainsbury’s and bought the essentials: scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam.
After assembling themselves, this was the definite winner of the whole experience.
Niccolò gave it his highest rating, a 9 out of 10, and called it “fantastic”.
While Riccardo loved it so much that he gave it a 10, saying it tasted “so good and the cream is amazing”.
And after the video, they finished the entire box, so we can call that a win.
Fish and Chips
- Vote 8/10
For lunch, we stopped by to eat some good old fish and chips.
Riccardo chose a classic cod with chips and said it was the “best thing he had eaten so far”, rating it an 8.
He also said this is the food he loves and can “definitely understand the hype about this beloved meal”.
Niccolò doesn’t eat seafood, so he had to skip this one out, but he stole some of the chips and said they were delicious.
Pie, Mash and Liquor
- Vote 6/10
- Vote 5.5/10
Pie, mash and liquor was the meal they were most skeptical about.
But after explaining, it consists of minced beef pie, mashed potatoes and parsley sauce, they were happy to try it.
They pretty much agreed on this one, as they didn’t particularly like it or dislike it.
They said it wasn’t too bad, but they were expecting it to be tastier, and although they wouldn’t order it, they would eat it again “if they had to”.
Greggs
- Vote 4/10
- Vote 6/10
Our next stop was Greggs to try some of the staple snacks. I had high hopes for this one because you can’t go wrong with a sausage roll and steak bake.
However, they had very different opinions. When it comes to the sausage roll, Niccolò said it was “very good”, finished it, and rated it an 8 out of 10.
He didn’t enjoy the stake bake but said the sausage roll was his favourite, and he sees himself stopping by a Greggs when he’s back in the city.
Riccardo didn’t like the sausage roll or the stake bake. He rated both a 4 and said he doesn’t understand how people love it so much.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Vote 9/10
- Vote 5/10
To end our food tour on a sweet note, we headed to the pub for a sticky toffee pudding.
Riccardo loved this one and gave it a 9 out of 10 – one of his highest ratings throughout the experience.
While eating, he kept saying the pudding was “beautiful” and “bellissimo”.
After stuffing his face, he said he never knew this dessert existed, and he was pleased to have tried it as he’ll now order it again.
He also said he would’ve never picked it from the name, as he always opts for the safest options like brownies or cakes.
Niccolò gave it a 5 out of 10 but said the only reason for the low rating is that he doesn’t like caramel.
Verdict
So while the sweeter options of scones and sticky toffee pudding went down well, my Italian cousins weren’t impressed by either tea or Greggs, a staple in the British diet.
If you fancy trying Italian food for yourself, here are the three things Brits always do wrong.