Hi, I’m Florence Pugh and today I will be eating a bunch of British foods.
Breakfast
This is an English breakfast, a full English, as you would say. You usually get this on the weekends after you’ve had a big night. This is a tomato, obviously, English sausages, beans, black pudding. Black pudding is made from the blood of pork, I think. I didn’t touch them for years and then I had one in Scotland, and it was amazing. Fried eggs, sunny side up, obvi, bacon. And eat away your hangover. I’m gonna try the black pudding. Mmmmm, that’s a good black pudding, and it’s spicy. It’s fancy.
Scotch Egg
Awww, is that the biggest Scotch egg I’ve ever seen? What’s in there? I think it’s pickled onions. It is pickled onions. I sometimes eat them raw. I went through a phase of drinking the vinegar out of the jar just raw. Don’t know why. They’re really pickledy. Okay, I’m gonna try the Scotch egg. And it’s steaming! It’s warm! So a Scotch egg is a boiled egg, and around it is breaded sausage. And then it’s deep-fried. Come here ketchup. A bit of ketchup won’t hurt anyone. Mmmmmmm.
Cornish Pasty
Thank you! What is that? Ohhh! Is this a Cornish pasty? A really tough one. Achh! Cornish pasty is usually a meat-filled pasty, puff pastry, and I think it was invented by Cornish miners or builders. I think basically it was a food that would be able to be transported in their back pocket and they’d be able to take it to work. I think that’s correct. If not, someone was quite clearly pulling my pisser. Numm. That’s a tasty Cornish pasty.
Shepherd’s Pie
This is a shepherd’s pie. My mum makes the best shepherd’s pie, although my dad says that he makes the best shepherd’s pie, so between them they both think that they both make their own best shepherd’s pie. We never say which one we like more. Should I try the tzatziki on it? I’ve never tried tzatziki on a shepherd’s pie.
Ratatouille
Tzatziki goes with everything. Most of the film sets that we’ve been on at the end of the day’s shoot we’ll go home and one person will cook. So for example on *Midsommar*, Jack would cook a curry, and I’d cook a ratatouille, ’cause that’s one of my favorite meals. I got everybody into my mulled wine on *Little Women*. They loved that. But it’s time for some more food.
Fish & Chips
Oh yay, fish and chips! What’s this? Is this malt vinegar? Oooo, it’s malt vinegar! Aww, this actually smells like a really good fish and chips. I think my granddad would be proud. My granddad used to work in the fish docks in Grimsby, so he’s like a big fish expert. Yet again, ketchup. Every single one of English meals deserves ketchup on it! Okay, here we go. Ooo, that’s a good crunch. And then we’re just gonna do a bit of this. Mmmmmm. Fish and chips. Aww that’s good. Mmmmm.
Steak & Ale Pie
Ah hahhhh. Ooo, ahhhhh! It’s a steak and ale pie! With a bit of mash. I have no idea what goes into making one of these, but usually they put a beer in there, which is why it smells so good. Is this steak and kidney? And I think that has melted butter dribbled on the top. It does. That’s so naughty. These are quite heavy foods. It’s good though. Mmmmmm.
Bubble and Squeak
I don’t drink water so I have tea. So this is very new for me. Oh! Is that Branston Pickle? Aw, it’s Branston Pickle, one of my most favorite condiments. I don’t know what it’s doing with this, though. I have no idea what this is. Eww! Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot. I’m stumped, I have no idea what that is. What is it?
Man: Bubble and Squeak.
Bubble and Squeak? Well, this is a fancy Bubble and Squeak. The idea behind Bubble and Squeak is usually the day after a roast and there’s leftovers: mashed potato, cabbage, meat if you have it, you put it in the pan and you fry it. But this is fancy. This is in a whole hot pan and everything.
Roast
Is this a roast? It is a roast. Is it a roast?
Man: It’s a Cornish hen.
I don’t think I’ve had Cornish hen. Maybe I have. Let’s give it a go. I learned years ago from Jamie Oliver that he has this really clever way of cutting along the backbone, and then there’s a little ridge there where you just nestle the knife down, and you essentially can just push the whole breast off. Thanks Jamie Oliver. I love Brussels sprouts. There’s so much hate on Brussels sprouts. I love them. Mmmmmm! This is my favorite dish so far. Mmmmmm!
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Do you have any juice? Can I have some juice? Thank you. Ribena! Every person’s childhood is full of Ribena. Ahhhh! Delicious! Thank you for my juice. Oh, this has potential to be really messy, go! Mmmmm. Yeah, that’s tasty.
Trifle
Quite possibly one of the most English desserts there is. Mmmmm, aw that’s good! My mum usually makes a very boozy version of this. So there’s always a cointreau or like a sweet rum, or a liqueur, and it always sits at the bottom. So I’d shove my spoon in and then put it in my mouth, and it would be just not fun for a child. But as an adult, I’m appreciating what she’s doing a bit more.
Victoria Sponge
Oh my goodness, it’s a Victoria sponge! Guys, this is a magnificent sight. Ooo, that’s a deep Victoria sponge! This was the first pudding that I loved. And I think it’s because of the film *Calendar Girls*. Helen Mirren was in a cake baking competition, and she bought a Victoria sponge from the shop instead of baking it. It was a massive issue, lots of drama. And then I remember eating a Victoria sponge, realizing that I was eating the same cake that Helen Mirren took from the shops. So crumbly, hang on, excuse my fingers. Mmmmmm. That’s a good Victoria sponge.
Closing Thoughts
I think even my gran would be impressed. And it’s got two really big tiers. And strawberries. I wouldn’t have been able to eat any of this wearing the costumes in *Little Women*. You’re wearing a corset, and as beautiful as corsets are, the design of them is to make everything about a woman smaller. And it’s funny, because you quickly realize that anything you put in your mouth, you are using up breathing space. So you end up having to weigh up if you wanna eat food or if you wanna breathe. It’s very simple. But they are beautiful, I’ll say that.
I’m gonna be truthful, at the beginning of this session I couldn’t feel my stomach against the dress. I now can. Thank you guys for watching me eat all this food. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Have a wonderful day. Bye!