Today I want to bring you the A Lady in London guide to weird British food. Since I’ve already shared a list of traditional English dishes, I thought it would be fun to cover the stranger side of things. Some of these foods have bizarre names, some have odd ingredients, and some have both. I hope you enjoy hearing about them.
Weird British Food
These weird British foods will take your taste buds on a tour of the United Kingdom. They’ll give you insights into British culinary culture and history, and delight (or disgust) your palate in the process.
From sweet treats with funny names to savory pies that might make your stomach turn, there’s a variety of weird (and often wonderful) foods on offer in Britain.
Whether you love them, hate them, or can’t decide how you feel about them, you’ll get to experience some flavors you never knew existed. You can cook them at home, try them in a pub or restaurant, or sample them on a food tour.
Cookbooks for Weird British Food
If you want a cookbook to help you make some of these recipes at home, I recommend Traditional Cooking of the British Isles: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales: 360 Classic Regional Dishes With 1500 Beautiful Photographs.
In addition to recipes from across the country, it has photos of the food. You can get it on Amazon here. The book has lots of ideas for all kinds of British fare, and it will get you cooking up a range of strange (and not-so-strange) cuisine in no time.
It’s perfect if you love to cook or if you can’t come to the UK to try these dishes at the source.
1. Jellied Eels
First on my list of weird British food is jellied eels. This traditional English dish dates back to the 18th century, and it’s commonly associated with the East End of London.
Jellied eels are made of chopped eels that have been boiled in a spiced stock. After they’re done cooking, they’re left to cool and set, which forms a jelly. The dish is served and eaten cold.
This one came about because eels were historically so common in the River Thames that they could even be found in London. Cheap, plentiful, and nutritious, they were a staple for the city’s poor.
Today jellied eels are somewhat of a novelty, and I’ve yet to meet someone who has actually tried them. That said, I went on a tour of Billingsgate Fish Market and a trader told me he once popped one into Prince William’s mouth before he had a chance to politely decline.
2. Spotted Dick
Spotted dick is next on my list of weird British food. This dish might just have the strangest name of any traditional one in the UK.
So what is it? Spotted dick is a classic English steamed pudding. It’s usually made with suet and dried fruit, and it’s commonly served with a creamy vanilla custard.
So why the name? “Spotted” refers to the dried fruit dotted throughout the dish. “Dick” is an old dialectal term meaning “pudding”.
3. Haggis
The national dish of Scotland, haggis is another weird British food. It’s often associated with bagpipes, tartan, and other stereotypical things from up north.
Haggis is a type of savory pudding made from the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep. It’s minced, mixed with suet and oatmeal, and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices. The whole thing is put into the stomach of a sheep and boiled.
While it may sound off-putting, it’s worth tasting. I’ve had my share of haggis over the years, and as long as I don’t think about what I’m eating, I usually enjoy it.
4. Black Pudding
Next on my list of weird British food is black pudding. Also referred to as blood pudding, this is not for the faint of heart.
Black pudding is a British sausage made from pork (or sometimes beef) blood. It’s mixed with fat or suet, and a cereal like oatmeal, barley groats, or oat groats.
If you want to do an even deeper dive into the savory pudding world, you can also try white pudding. It’s an oatmeal sausage made of cereal grain and animal fat.
5. Bangers and Mash
Another weird British food is bangers and mash. While the name might throw you off the scent, this classic dish is just simple sausages and mashed potatoes. You’re allowed to laugh.
Bangers and mash is one of those traditional British dishes that falls into the category of comfort food. Piping hot sausages and fluffy mashed potatoes are hard to beat, especially when served with onion gravy.
Whether your sausages are pork, lamb, beef, veggie, or vegan is up to you. You can also add peas and other sides to the dish if you want to round it out with some colorful compliments.
6. Toad in the Hole
Next on my list of weird British food is Toad in the Hole. Like bangers and mash, the strangeness of this dish is mostly in the name.
That’s because Toad in the Hole is a big Yorkshire pudding with sausages embedded in it. It’s usually served with onion gravy on top. You can enjoy Toad in the Hole even if you don’t eat meat. There are vegetarian and vegan versions of it for all to enjoy.
But why the name? One explanation is that the sausages look like toads peeking out of the holes in the crisp Yorkshire pudding batter.
7. Scotch Eggs
Scotch eggs are another weird British food. They’re one of the first ones I encountered when I moved to London, as they were the only food served in one of my local pubs at the time.
Scotch eggs are made of a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, covered in bread crumbs, and deep fried. They’re filling and satisfying, and they go down a treat with a beer.
You won’t have to look far to find Scotch eggs in the United Kingdom. They’re served at many pubs and food markets around the country.
8. Bubble and Squeak
Of all the weird British food, bubble and squeak has my favorite name. When I first moved to London, I had no idea what it was. The title doesn’t really give a clue.
Then I learned that bubble and squeak is basically the kitchen sink of breakfasts. It’s a big mix of potatoes and vegetables fried together as a thick round patty (or a series of smaller ones).
Bubble and squeak is usually made from the leftovers of Sunday roast or another big meal. That means it’s full of everything from cabbage to carrots, peas, Brussels sprouts, leeks, and other vegetables.
If you’ve been cooking a lot at home, this dish is a great way to use up the leftovers. If you want to get creative, you can even add a fried or poached egg on top, or throw some grilled trout or haddock in.
9. Welsh Rarebit
Next on my list of strange British foods is Welsh rarebit (sometimes called Welsh rabbit). Despite the name, this dish is actually a pretty normal one.
Why? Because it’s basically a twist on traditional cheese on toast. Welsh rarebit consists of hot cheese sauce served on top of toasted bread.
The sauce is usually made of strong cheddar cheese, beer or ale, butter, Worcestershire sauce, and English mustard. Variations abound.
You can often find this dish in pubs and restaurants in the UK. It’s a good one if you like a simple dish with a bit more flavor than the usual fare.
10. Mince Pies
If you like seasonal sweet treats, the mince pie is a weird British food you’ll love. It’s one of my favorite traditional British Christmas desserts, and you can find one in every shop and supermarket in the run-up to December 25th.
But here’s the strange thing. Despite the name, mince pies aren’t actually made of mince meat. The name comes from the fact that they once were.
It misleads people like me who bite into their first one thinking they’re in for a savory experience. The super sweet filling was the last thing my taste buds were expecting.
That’s because mince pies are actually tiny pastries filled with a preserve made from dried and candied fruit, apple, suet, and spices steeped in rum or brandy. They’re just the things to warm up with during the festive season in the UK.
11. Stargazy Pie
On the other end of the flavor spectrum, Stargazy pie is a savory surprise. An old Cornish recipe, this dish is made of baked pilchards (sardines), eggs, and potatoes. It’s all covered by a pastry crust. Sounds pretty normal, right?
Wrong. The weird thing about Stargazy pie is that there are fish heads poking up through said crust. The name is supposedly derived from the fact that the pilchards look like they’re gazing skyward at the stars.
Stargazy pie is traditionally associated with the village of Mousehole. It’s eaten during the festival of Tom Bawcock’s Eve, which celebrates a local fisherman’s heroic catch during a particularly stormy winter.
Variations on the recipe for this pie include things like sand eels and horse mackerel.
Other Strange British Foods
Other weird foods in the UK include tipsy laird, jam roly-poly, pigs in blankets, Cornish pasty, offal, mushy peas, beans on toast, Marmite, Cullen skink, laverbread, chip butties, bacon butties, fish finger sandwiches, Rumbledethumps, Singing Hinnies, banoffee pie, deep-fried Mars bars, kippers, and steak and kidney pie.
There are also dishes like Christmas pudding, a festive staple in British households at the end of the year. This steamed suet number is often served with alcohol poured on top and lit on fire. It’s one of my favorite traditional British Christmas foods.
Whether you cook these wonderfully bizarre dishes at home or sample them in a restaurant or on a food tour, I’m sure you’ll have fun experiencing new flavors.
Weird British Food
I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of weird British foods and that trying them whisks your taste buds off on a tour of Britain.
Better yet, I hope you can enjoy them at some of the best pubs and restaurants in London or elsewhere in the UK.
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