Branston Pickle

[Richard A Thackeray]

Damned cheeky Americans thinking this about a National institution!
Having said that, he’s lived here for a long time, & is a naturalised British citizen now, with at least one University Chancellor title to his name

It's in this excellent book (another tour of the UK, but this time, with more knowledge than the callow youth, who arrived from Iowa, in the 70s

Also look at 'Honorary Doctorates' after this section
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Bryson...

He also had a dig at Marmite, in one of his books, I seem to recall

 

[Cycleops]

Probably the best and most amusing is his 'Notes from a small island' which was serialised on R4 in which he travelled around the UK staying at guest houses mainly.
He catalogues the idiosyncracy of Brits and wonders at how they get joyful at the prospect of warm brown beverage, plus much more.
Extract here:
https://www.thebookseller.com/spotlight/notes-from-a-small-island-extract

 

[fossyant]

I read one of his early books and really enjoyed it.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Probably the best and most amusing is his 'Notes from a small island' which was serialised on R4 in which he travelled around the UK staying at guest houses mainly.
He catalogues the idiosyncracy of Brits and wonders at how they get joyful at the prospect of warm brown beverage, plus much more.
Extract here:
https://www.thebookseller.com/spotlight/notes-from-a-small-island-extract

A warm brown beverage & a biscuit!!

I read one of his early books and really enjoyed it.

I've enjoyed almost all of them, barring the one about Shakespeare

A Short History Of Nearly Everything, & The Body, are wonderful works!

 

[Petrichorwheels]

somewhat surprised he hasn't been knighted.
He does seem to have a particular love of this place.
Good writer though one or two of his later books seem to be coasting it a bit.
By the by, would be interested in feedback taste tests on Branston vis-a-vis the Aldi version.

Brit food, which truly can seem somewhat crude at times, is rather dissed I think.
I know a foreign person who at first derided all the "sauces" Brits put on their food and then came to like.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Brit food, which truly can seem somewhat crude at times, is rather dissed I think.
I know a foreign person who at first derided all the "sauces" Brits put on their food and then came to like.

I did read somewhere, possibly in a Stuart Maconie book, that the reason that French food needed/developed so many sauces/‘jus’/ drizzle/etc… was because the basic ingredients were so poor

Conversely, English food-stuffs were so high a quality, that no cover-ups were required?
(& possibly‘stagnated’??)

 

[Cycleops]

I did read somewhere, possibly in a Stuart Maconie book, that the reason that French food needed/developed so many sauces/‘jus’/ drizzle/etc… was because the basic ingredients were so poor

Conversely, English food-stuffs were so high a quality, that no cover-ups were required?
(& possibly‘stagnated’??)

You'd have to have a very good sauce to encourage you to eat horse meat.

 

[Time Waster]

Whereas zebra meat is very nice, especially good in a burger. Contrary to what you might think. The stripes aren't all the way through!

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Whereas zebra meat is very nice, especially good in a burger. Contrary to what you might think. The stripes aren't all the way through!

Had it
I've also tried Crocodile, that was from a takeaway/burger shop in Leeds (not in the 'centre', but down Bridge End, between the Adephi & Tetleys!)

 

[Juan Kog]

I agree with @Cycleops ,my introduction to Bill Bryson was also Notes From a Small Island on BBC R4 .
It was read by the Canadian actor Kerry Shale , who later recorded other Bill Bryson books . Some years later I heard Bill Bryson in a radio interview, he said when people first meet me there amazed I don’t sound like Kerry Shale .