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Oh! And tomato paste in tubes!!!!!!!! I squealed quite loudly when I came across that last year in England! I have never seen it in Canada in tubes (only in cans, and I end up wasting half of it) - maybe in the USA?
I've never seen it in tubes in the U.S. In fact, I'd bet most Americans would find it a bit weird. It looks like a tube of toothpaste.
Those tubes of tomato paste are handy, aren't they.
Yes - very cool - and it totally makes sense to put it in a tube as one may only use a tablespoon or so and then you have to chuck the rest of the can (well . . . when it turns green ) whereas in the TUBE, the wonderful little TUBE it stay fresh forever
If you are not of Welsh descent you may not be familiar with Welsh Cakes. I think the best way to describe them would be scone-like, albeit in cookie form. The reason I say this is that the two doughs are similar, not only in their ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, egg, and milk) but also in technique
The only real difference is that less milk is used in the Welsh Cake batter because you want a dough that can be rolled and cut into rounds. Again, as with scones they are often flavored, and while I like to make them as my mother did, with a little ground cinnamon and mace, you could also just add a little mixed spice. Dried fruit is commonly added and here again, I make them as my mother did, with a combination of currants and candied peel. Now, unlike scones that are baked in a hot oven, Welsh Cakes are cooked on a lightly buttered bakestone, griddle, heavy frying pan, or even an electric frying pan. Recently, though, I have taken to baking them in a 350 degree F (177 degree C) oven on a baking stone, with excellent results. Welsh Cakes are fully cooked when they have turned golden brown on both sides, yet the inside of the cakes should still be soft. A sprinkle of granulated white sugar immediately after cooking adds a nice crunch and whether you eat them plain, buttered, or with jam, they are perfect.
And blah blah blah some more, here's the recipe:
2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup (50 grams) currants or raisins
1/4 cup (40 grams) chopped mixed peel
1 large egg lightly beaten
2 - 4 tablespoons milk
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and mace. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the currants and mixed peel. Add the beaten egg and enough milk to form a light dough.
Knead the dough gently on a lightly floured surface and roll to a thickness of 1/4 inch (5 mm). Cut into rounds using a 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) cookie cutter.Lightly butter a griddle, heavy frying pan, or electric frying pan and heat to medium hot.
Cook the Welsh cakes for about 5 minutes per side, or until they are golden brown, but still soft in the middle. Immediately after baking, sprinkle with granulated white sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature. Welsh cakes can also be eaten buttered or split in half and spread with jam.Makes about 20 - 2 1/2 inch cakes.
Note: Welsh Cakes can also be baked in a 350 degree F (177 degree C) oven. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for about 7 minutes on each side or until nicely browned yet still soft inside. They can also be cooked on a baking stone in the oven. Heat the stone in a 350 degree F (177 degree C) oven and then bake the Welsh Cakes on the stone, turning after about 4 - 5 minutes, or until nicely browned.
I will be moving to the UK in the near future (England) and am really looking forward to the whole experience. I have lived all over Canada and travelled extensively through the USA and am fascinated by the differences from place to place - differences in people, culture, history, landscape, etc. I am really thrilled to have this opportunity.
I am excited to be able to visit so many historic places in the UK (and the option to travel to other places in Europe so economically).
I was wondering if any Canadian or Americans currently living in the UK have any advice for a fellow North American moving across the pond? I know firsthand (from having travelled over there extensively the last few years) that:
-- the traffic is hell
-- the parking spots are miniscule
-- many things are more expensive
-- our house will be smaller than what we can afford in Canada and
-- the crime is higher....
So . . . no need to focus on the above, I am really looking for the positive: I would really like to hear what you love about the UK - new foodstuffs you have discovered (I have a few of those already - the incredible restaurants (I am a huge curry fan), the vast assortment of delicious cheeses, rhubarb yoghurt, Twiglets and Bisto gravy granules!), places you have been to and been blown away by (for me, Stonehenge, Ullapool and Dunnotar Castle - tell me more please!), etc.
Also, any advice on things that you can get in the USA or Canada that you can't find over there, and would recommend bringing with me?
Most loved foodstuffs: yorkshire puddings, sweets!, digestives, fizzy lemonade, comfort foods like mash, chips and odd-flavored crisps (prawn cocktail? yum!), all indian and turkish food, kebab shops
Most missed: root beer, peanut butter, fancy salads, mexican, sushi (I'm not in London, alas), ketchup (it's too sweet here), good pizza, bbq, and maple syrup (and veg that has flavouring on it, not just boiled)
Cool places to visit: all of edinburgh (really friendly there, too), the john soanes museum in london, hadrian's wall
Random pieces of advice:
People have been pretty friendly (presuming you're not the typical ugly american tourist, which you don't sound like). Not as friendly as canadians in my experience.
BUT, you will hear plenty of people with superiority complexes generalizing about the U.S. (when they've been to florida, once, 10 years ago).
Going hand in hand with that is a tendency to underestimate the sheer size of north america (no, I can't go visit L.A. for the day from my state). But it makes everything seem to close and accessible to us!
It never really gets warm in the north.
EVERYTHING costs more than you expect- except for Primark (which rules) and free museums.
Sketchy teenagers aka chavs hanging out on the street corners can make you feel like you wandered into the worst parts of new jersey.
Do you go out for drinks much? I was shocked the first time I went out at night- not even to a club, just a bar- and women were tottering around in freezing weather in tiny skirts, heels and tank tops. So unless you have a very hearty constitution or serious body issues, pubs are the way to go.
Get a library card asap- they entitle you to a lot of local discounts.
Flat sheets are harder to come by- people generally just have a duvet over a fitted sheet.
The coffee still sucks (sorry!) and they don't use half and half.
Oh, but I haven't noticed the traffic being any worse, IMHO.
I am English but have been in St. Louis for 23 years. My husband is from St. Louis and lived in England for a year. Yes, the bacon is wonderful. I love Marmite and so does one of my daughters but you had to have been raised on the stuff. My younger daughter hates it. If you like beer they are VERY serious about theirs and they keep it at cellar temperature if it is not lager or American beer. My husband, the American, loves is too.
The countryside has, to quote Bill Bryson, a quiet understated beauty. Great places to visit are the west country and the lake district. London is a unique, busy, historic city that manages to combine the very old with the very modern. And it does it very successfully.
I could go on and on but you seem as thought you already have the right attitude....look for the positive. The "When in Rome" attitude is the best one to have. I have lived in St. Louis for a long time now and I can come off sounding like I work for the tourist board here too.
One word of advice...if you can find another Canadian, or at least North American to have an occasional gripe to, do it. Sometimes you just have to vent about the things you don't like in order to truly appreciate what you do like.
I have to agree with Leesa. It will help to have someone of similar background to act as a sounding board. Its amazing things that we take for granted in the US/Canada that just do not occur in a small English village. Reasonably priced meals out, Chinese Take Out (or Away) that does not cost an arm and leg, Stores being opened late, a baker that is open at 7:00 AM, a place to get good coffee...
But you will gain a since of community at the local (pub), a chance to try different foods, a slower pace of life, meeting someone that has not been further than 30-50 miles from their home (while you are living a quarter of the way around the world).
As a background, I have lived in 4 countries including the UK. My home country is the USA where I lived in Los Angeles (born-early childhood), Detroit (much of Highschool), Ann Arbor (University), San Diego (working through Graduate school). I have also lived in Serbia (Belgrade, Novi Sad), Italy (Venice), and the UK (London, Liverpool, just outside Manchester).
As to my stint in the UK, I was chasing romance (met her in the states).
As my name suggests, I got around!
But onto the comparisons US vs UK:
Cost of Living: It's impossible to compare. There are so many things, that first strike as you more expensive about the UK, like just about any consumer good. A lot of this is due to the relatively weaker US dollar, higher energy costs, and a higher tax that is included in the price! But overall, the quality of food I found to be much higher, as just one example. To get the same quality of food, you have to shop speciality shops in the USA, and then (as my experience) the costs came out the same if not higher. In addition, there is a lot of aspects more expensive about the US than the UK, like higher education and health care. 'Lower' education in the USA is a joke and not comparable to the UK unless you opt for private schools. Energy costs are lower in the states, much lower, but we use way more energy because we live in bigger, and not properly insulated homes and drive more, and drive less fuel efficient cars. I've known a lot of Americans pay more for energy despite the cheaper cost of it simply because they had to drive 1 hour to work and back and couldn't sell their homes, and move closer.
I gotta say, I loved the fact that cities were walkable in the UK, with good public transportation-San Diego, Los Angeles, and Detroit were just so spread out and obviously designed for the car. The only US cities similar are NYC (manhattan) and Chicago. I also liked that bars/clubs could serve alcohol throughout the night, something that I only saw in Miami and Las Vegas. In most places in the USA, they stop serving at 2am, or something around that.
Diversity: England definitely has more cultures, being closer to Europe, and not assimilating their immigrants as well (for whatever reason). However, America definitely has more ethnic and racial diversity than England or anywhere else in Europe for that matter. But again, it depends where you are. In peckham (where I stayed in London), I definitely saw no shortage of Africans while in Liverpool, I had to squint to find a foreigner.
Crime: No England is not worse than the USA here, but it's important to remember the nature of crime is different between both countries. In England, due to the drinking culture (lower drinking age, bars open all night, and good public transportation/walkability meaning no need for a car) there were no shortage of drunken people walking city centers during the weekend nights. This meant getting shouted out, and a possible fight. But overall, I never saw anything in the UK approximating US gang culture. I never felt unsafe, and I was all over London and Liverpool whereas there are some scary ass places in the USA especially in Los Angeles and Detroit. This means, that in some ways US crime is more avoidable, but in all honesty I lived in the UK for 3 years and have never been a victim of any crime. In the USA, i have been mugged (1), burglarised (3), and assaulted (2), and my property has been vandalised more times than I can remember (I have lived in the USA 17 years). The 'chav' thing in the UK is overblown I think. The media can hype anything, look at the swine flu!
Weather: Nothing will beat SoCal! But UK weather ain't bad, it is temperate the only downside is the overcast and the drizzle. Detroit has worse imo. Freezing ****ing cold in the winter, and muggy summers. It's overcast a bunch of the days too! Not as much as NW England, but not far off. I'd take Liverpool weather over Detroit any day of the week.
Drinking culture/youth culture: Drinking culture is driven more underground in America due to the laws (21 yo drinking age). But in most college towns, you'll see drunk students walking from frat parties back to their dorms and everything follows from there-vomit on the street, drunken people trying to pick fights even though they can barely stand up etc Like the UK, but in the UK this type of thing is more in the city center instead of isolated to the campuses. Overall, even though England felt more liberal in a lot of ways, the girls dressed more conservative and the guys more 'metrosexual' for whatever reason.
The English are more reserved than Americans, but I didn't have trouble making friends (maybe it was cause I was an American?).
Hope this helps to anyone deciding upon living in either place.
Out of curiosity, what about animal culture? Has anyone moved over with a pet? I know there are different attitudes toward de-clawing cats/letting them roam out of doors (or at least I think I know), but is there anything else?
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Welsh Cakes and Tomato Paste in Tubes
) whereas in the TUBE, the wonderful little TUBE it stay fresh forever 
