The British Tag – 12 questions for bloggers
I love anything British. I’ve read lots of those books that take a fun look at the British, the English, and just love all the quirks and eccentricities. Ok, so everyone says being British doesn’t mean much anymore, but I think a lot of the things that are traditionally British still stand.
Take a look at twitter for example…all those twitter accounts set up spouting out daily British issues with massive followings, must mean people are still interested and love the warmth and fuzziness of the stereotypes!
Having no idea what to do with your arms when someone moves in for a cheek kiss
— VeryBritishProblems (@SoVeryBritish) August 9, 2014
Turning slightly sideways and saying sorry when passing someone, despite the corridor being large enough to accommodate a train
— VeryBritishProblems (@SoVeryBritish) July 21, 2014
Anyway, I’ve been tagged by Cate over at Me Add Three in the British Tag, which originated from Sammi over at Beauty Crush. So here’s my answers to those very important Great British culture questions.
1. How many cups of tea do you have a day? How many sugars?
Ok, so I’m a British fraud, I detest tea. I think it might stem from being offered it as a four year old by the person who was looking after us on the day of our dad’s funeral. I have attempted fruit teas, but however nice they smell, they still taste like tea. I’m the same with coffee…vile stuff.
2. Favourite part of your roast?
Any of the extras. With turkey or chicken it’s the stuffing, chestnut sauce and sausagement. With beef it’s the Yorkshire pudding. Pork it’s the crackling. Oh and of course really fluffy roast potatoes.
3. Favourite dunking biscuit?
See above – I don’t drink tea or coffee, so unlikely to need to dunk. But biscuit wise, I do like an everyday Bourbon biscuit. For something a bit more special chocolate hobnobs wouldn’t be turned down.
4. Favourite quintessentially British pastime?
Cream tea. Maybe more English than British, but you can’t beat a proper high tea with sandwiches, scones, cakes.
Although I like to moan about queues and the fact that people have no idea how to queue (efficiently, or at all in some places) nowadays. Not a favourite to have to do, but very British.
5. Favourite word?
Pimms. Hmm a food and drink theme coming out here. Obviously self-explanatory really, but I think it exemplifies British summers weddings.
(I also love onomatopoeia – I think it flows nicely and sounds like it should for what it means).
6. Cockney rhyme slang?
Interesting fact, my Grandad was a cockney. Not that he sounded like one as he moved around a lot once he was in the Air Force and settled in Lincolnshire, but he used to tell us lots of rhyming slang. Mostly we would repeat back the ‘Up the ole apples and pears, lay your ed on the weeping willow and do some bo peeping’ rhyme to him.
7. Favourite sweet?
I’m more of a chocolate person than sweets, and it would definitely have to be Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate. For sweets, I suppose cola bottles or sherbet lemons would do the job.
8. What would your pub be called?
My OH would say the Nag’s Head! But I’d probably say something like The Dancing Cow. I love to dance although I’ve not really done so since N was born, and my best friend calls me Moo which goes back a long time now.
9. No.1 British person?
Apart from the gorgeous and scrummy voiced Nigel Havers, I suppose I’d have to say someone like Jamie Oliver. He’s a down to earth British boy, you could see him down the pub, and he believes in what he does and how he can make a difference, through his foundation and making cooking accessible.
10. Favourite shop / Restaurant?
I don’t really have a favourite restaurant, ones I’ve loved in the past aren’t based on British food at all, but places I’ve been for nights out and really enjoyed them: Café Pacifico which is a not very British Mexican place in London, and Sarastro which is an opulent theatre decorated restaurant also in London.
Otherwise, we eat out in village pubs with friendly owners who tend to know us (or the people we’re with if it’s their local).
11. What British song pops into your head?
Blur’s Park Life. Part of the Britpop era, and we spend a lot of time with N in playgrounds and country parks, so it seems apt.
12. Marmite?
Hate it, and it’s not coming into our house! Luckily N gets to eat it at nursery
What are your favourite British things?
If you want to know more about blogger tags, then check out my post Blogger Tags – a guide.
Why not take a look at these similar posts.
I really enjoyed this post, thank you for sharing! I had so much fun answering the questions myself over on my own blog!
Thanks for stopping by. Glad you found it interesting. I’ll go and have a read
It’s strange to think that a lot of these things are deemed ‘British’ Cream tea’s, Pimms and so on. We Brits really do have a lot of great things to appreciate! Xx
You’re so right. Others who don’t have these really are missing out!
Haha this was a fun tag!! Bourbons are my favourites too. I will never understand why anybody likes marmite! xx
I love this tag, can’t believe you don’t like tea! I love pub names in England, cock and bull a particular favourite
Haha, I don’t drink tea or coffee either yuck! I actually like Marmite even though i’m really fussy! Great post! x
As an Irish person, this is very interesting to me! Dancing cow, great name for a pub. I would definitely be a regular there! And as for high tea. Favourite time of the day 🙂
Love this tag, I have to say I’m with you on the extra trimmings with the roast, I am a sucker for my stuffing and roasties. I am irish and we are really similar in our lovers of roasts and tea or tae as we do say. Love your pub name, the dancing cow well cool
It’s a good one isn’t it. I guess the Irish and Brits aren’t far, so bound to like many of the same things. And a roast should be loved by everyone
Oh it’s so true about the apologising when there is no need! I must say it at least 20 times a day, if not more!
Even though I’m not British I LOVE this tag! I think I may have to do an Irish version 🙂 The extras are always my favourite part of a roast dinner too and I also detest tea, or any hot drink actually!
That TAG is amazing! I’m a huge British fan, I lived in London for a year and a half and I would like to consider myself a Portuguese Brit hahahaha
Haha a British fraud because you don’t like tea!? I love tea but actually have really started enjoying coffee, so don’t worry! And yes a British roast is amazing. I dont know if i could choose a favourite part of my roast!!
Roasts in general are good. Especially if they’re cooked by someone else!
I love fluffy roast potatoes they are to die for and my favourite British thing is moaning about the weather, I mean really can’t we have one day when the sun is shining.
Yes, definitely one of the best bits of the roast. And yes to the weather. Makes small talk so much easier
This is brilliant! I’m not very British in that I don’t drink much tea (but guzzle coffee by the gallon!), I hate sweets and I’m not a fan of roasts. But I ADORE pimms, cream teas, and have an obsession with the Royal family!
Ooh you can’t beat a cream tea (jam first for me!). I have to admit to getting a bit emotional when the Queen beat Victoria.
Do you know I have never actually drank pimms before, how bad is that. I do love a roast though and we always have a one on a sunday every week without fail. Totally agree with you on the Marmite I refuse to buy it too xx
Ooh you have to try Pimms, or maybe try til next summer because it really needs to be partaken out in the open air.
haha love that twitter feed! Love the questions too.. but how can you have a fav part of a roast?! It has to be all of it together!! 😉 x
Nope, I definitely have favourite parts (or at least bits I’d not be sad to see go)
Oh gosh how I love roasts and cup of tea!! I am from Ireland but have friends living over here from England and you so remind me of them especially my lovely friend Taniax Really enjoyed your postx I am going to tell her about your blog she will love this post in particularx
Aw thanks. So weird when people remind you of others, but nice.
Sunday roast is the best – mashed potatoes… yum. Yorkshire puds.. yum. I hate marmite though oh lord, which is weird because apparently I loved it as a baby! I’ve never had Pimms but would love to try it.
And cream tea. Yum. Basically yum to everything food-related answer you had! 😛
Love Jamie Oliver too, such amazing recipes. <3
Pimms is lovely. It doesn’t take like alcohol though so dangerous
I love reading posts like this. I’m from Ireland however there are quite a few similarities. We’re massive tea drinkers too, apparently tea fixes everything, like you though I’m not a fan, though I do like Green Teas and Fruit Teas and I’m a big coffee drinker! Afternoon tea is a favourite here too as is the Roast Dinner.
Blur’s Parklife takes me right back to my teens 🙂 I love Jamie Oliver, he always comes across a really genuine down to earth guy. British Pubs have brilliant names, far more imaginative than ours!
There’s an awful lot of Red Lions around though. I don’t remember the Irish pub names from when I went over for a uni field trip, but we certainly enjoyed them.
Haha I love this! Us Irish are suckers for Tea and Sunday roasts as well. x
I’m the same! Hate tea and coffee, love a bourbon and marmite is banned from my house too, much to my hubby’s dismay!
a woman after my own heart!
Just biscuits really, but you can’t beat a bourbon.
Just spotted this, thanks for including me at the top! Can’t beat a nice sherbet lemon, but I’d go for the Dairy Milk every time too 🙂
I’m not really a sweets person, but there are some you just can’t beat. Love a bit of bog standard milk chocolate – much better than the posh stuff.
Thanks for the tag, did read this in the week but I’m drowning at the moment. Will try to write something up next week. ps. I don’t eat sweets – is that very un-British??
I don’t eat them that much either. Much prefer chocolate (she says, having troughed a pack of Percy Pigs the other day, giving N 2!). No worries on timings – do it whenever.
Mmmm, Pimms. So very British. I ordered one in America once, an experience I’d rather forget as it was served with flat lemonade, no ice or fruit and they gave me. 25ml measure. So very wrong!
What a fun idea for a post 🙂
Oh dear. Yes, it is odd when even some places in the UK serve it without fruit. It’s almost like not being able to get a decent cup of tea elsewhere!
Thanks for stopping by
Haha, that was a post that I had a big smile on ALL through reading it! Right up there with the cream teas and gorgeous J.O! I have such a crush on him :D. I love reading the mick-taking posts on British life, mind you, I’m a total Anglophile despite my across the pond roots!x
Ha ha. Love how these type of posts make people smile. They always do for me too. Not sure I have a crush on Jamie, but he’s a bit of a ‘wide boy’ charmer.