The definitive British menu?

[Col_M]

If you had to cook a foreigner a meal consisting of starter, main and dessert that you think would showcase the best of British cuisine, what would you cook?

I've said that I'll cook a Czech friend some traditional British food as I want to prove to her that the lies that our food is terrible are false. I've got a reasonable list of ideas so far but I'm hoping you guys may come up with a gem that I haven't thought of

Starters
pea soup
carrot and corriander soup
black pudding salad
salmon on a bed of spinach

Mains
lamb roast
shpherd's pie
game pie
fish pie
toad in the hole
beef Wellington
Lancashire hotpot

Dessert
Eton mess
trifle
crumble with custard
rice pudding

Some options above are better than others. It's also worth noting that I'd make things like bread to go with the soups, gravy and custard from scratch.

 

[Col_M]

Bangers and mash, steak and ale pie

Good ideas too.

Fish 'n chips

Don't ruin it with mushy peas etc. Just good fish, light batter and a squeeze of lemon and salt.

That's the one thing I can't do as I don't have a deep fat fryer

 

[Col_M]

oh yes, bread and butter pudding is a good one, Yorkie pud starter is interesting too!

 

[Col_M]

You can just do it in a pot with oil. Check out my pork pie thread for details. Oh, and you may as well add battered pork pie to the list of must have foods. I suspect it to take off any day now!

Yeah, I don't really want the hassle of deep fying, I'd have to buy a basket, a crappy pan and then faf around with the oil, thanks anyway though

Blue Stilton cheese, either on it's own or mixed in with a steak pie. Delicious.

Stilton is the cheese of the gods


Nobody has given me a complete menu of what they'd do though, just dishes

 

[Col_M]

Excellent! Now we're getting more interesting things!
Exactly what I'm trying to go for mikester

One thing that might make a difference..... are you doing this when you are back in the UK or there in Prague? It's all very well us suggesting simple good dishes made with the best of British ingredients (like a lovely cropwell bishop stilton) but if you are making it over there then we will need to think of things that can be made anywhere.

I'm doing it over here in Prague, there's a British deli that I can go to for some things http://www.robertson.cz/

I also know an organic farmer who if he doesn't rear or grow it himself can get hold of it (game etc.) as he's a member of a hunting club.

So most universal things I can get hold of, seafood could be a little problem but there are suppliers albeit a bit pricy in Prague, though as you can imagine in a landlocked country seafood isn't that popular, it's all mainly freshwater.

edit: after seeing the ideas I'm leaning towards a light starter of scallops (yet to pin down an exact recipe) and then beef wellington with roast potatoes, veg and a port reduction. Dessert wise I'm thinking something light again as a roast with meat and potatoes is always filling, I've still not made a choice on that though.