Animals in Britain: Foxhunting

Fox hunting is the sport of hunting foxes with foxhounds by people riding on horses.
Fox hunting takes place in the UK between November and early spring. The horse riders usually wear red coats, and the hunt is controlled by the Master of Foxhounds.
Foxhunting is thought of as a sport for rich people who own land in the countryside. Many people think that fox hunting is cruel and want parliament to pass a law against it, but foxhunters argue that it helps to control the number of foxes.

Did you know?

The term stirrup cup originally referred to a drink offered to a man mounted on horseback and about to depart for the hunt. Now, the phrase refers to the drinking vessel itself. Commonly connected with hunting, many of the cups are made of silver and engraved with mottoes taken from the chase. They are usually in the form of a fox’s head or, more rarely, the head of a greyhound or hare.

Holiday Places for the British: Majorca

Majorca is a Spanish island in the West Meditarranean Sea, the largest of the Balearic Islands, which is very popular with tourists. In The UK it is often thought of as a place where many people go for inexpensive holidays. Some British people think that parts of the island have been spoiled, because there are many new buildings and places of entertainment for tourists.

Very British: The Willow Pattern

The willow-pattern ware, sometimes porcelain but frequently opaque pottery, originated in Staffordshire, England, c.1780. Thomas Minton, then an apprentice potter, developed and engraved the design, presumably after an old Chinese legend. It portrays the garden of a rich mandarin whose young daughter elopes with his secretary. The lovers, overtaken on the bridge by her father, are transformed by the gods into birds and flutter beyond his reach. The scene with its willow tree covers the central part of a plate, dish, or bowl, with a border of butterflies, daggers, a fret, or other motif. The blue-and-white chinaware on which it appeared became immensely popular, and the design was reproduced with variations by many European potters and even in Asia, where it is still constantly employed, most of the ware being exported to Western countries.

Cool Link:

The Willow Pattern Story

An Insight into the Victorian Era

Cool Link:

A website offering a complete insight into the Victorian era in terms of its political and social issues, gender matters and visual arts.
The Victorian Web: An Overview

Very British: Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer is a large British store that sells mainly clothes and food. Its goods are sold under the name St Michael and the company is often informally called M & S or Marks or Marks ad Sparks.
Marks and Spencer clothes are sold at reasonable prices, but are of very good quality. Many people in the UK buy their underwear from Marks and Spencer. Their food products include a lot of things that are easy to prepare or ready to eat, and are popular especially with people who do not have time to cook. Marks and Spencer is one of the best known and most respected businesses in the UK, and people from other countries often shop there they visit the UK.

A Taste of Cornwall: Cornish Pasty

A Cornish pasty is a folded piece of pasty, usually for one person to eat, which contains small pieces of meat, potato and other vegetables.
Cornish pasties can be served piping hot, crisp and golden brown and just out of the oven, or eaten cold as a lunch buffet snack with a sprig of parsley.

There is as much folklore around the Cornish Pasty as there are recipe variations. Whatever the truth there is no doubt that the pasty formed an important part of many working Cornishmen's diet, be they miners, farmers, or fishermen. With the decline of the mining industry in Cornwall many Cornishmen were forced to emigrate, as far afield as the USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa taking the pasty recipe with them.

Wedding Destinations: Gretna Green

Gretna Green is a village in the south of Scotland famous for runaway weddings. This village is in the border with England. Until 1929, the marriage laws were less strict in Scotland than in England, and so many young English couples, whose parents did not want them to get married, ran away to get married in Grenta Green.

Gretna Green is one of the world's most popular wedding destinations.
Gretna's famous runaway marriages began in 1753 when an Act of Parliament, Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act, was passed in England, which stated that if both parties to a marriage were not at least 21 years old, then consent to the marriage had to be given by the parents. This Act did not apply in Scotland, where it was possible for boys to get married at 14 and girls at 12 years old with or without parental consent. Since 1929 both parties have had to be at least 16 years old but there is still no consent needed. In England and Wales the ages are now 16 with consent and 18 without. Before these changes occurred, many elopers fled England, and the first Scottish village they encountered was Gretna Green.

Seaside Holidays in the UK

Although seaside holidays in the UK are not as popular as they used to be, many British people still go to seaside towns for their summer holidays. The stereotype is of a family who go to the beach for a picnic even if the weather is cold and windy. The parents sit in deckchairs, and the children build sandcastles, go for donkey rides and eat rock (= a hard, sticky sweet) or ice cream.

Many seaside towns have a pier (= a long wooden structure that is built out over the sea for people to walk along and enjoy themselves), which usually has an amusement arcade (= a place where you play games by putting coins into machines) where people can play video games or one-armed bandits (= a machine that you put money in to try and win more money).

King's College Chapel at Christmas

King's College Chapel is a beautiful old church which is part of King's College, one of the colleges of the University of Cambridge, in East England. Every year on Christmas Eve a religious service is held there, in which the choir of boys sing carols (= traditional Christmas songs) and this is always shown on British television.

Scotland and its Culture

Scotland is a country in the United Kingdom, north of England. Its capital is Edinburgh. Scottish Gaelic is still spoken by some people in the northwest of the country and in the islands off the west coast. Scotland is known for its beautiful countryside and its many lochs (= lakes), islands and mountains. When people think of Scotland, they often think of men wearing kilts (= a sort of skirt of thick woollen cloth, with a tartan pattern) and playing the bagpipes (= a type of Scottish musical instrument). Products that are thought of as very typical of Scotland include the haggis (= a food in the shape of a ball, made from chopped up sheep’s meat and grains) and Scotch whisky. The national symbol of Scotland is the thistle, and its patron saint is Saint Andrew. People from Scotland are called Scots. They are Scottish.

Difference between Irish and Scottish whisky

Irish whiskey is a strong alcoholic drink made in Ireland, usually from malt or barley. Irish whiskey tastes slightly different from Scotch whisky, and is always spelt with an ‘e’.
Scotch (also Scotch whisky) is a type of whisky made in Scotland. It is thought of as a typically Scottish product, and there are two main types of Scotch whisky: the less expensive ‘blended whisky’, made from a mixture of spirits, and the more expensive ‘malt whisky’, made from spirit only made from malt. A Scotch on the rocks is whisky with ice.

Did you know?

A Scotch mist is a thick mist mixed with light rain.

Scotch broth is a thick soup that is popular in the UK, made from vegetables, meat and barley (= a type of grain).

Scotch egg is a boiled egg that is covered with sausage meat and breadcrumbs. Scotch eggs are popular in the UK and often sold in pubs.

Very British: The Royal Ascot

Ascot is a village of south-central England southwest of London. The Royal Ascot horseraces, initiated by Queen Anne in 1711, are held annually in June on Ascot Heath.
The Royal Ascot is one of the world’s most famous race meetings, and dates back to 1711. The Queen attends the meeting, arriving each day in a horse-drawn carriage. It is a major event in the British social calendar, and press coverage of the attendees and what they are wearing often exceeds coverage of the actual racing. The Royal Enclosure has a strict dress code—male attendees must wear full morning dress including a top hat, whilst ladies must not show bare midriffs or shoulders and must wear hats. Outside the Royal Enclosure the dress code is less severe, but many people choose to wear formal dress anyway. To be admitted to the Royal Enclosure for the first time one must either be a guest of a member or be sponsored for membership by a member who has attended at least four times. This continues to maintain a socially exclusive character to the Enclosure. Over 300,000 people make the annual visit to Berkshire during Royal Ascot week, making this Europe’s best-attended race meeting. This leads to a split among racing fans, some of whom are glad to see racing in the spotlight, and getting more attention, while others do not like the meeting despite the quality of racing.
Ladies' Day is held on the Thursday of the Royal Ascot week.

Fashion Rules at Royal Ascot

Top hats, expensive champagne, strict dress codes and posh accents - it could only be Royal Ascot. Fashion is still the main preoccupation for most ladies when they're not watching the horses. Strapless tops, short skirts and visible panty lines are banned. "Off the shoulder, halter neck, spaghetti straps and dresses with a strap of less than one inch and/or mini skirts are considered unsuitable," the Ascot website says. "Midriffs must be covered and trouser suits must be full length and of matching material and colour."
Men are also subjected to strict scrutiny, with only those wearing black or grey morning dress, waistcoat and top hat allowed in.
If you pass the dress test and enter the Royal Enclosure you have the chance to rub shoulders with the Queen, who owns the Ascot estate. There are plenty of flower-filled restaurants with crisp white tablecloths serving champagne and canapes. For those stuck outside in the general admission areas, style is still important. There are bars willing to serve STG195 bottles of champagne or STG19 jugs of Pimms while you watch the horses line up in the parade ring. The Ascot "tailgate" picnics in the parking area have nothing to do with sandwiches or barbecue - but more likely champagne and lobster consumed from the back of a limousine.
The highlight of the week, in the fashion stakes, is Ladies' Day on Thursday, when you can even place a bet on what colour the Queen's hat will be. The Royal Ascot gathering is well known for designer outfits, elaborate headpieces and spectacular hats with rabid press coverage of who wore what on Ladies Day.

Cool Link:

BBC Sport - How to impress at Ascot

The Mall, A Royal Road

The Mall is the grand road that leads from Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch, and on to Buckingham Palace. Whenever there is a royal wedding, funeral or similar occasion, the royal family travels slowly along it, and many people come to watch.
A wide and straight road, it is at its best when being used for royal ceremonies, when Union Jacks, or the national flags of visiting heads of state are flown from flagpoles, along the length of the road.
The Mall as we see it today, was designed at the beginning of this century by the architect Aston Webb, who also designed the Victoria Monument and rebuilt the front of Buckingham Palace around the same time.
The Mall cuts through the middle of royal London. On one side is St James's Park, leading to The Horse Guard's Parade Ground. On the other side is Green Park and past royal residences, Lancaster House, Marlborough House, Spencer House and St James's Palace.
Also on that side is Clarence House, the home of the Queen Mother, a sort of royal granny flat.

Very British: Asiatic Pheasants

"Asiatic Pheasants" was the most popular dinnerware pattern of the Victorian era; its principal production and popularity virtually coinciding with the reign of Queen Victoria (1838-1901) and such is its enduring charm that it is still produced in Staffordshire today, although in a much darker and less attractive form. It is printed in light blue with a floral pattern incorporating two birds (pheasants).

Cool Link:

Asiatic Pheasants - Facts & History

Eton, A School for Royals

Eton is the best-known English public school (= an expensive private school) for boys, officially called Eton College and established in the 15th century. Eton is close to the town of Windsor, to the west of London.

Prince Harry at Eton - March 2003

Eton is the most famous public school in UK, and many important leaders in business and the government were educated there. Men who have been educated at Eton are called Old Etonians, and they often want to send their children to Eton too. As soon as a son is born, some parents "put his name down for Eton" (= tell the school that they want him to be accepted as a student there). Prince William and Prince Harry were educated at Eton.

British Cities: Manchester

Manchester is a large city in the north west of England, which was formerly known for its wool and cotton industries, but is now the financial and business centre for the area. Many pop and rock bands (such as Oasis) come from Manchester, which is known for its music industries and its many nightclubs. It is also known for its football teams, Manchester United and Manchester City. Many of the buildings in the city centre were destroyed by an IRA bomb in 1996. People who come from Manchester are called Mancunians.

Butlin's Holiday Camps

Butlin's is the trademark of a group of holiday camps in various seaside towns in the UK providing rooms, food and a wide variety of entertainment and organized activities all for a fixed price. They were started by Sir Billy Butlin (1899-1980) with the aim of providing inexpensive holidays for ordinary working people, and they were especailly popular in the 1950s and the 1960s.

Very British: Pimm's Number 1 Cup

Pimm's No. 1 Cup is an alcoholic beverage based on gin and can be served both on ice or in cocktails. It has a dark tea colour with a reddish tint, and tastes subtly of spice and citrus fruit. It is often taken with "English-style" lemonade, as well as various fruits including apples, oranges, lemons, strawberry, cucumber and mint. Pimm's is also mixed with champagne (or a sparkling white wine), called a "Pimm's Royal Cup."
Pimm's is most common in Britain, particularly Southern England. It is one of the two staple drinks at Wimbledon, the Henley Royal Regatta, and the Glyndebourne opera festival, the other being champagne. A "Pimm's Cup" is also the standard cocktail at British and American polo matches.

Did you know?

Pimm's was first produced in 1823, by James Pimm, a farmer's son from Kent who became the owner of an oyster bar in the City of London. Pimm offered the tonic, (a gin-based drink containing quinine and a secret mixture of herbs) as an aid to digestion, serving it in a small tankard known as a "No. 1 Cup", hence its subsequent name.

British desserts: Summer Pudding

Summer Pudding (or Summer Fruit Pudding) is a traditional British sweet dish made of sliced white bread, layered in a deep bowl with fruit and fruit juice. The bread and the fruit are left to mix together in a bowl before serving, and then turned out in the shape of the bowl. The dessert was most popular from the late 19th to the early 20th Century. However, there is no clear record of its origin.

Making Summer Pudding is much easier if the bread is somewhat stale. This helps the fruit juices soak through the bread, which makes the pudding more pleasant. Summer Pudding can be served with cream.
Typical fruits used in Summer pudding are: Raspberries, Strawberries, Blackcurrants, Redcurrants, Whitecurrants, Blackberries, Cherries and Blueberries.

Pets in UK: Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees (= dark-haired African apes) are thought to be the most intelligent of the apes. In British zoos in the past, chimps were often dressed in clothes, sat at tables and given food to have a chimpanzees' tea party for people to watch, but now this is felt to be cruel.

Australians in London

Earl's Court is a large building in London used especially for exhibitions in which businesses show their new products. The term also refers to the area of West London around this building. It is an area where many young people live in single rooms or small apartments. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was sometimes called Kangaroo Valley, because of the large number of young Australians who lived there.