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We don’t have to have a bull about it, but would you Adam and Eve it? I had a butchers through the window last night and saw such long bacons, I couldn’t get my loaf around it!

A bit confused? Cockney rhyming slang uses rhyming phrases to replace words, however in many cases the word that rhymes is dropped. For example ‘butchers hook’ is used instead of ‘look’ in the sentence above, however hook is dropped just to leave butchers.

Originating from the East End of London in the mid-19th century, Cockney rhyming slang was used by salesmen to confuse non-local people and it is also said that criminals used it to confuse the police. Or, it may be that as a nation we just enjoy rhyming words together such as itsy-bitsy, higgledy-piggledy and nitty-gritty.

So for now, see you later alligator!

 

 

Image credit: lrargerich

What could possibly be more British than enjoying some cream tea on a Saturday afternoon?

A combination of scones, jam (Duerr’s of course!) and clotted cream with a lovely warm mug of tea, is enough to brighten any dreary afternoon.

Like the Cornish pasty is from Cornwall, the Lancashire Hot Pot is from Lancashire, the Cream Tea is traditional to the South West of England. With some folk going as far as saying for it to be a true cream tea, it can only be sampled in the Westcountry.

However, the real nationwide debate is, jam or cream first?

 

 

Image credit: Annie Mole

A English playwright and poet, William Shakespeare is widely known to be the greatest English writer in history. His plays have been performed more than any other playwrights and been translated into every main living language. His work is also popularly used in schools and Universities around the world, with his most famous works being Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth.

English lessons wouldn’t be the same today, if it wasn’t for the masterpieces Shakespeare wrote. So, to be or not to be: that is the question!

 

 

Image credit: tonynetone

The thought of eating a sheep’s heart, liver and lungs encased in the animals stomach is enough to turn some people green. However the savoury pudding is a traditional Scottish dish that has a distinct nutty flavour to it, which is widely appreciated, if you can get past the initial thought. Haggis is served traditionally with “neeps and tatties” (turnips and potatoes) and a dram (a glass of Scottish whisky).

The Robert Burns’ poem ‘Address to a Haggis’ from 1787 is one of the reasons haggis is now considered a national dish, and eaten as a main meal as part of a Burns Supper in the week of January 25th.

However, haggis is not just eaten. There is also a sport called ‘haggis hurling’, similar to shot putting, however it involves throwing a haggis as far as possible.There is even a Guinness World Record for it which has been held for over 25 years by Alan Pettigrew.

Haggis may not to be everyone’s taste but it is definitely a British delicacy, and is served every where from 5* restaurants to the USA, New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

 

Image credit: tjmwatso

On this day 20 years ago, Eric Lawes a retired farmer from Hoxne in Suffolk, was mindlessly scouring a field he owned with a metal detector his wife had bought him 12 years earlier, looking for the hammer he had lost. He never found his hammer, however what he did find was a lot more incredible, he stumbled across the largest collection of late Roman silver and gold! A pirates and a archaeologists dream find, the discovery was the largest hoard to be found in Britain, for 1,500 years or more the treasures lay underground, undisturbed, after being buried in the early 5th century A.D.

The reason for the burial is unknown, however experts say it was to keep it out of the hands of invading Saxons. It was all carefully wrapped and is believed to belong to one VERY wealthy family.

The collection consists of over 15,000 coins and 200 items of gold jewellery and numerous items of silver tableware such as ladles and spoons. The items are now on display to the public in the British Museum in London, and are estimated to be worth around £2.66 million, that would of been a very happy pirate!

The brilliant hoard has strengthened the bond between archaeologist and metal detector and even influenced a change in law regarding finds of treasure! I wonder if sales of metal detectors will now rise..

 

Image credit: Ahala

Possibly one of the most recognised political figures in British history, Sir Winston Churchill is noted as a stand out Great British war time leader. As well as leading us to victory in World War 2, Churchill was also an officer in the army, an artist, historian and a writer. The Nobel Prize winner truly was a man of many talents.

Surprisingly Churchill wasn’t exactly the academic you would all expect him to be. While attending the prestigious Harrow School, the young rogue often found himself in trouble and on the wrong side of his scholars. It was this misfortune that led his father to send him to Sandhurst Military Academy, where a star was well and truly born (although he did fail his entrance exam three times!).

The ‘British Bulldog’ famed for his signature bowler hat, cigar and trench coat is still seen today as a ‘National Hero’ and has stories to back it up. While reporting about the Boer War in South Africa, Churchill escaped a prisoner of war camp where he returned home to a heroes welcome in 1899. Of course that was just the start of his impending fame.

The legacy which he left behind is enormous, and the Great British public still thank him today for his strong and brave leadership which ensured the freedom and safety of our nation.

 

Image credit: OliBac