Month: July 2025

Just down the street from our lodgings, The Calthorpe Arms immediately called to me: a vibrant green storefront filled with flowers and crammed with crowds, as many sat outside to enjoy the rare sunny London weather. Noticing the densely packed pub, I lacked the confidence to approach at first, an outsider, but I finally found my opportunity with our class excursion for the Sunday Roast. After all, it is tradition to go to one’s local pub for the meal. Venturing inside at last, the interior was no less appealing than the exterior. The walls were adorned with paintings, all celebrating the restaurant’s rich history, established nearly 200 years ago in 1831. Yet, the billiards table and wooden-block propped windows also revealed its nature as a humble establishment, serving the common man. Finding a secluded spot on the second floor, we immediately felt at home, with 80s and 90s hits from the United States blaring… according to our server, a complete coincidence. There was no denying that the space was incredibly cozy, but what about the food itself?

The menu offered three options for the Sunday Roast: beef, the historical go-to, chicken, only recently rising to challenge it, and a surprise third contender, lamb. Looking for a protein boost after some long jetlagged days, I went with the chicken. According to chef Elaine Lemm, in medieval times, Britain had a distinct reputation for ravenously consuming meat, even labelling their own royal bodyguards as “Beefeaters.” Unsurprisingly, it is in this era that the Sunday Roast originated, a simple, sizable cut of meat saved for Sunday, the day of rest. However, the reasons behind the roast go deeper. By buying a single large slab of meat at the beginning of the week, the leftovers could then be used throughout the rest of the week, thrown into smaller dishes like pies. Simply put, the Sunday Roast was a family’s source of sustenance for the entire week, and although it is mostly carbs, it still contains a full collection of nutrients.

Yorkshire pudding, a puffy, bready baked pudding, was also employed as a starting dish for the roast, a cheap and filling option meant to eliminate appetite early on, helping to preserve the meat for the remainder of the week. Food writer Elliott McDonald even shares a story that was circulated to emphasize this importance, with Yorkshire pudding purportedly being used to stave off the vicious hunger of Viking invaders, protecting their valuable meat. Now, with the greater availability of meat in modern times, Yorkshire pudding is now served alongside the roast, rather than beforehand. The pudding provides much of the carbs found in the meal, with protein and fat found in the meat, and especially the thick gravy poured on top. Overall, the meal can even fulfill your calorie requirements for the entire day depending on the portion size, and my serving at the Calthorpe Arms was certainly pushing it. I couldn’t finish, as good as it was.

Including a side of vegetables like cabbage or broccoli has also grown increasingly common throughout the decades, rounding out the nutritional value with minerals and vitamins. In terms of vegetables, the star of the show, the carb-heavy potato, did not emerge as a staple until after the intense rationing of World War II. And although our meals also contained some stuffing to add further carbs, they were notably missing cauliflower and cheese, a more recent mainstay of the Sunday Roast, the British parallel to mac and cheese. Regardless, the meal was delicious, and the portions humongous. It certainly could have fed me for the week!

With electric ovens becoming widespread in the early 20th century, families could now prepare the Sunday Roast themselves, rather than relying on their local pubs. Yet, Lemm reveals that a massive crowd still continues to show out. As such, the value of the Sunday Roast comes not from the filling meal alone, but the fulfillment of the tradition, of meeting as a community. The Calthorpe Arms is more than just a pub, it is a community center, and although the eight of us were perhaps only passive observers of this culture, we certainly felt welcomed into the family. Hearing the American music, seeing the Elvis sign hanging above the bar, it was all a reassuring reminder that the United Kingdom is just as fascinated in our culture as we are in theirs. Heading back out onto the street… I felt a bit less like an outsider. So, if you happen to notice an alluring pub during your own travels to London, why not take a look?

The West End of London is full of history and tradition. From its Victorian architecture to its rich theatre district, the West End is a vibrant community. My classmates and I were able to experience some of this tradition via our culinary travels. Our immersive food adventure began when we exited the Convent Garden Tube station and walked towards Bill’s, a trendy diner with a rustic interior. After being greeted by the wait staff and exchanging conversational pleasantries, we were presented with the traditional Full English Breakfast.

The Full English Breakfast is a historical remnant of the Middle Ages. According to Mark Riddaway, field laborers would eat this type of breakfast after several hours of tending crops. The meal consisted of gruel (also called porridge), bread, and ale. These items provided the necessary fibers and carbohydrates to fuel workers for the rest of the morning. During the Victorian Era, bacon and eggs were introduced as an additional staple of this breakfast. Following the end of both World Wars and a time of food rationing, other food items were added in abundance to the breakfast. Currently, this meal normally consists of bacon, eggs, toast, beans, black pudding, roasted vegetables, and hash browns. The addition of several new breakfast items provides Britons with a complete meal filled with quintessential nutrients. For example, sausage, beans, bacon, and eggs are rich in protein and minerals. The black pudding, made from dried blood and oats, also supplies valuable minerals. The roasted vegetables are full of fiber and vitamins. The breakfast potatoes and toast complete the nutritional breakfast by supplying carbohydrates.

After being seated, I instantly began eating the bacon from the Full Breakfast service. The bacon was crispy towards the end but had a soft lining of fat surrounding most of the meat. I also enjoyed the eggs with crispy egg whites and soft yolks. However, my plate did contain foods that were more of a challenge for me to eat. The vegetables selected for the breakfast were mushrooms and tomatoes. I would not choose either of these. I skipped the roasted tomatoes and had one mushroom although they appeared fresh and ripe.

The black pudding proved to be the most difficult item on my plate. Prior to sticking my fork in the circular sausage, I was reminded that the sausage contained pig’s blood. I am naturally squeamish, so the thought of eating dried blood caused my stomach to knot. After receiving encouragement from my professor, Dr. Brazeau, and giving myself a mental pep-talk, I sunk my teeth into the blood sausage. I only chewed twice before swallowing. I anticipated that the sausage would be metallic tasting and was surprised that it instead was slightly salty and bland tasting. In fact, a comparable breakfast item could have been rye bread. Despite the “pudding” being a source of valuable minerals, I elected to pass on consuming the rest of the sausage. My singular bite provided me with sufficient experiential evidence.

I finished my Full English Breakfast with some golden-brown buttered toast. Although I did not eat the entire meal due to the abundance of wonderful food, I felt full and appreciated this English culinary tradition. The filling meal contained almost all of the essential nutrients. I likely would pass on ordering the Full English Breakfast again, but I am thankful to have conquered my first culinary consumption challenge – black pudding.