The cornerstone of our national cuisine is of course the potato. A true Brit will have nothing to do with pasta or noodles and will only eat rice if it's in a sweet and creamy rice pudding.

It's been said (by other nations, of course) that we Britons resemble our national vegetable in that we are thick-skinned, white-fleshed, cheap, and usually found covered in dirt. Such insults are not even worth refuting. The fact is that most of us would be flattered to be compared to the world's greatest vegetable. Unpretentious, wholesome, versatile and full of goodness. Whether it is chopped and used raw in salads or boiled until it dissolves into the water, cut into chunky pointed chips or eaten baked in its jacket stuffed with Cheddar cheese and pickle, the potato never lets you down. Incidentally, recent scientific research has shown that potatoes, if eaten in large quantities, have an aphrodisiac effect - which goes some way to explaining our true Brit's reputation as an ardent and tireless lover!





Expressions to learn
Chips, mash or jacket? All three, please!

Avoid saying
Haven't you got tagliatelle?