British Cooking Terminology

aubergine eggplant

back bacon similar to Canadian bacon

bake blind bake a pastry case empty, by covering with wax paper and weighing down with beans

bangers sausage. The name bangers is believed to come from the habit of sausages bursting in the pan with a bang if cooked too quickly.

baron of beef two sirloins in one roast

bap hamburger bun

beetroot beet

biscuit cookie or cracker (sweet biscuit or savoury biscuit)

boiled sweet hard candy

brill something like a small turbot

broad bean fava bean

brown bread wholemeal bread

brown stock beef stock

bully beef corned beef

candyfloss cotton candy

caster sugar finely granulated sugar (not as powdery as confectioners' sugar)

Channel Island milk milk that's almost as thick as light cream

chicory endive

chipolata small pork sausage

chips french fries

chocolate vermicelli chocolate sprinkles

chump chop a type of lamb chop

cider hard cider

clingfilm plastic wrap

coal fish / coley black cod

coffee sugar sugar in large brightly-coloured crystals

coriander leaves cilantro

condensed milk evaported milk

corn almost any grain (see maize and sweetcorn)

corned beef canned pressed ham (see salt beef)

cornflour cornstarch

cos lettuce romaine

courgette zucchini

crisps potato chips

crumpet something a bit like an English muffin ("English muffins" do not exist in England)

custard custard sauce, or sometimes baked custard

cutlet chop

demerara sugar light brown cane sugar

Devonshire cream a particular type of clotted cream

digestive biscuits something like Graham crackers

double cream heavy cream

doughnut jelly doughnut

duff a flour pudding boiled or steamed in a cloth bag

endive chicory

faggot meatball

fairy cake cupcake

fillet steak tenderloin steak

fish fingers fish sticks

French beans string beans

gammon large, thick, round piece of ham

garibaldi hard rectangular currant cookie

ginger nut ginger snap

golden syrup something like corn syrup

greaseproof paper wax paper

green pepper bell pepper

icing frosting

icing sugar powdered (confectioners') sugar

jacket potato baked potato

liver sausage liverwurst

maize corn

marrow squash that looks like a giant zucchini

mince ground beef/hamburger

mincemeat mince pie filling (dried fruit, peel, brandy, etc; very occasionally contains meat)

mixed spice a mixture of allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, coriander and cloves

offal liver, kidneys, tongue, tripe and any other animal organs

perry hard cider made from pears instead of apples

plum duff plum pudding

polony bologna

porridge cooked oatmeal

prawn small shrimp

pudding any sweet dish served directly after the main course is often called "Pudding," thus invoking the question "What are we having for pudding?"

ring doughnut doughnut

rump steak sirloin

salt beef corned beef

silverside top round

single cream light cream

sirloin porterhouse steak

sherbet powdered candy

slice bar cookie

sponge finger ladyfinger

squash juice drink

sugar crystals see coffee sugar

sultana white raisin

sweetcorn whole-kernel corn

swede yellow turnip

tart pie

toffee taffy

treacle similar to molasses

whipping cream halfway between light and heavy cream

white stock chicken or fish stock

whitebait small silvery fish, usually deep-fried whole

British Cooking Terminology

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