p204,205_UKintro_R
6/8/06
11:44 AM
Page 205
The best known and best loved of all English gastronomic and social institutions is afternoon tea time, generally from 4 to 6 p.m. There’s nothing more uniquely tied to England than this daily custom, whether it’s just pausing for a simple cup of tea and a cucumber sandwich or gathering with friends for a spread of petite thinly sliced sandwiches, delicate cakes and pastries, scones, butter, jams, marmalade, lemon curd, clotted cream and berries served on china — always accompanied by a pot of tea. The English and Scottish Costcos (see www.costco.com’s locator for information and locations) are finely tuned to the desires of their members. Very popular at the moment are the ready-to-cook meals, as well as locally produced food, particularly in the fresh categories, and olive oil. Costco’s prepared foods speak of international cuisine with a typically British flair. Look for lamb shanks, pork Normandy, beef bourguignon, sausage and mash, and mild curry dishes such as lamb rogan josh and chicken korma. Of course, food diversity abounds within United Kingdom Costcos. Find haggis, sliced sausage meat and Scotch pies in Scotland’s warehouses, red hard cheese (as opposed to white) in warehouses in the north of England, Banks’s bitter beer in the Birmingham Costco, and mushy peas (canned) in Leeds. Also not to be missed is spotted dick (a suet pudding with sultanas and raisins), mince pies (a sweet mix of dried fruit usually served in a puff pastry case), chicken tikka massala (a mild curry dish that actually originated in the United Kingdom), sausage rolls (seasoned sausage meat inside a puff pastry case), Wensleydale (a moist, crumbly cheese made for Costco in a small region of Derbyshire) and Marmite (a concentrated yeast extract paste). Costco basics are also big sellers, with fresh Kirkland Signature chicken breasts, ground beef, Scottish sirloin steak and lamb chump steaks, lagers, beer and granulated sugar rounding out the warehouses’ top 10 food and beverage list. Just don’t expect to find corn dogs, flavored bagels or cinnamon rolls. Æ
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