C. Many seaside towns have shellfish stalls located at the beach. Traditionally these sell snack-sized pots of cockles, mussels, jellied eels, shell-on or peeled prawns, crab meat and oysters. The shellfish are served cold and the customer adds condiments to taste. Shellfish is best eaten as fresh as possible, and certainly on the day of purchase. Some shellfish such as squid, octopus and prawns can be frozen successfully; others such as mussels, oysters and clams need to be live when cooked.
D. Most large supermarkets in England will stock at least a dozen types of English sausage. English sausages are colloquially known as «bangers». They are distinctive in that they are usually made from fresh meats and rarely smoked, dried, or strongly flavoured. Following the post World War II period, sausages tended to contain low-quality meat and fat. However, there has been a backlash in recent years, with most butchers and supermarkets now selling premium varieties. Pork and beef are by far the most common bases, although gourmet varieties may contain venison or wild boar.
E. In the 1950s some British pubs would offer «a pie and a pint», with hot individual steak and ale pies made easily on the premises by the landlord’s wife. In the 1960s and 1970s this developed into the then-fashionable «chicken in a basket», a portion of roast chicken with chips, served on a napkin, in a wicker basket. Since then «pub grub» has expanded to include British food items such as shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, bangers and mash, Sunday roast, ploughman’s lunch, and pasties. Food has become more important in a pub’s trade, and today most pubs serve lunches and dinners at the table in addition to snacks consumed at the bar.
F. English sandwiches are made with two slices of bread, or some kind of roll. Common types of sandwich are roast beef, chicken salad, ham and mustard, cheese and pickle, egg mayonnaise, prawn mayonnaise, tuna, marmite and jam. A dainty form of sandwich, cut into small squares, without crusts, and often filled with cucumber, is served at genteel gatherings, such as Royal Garden parties. England can claim to have given the world the word «sandwich», although John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, was not the first to add a filling to bread.