A meal in an English pub
A meal in an English pub is a great way to meet up with friends for an informal chat, drink and to have something to eat.
However, as you will hear, pubs can be busy and noisy places and are sometimes not the best place to have a conversation – but this podcast is a real-life situation, where Chris and Stéphane went to a busy pub in Victoria, London, England.
Bar snacks: Even pubs that don’t serve meals have a few salty bar snacks available – crisps in a range of flavors, packets of peanuts, and pork scratchings – and sometimes big glass jars of pickled eggs and pickled onions.
Bar food or bar menu: Some pubs that serve lunch and dinner may also have a bar menu of sandwiches through the day. Bar food is only prepared once and is only available as long as it lasts.
Pub meals: Better pubs serve lunches and dinners during set hours. These range from basic, acceptable food to the highest reaches of gastronomy. Several gastropubs, so-called, have even achieved multiple Michelin stars.
Pub meals can be cheaper than traditional restaurant meals but whether they are better value depends on your taste. You may love a Sunday Roast – meat, potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and vegetables. Or you may find it overcooked and tasteless – depends on the pub and depends on you. Nevertheless, there are some pub dishes you can usually count on including:
Sausages and Mash, using locally made, butcher’s sausages
Fish and chips
Steak and ale or steak and kidney pies
Ploughman’s lunches – salad with a hunk of local cheese and bread. Ham or chicken may be included.
Be careful though, the closing hours are much earlier than in continental Europe and elsewhere and most pubs stop serving food at or before 9pm in the evening, so get there early!
Some pubs also do early eaters deals where two people eat for the price of one – if you like eating early, this may be for you.
While listening listen out for how the the following was expressed :
- How did Chris say that he had not met Stéphane for a long time.
- How did Chris ask Stéphane what he had been doing since they last met?
- How did Chris ask Stéphane about how he feels about his upcoming holidays?
- How did Chris ask Stéphane if he would like a starter?
- How did Chris ask Stéphane if he wanted a main course?
- How did Chris ask Stéphane about what came with his meal?
- What type of water did they order?