Want to make the most of your literary London tourism? Add a dash of food tourism. ♦
Now what is a posh cheddar and pickle sandwich? I hear you ask. Maybe you’re picturing an American version of that with dill pickle chips and slices of orange cheese from plastic wrappers. What makes it posh? you may wonder. Well, allow me to describe it to you.
Picture a crusty baguette, tangy and sweet pickle made of mixed vegetables and spices, aged white cheddar, roasted tomatoes, thin slices of red onion, mustard cress, and just a hint of Pret a Manger’s free-range mayonnaise.
Heaven on a baguette.
Our love for Pret a Manger began with the English comedian James Acaster. My family and I love all things British, especially when it comes to television and film. Acaster is an off-beat comedian who has appeared on shows we always have on at home like Mock the Week, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, Would I Lie to You?, and Taskmaster. He also hosts a podcast called Off Menu where, alongside fellow comedian Ed Gamble, they interview celebrities about what their dream meal would be, giving me even more insight to the British food experience.
In his Netflix special Repertoire, Acaster recounts an experience in a Pret a Manger where he tried to purchase a single banana. The woman behind the counter told him he could pay for the banana he had chosen, or could get a free banana as they were offering them that day. She then presented him with bananas near the point of rotting and Acaster turned them down, leading to the hilarious line, “Looks like somebody’s too good for a free banana.” The story continues with Acaster plotting his revenge to open a rival banana store across the street, but my curiosity about Pret a Manger was piqued.
A year later, as I stepped inside a Pret a Manger, thrilled to be like one of my comedy heroes, I discovered my favorite sandwich.
Much of the time, when discovering the foods of foreign countries, we find them through media like books, television, and film. Since I consume a lot of British media, I had a lot of things I already knew I wanted to try when I arrived in London. Harry Potter loves treacle tart, Paul Hollywood insists he knows the trick to the perfect mince pie, sticky toffee pudding looks delicious on Downton Abbey, the cast of Gogglebox is always nibbling on Hula Hoops, Custard Creams, and Jammy Dodgers, and of course everyone is always making a proper cuppa.
I wanted to try it all.
On our first week here, we visited Foyles bookstore. While my friends darted off to the romance and fantasy sections, I found myself drawn to one of the top floors: the cookbook section, aisle after aisle of cookbooks, and I found myself sitting on the floor flipping through one after another. I have always loved reading through cookbooks, but these stood out to me. Each one offered foods I had seen before in British media, ones I had been wanting to try, or things that just seemed so uniquely British. Mary Berry’s Baking Bible and Paul Hollywood’s How to Bake were must-reads. I flipped through Big Zuu’s Big Eats because I remembered watching his cooking program the last time I was in London and of course I had to read Gordon Ramsey’s Ultimate Home Cooking cover to cover. After a while, I uncovered a treasure trove of cookbooks based off of British fiction: Christmas at Downton Abbey, Harry Potter Feasts and Festivities, The Peaky Blinders Cookbook, and more.
Suddenly, these foods that I had grown up thinking were fictional became real. People really do eat treacle tart; I could suddenly imagine Harry Potter taking a slice in the Great Hall and adding clotted cream (as recommended for serving). When sitting down for a grand dinner at Downton Abbey, I could finally see what the fancy pastries and colorful sauces were really made of. And when the bakers on the Great British Baking Show groan in frustration at the mention of a dish I’ve never heard of, I could finally appreciate the steps they had to go through to make it.
So, armed with the cookbooks I had read and an extensive knowledge of British entertainment, I took to the streets of London to make my literary dreams come true. I tried the pastries that Harry and Ron snacked on on the Hogwarts Express, sipped the same tea as the Grantham family, and made Marmalade sandwiches like Paddington Bear always did. I tried a flapjack in the Tate Modern cafe because James Acaster loves them, sought out Turkish delight like Edmund in The Chronicles of Narnia, and snacked on buttered bread with my roommates like Bilbo in The Hobbit. I sought out the recipes I found in my cookbooks and did my research, peeking in the window of every bakery, wandering every grocery store, and getting lost in endless food markets. I built a world like the one within my cookbooks, one that romanticized a literary culture and introduced me to new types of cuisine I would have never been able to try back home.
With my stay here in London coming to an end, I’ve been thinking about packing and how much room I will have left over in my suitcase. When I started playing Tetris with my laundry, I realized that I have just enough space for a few books. I think I will go back to Foyles and buy some of those cookbooks, bring them back home to the United States, and try and recreate the meals I ate in London. I’ll try to remember the books we read and the characters we lived as within the tiny kitchen of our flat.
Maybe on the way there, I’ll stop at Pret a Manger.
