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Funny. I have Brits on my Mom’s side and my wife’s Dad was British. Never heard of Elevenses until this video. But I guess Oliver was surprised to read it too.
First time I heard of elevenses.
I suppose it was also in the book which I read decades ago, but I had long forgotten about it if it was in the book.
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It IS in The Hobbit. For the longest time, I thought it was an extra meal that Tolkien made up.
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I doubt Oliver was surprised to read it. Breaks at eleven are common (the town where I work is swarmed by the local college students at 11 (for snack) and 1 (for lunch). The term is known (even if it might not be said/spoken as much).
(Having distant family doesn’t always automatically impart knowledge. It can, but it’s not not reliable.)
He actually says he loves elevenses, but that he’s surprised to hear that we’re on to the secret!
I do love a full fry up, but I’ll swap my black pudding for an extra Cumberland.
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And there was me, thinking you were an honorary northwesterner. But nobody from the region is going to give up their Bury black pudding, even for an additional Cumberland sausage (however peppery it might be).
By the by, I thought the vid was funny. If only to see how Oliver was using humour to describe deep seated areas of British food and, in particular, our food history (not always accurately, IMO). I’m 71 so, for the first few years of my life, there was still food rationing, post Second World,War. It impacted on the foods we ate which were fairly well untouched by “foreign food” - we had had little immigration until the 1960s, nor had Britons really travelled overseas for holidays until then.
Elevenses? Common enough word in these parts. To my mind, it’s not just stopping for a coffee mid-morning but you have to be also eating a snack for it to be elevenses. Couple of Rich Tea biscuits would do nicely. As would a bacon butty.
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I was hoping you would comment. I learn a lot from your posts. My husband worked on a NATO defense collaboration for over a decade and the UK was a place we travelled to for his work. We found ourselves in Cheltenham on 9/11. We didn’t get home soon. You live in a beautiful country and, aside from Indian cuisine (which never agrees with me in spectacular ways) we really enjoy your food - you have wonderful cheese!!
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I shall ask no more - I’m well aware of how a NATO involvement may take someone to Cheltenham. I have an e-pal who worked there before he retired (and for a couple of years at a facility in the States).
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I’ve tried, Harters, really I have. If it’s on my plate and someone might be offended, I’ll eat it, but it won’t be a choice. I’ve tried in Ireland, Scotland, England, France, and Germany, and I just can’t seem to develop a taste for the stuff.
Now…I will, however, fight you for a butty stuffed with a rasher of bacon and liberally doused with HaitchPee. Especially if it comes with a giant mug of tea strong enough to dissolve the spoon.
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He had security clearances out the wazoo…we’re retired now, but he still has knowledge he’s sworn to not talk about.
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I don’t think my pal has actually said that he worked at GCHQ, although there was a “nod and a wink”. I only realised when someone else on the forum we used said they were some sort of spook and worked with my pal. Needless to say, work has never been a subject of chat between us.
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