Food

For this post I'm going to focus on food I've had in Brighton and my overall view of the food here. I have some positives and negatives, but these are just my opinions and you may find that you disagree if you come to England :)

Positives- I highly suggest trying a Sunday roast if you can. Almost every pub will offer these and you have your choice of protein, accompanied with potatoes, vegetables, gravy, and a Yorkshire pudding. So delicious! I have had this twice now and both times have been great. There are also quite a few nice restaurants in Brighton, the only downside is that they are expensive. Also, if you come to Brighton you have to try fish and chips! There’s tons of options for this, including some right by the Brighton pier which is very fun. You'll also find that many restaurants throughout the UK will have fish and chips on the menu. My favorite dessert so far in England has been a sticky toffee pudding. And bonus- most Sunday roasts will offer this as the dessert! Finally, I highly recommend trying afternoon tea while in England. This is such a fun experience to do with friends. You can either have a traditional tea with tea sandwiches, scones, and little sweets (like cakes) or a cream tea with scone, clotted cream, and jam. A must do for England!

Negatives- When asked about food in England people generally say that it is very bland. Sadly, I have found this to be very true. Now, while I have had some delicious meals (see above), I have mostly been disappointed in the food here. On campus options for food include the cafeteria with a Mexican food restaurant and a secondary buffet style restaurant with a rotating menu. They do offer a 2 pound meal which is a nice budget-friendly option, but I did not like it when I tried it. There are also two grocery stores on campus: Co-op and Taj. These are both conveniently located and nice if you’re in a pinch, but they are very expensive and picked over because so many students go there. Seriously, some of the prices are almost double what you would pay at a regular grocery store. So, if you’re like me and you would prefer to save money on food I recommend going to Aldi, Asda, or Tesco. All of these are easily accessible by bus from campus. My favorite place to grocery shop is at the Tesco in a neighboring town called Lewes. Lewes is a cute village with nice bakeries and clothing stores you can browse in. I have also found that the groceries in England seem to be of lesser quality than those in America. Many of the same meals I cook at home just don’t taste the same here. Other study abroad students I’ve talked to seem to agree with this. Generally, the consensus is that food just tastes bland here, including grocery store items.

Traditional afternoon tea

Sunday Roast