Things I like about living in Britain, pt 2

BBC Radio 4. According to Stephen Fry the greatest achievement of British culture, and I have to say I agree with him. There is nothing like it in Norway, and it's full of so many treasures... Excess Baggage, Saturday Live, The News Quiz, Women's hour, Book of the week, Desert Island disks, PM, Poetry Please....

Farmer's Markets. They're everywhere, every weekend. Great places to buy home made food, cheese, breads, organic food and vegetables, meat, cakes, you name it. And they always, always have free tasters!

Pubs. There just isn't another country that takes its pubs so seriously. You find them on almost every corner, and although a lot of them are shabby and not so nice, quite a few have great atmosphere, good beer and lovely traditional pub food like burgers, pie, bangers and mash... And some of them are extraordinary, like Anglesea Arms and The Dove in Hammersmith. Outstandingly good food and the best beer! And this takes us to the next point.....

Beer. Although not as good as the Belgians, the British know how to make a good beer. Preferably served in a nice pub, by a nice fireplace, in good company. Fuller's, Wychwood, Brakspeare; Honeydew, Brakspeare Oxford Gold, Hobgoblin, Wychcraft, Discovery..

Roast Sunday lunch. I really like this tradition, and even if it's not that different from what we in Norway call 'Sunday dinner', there's something special about everyone having a roast on Sundays. Families getting together, the roast cooking in the oven for hours, creating a lovely smell all day long. Roast chicken, roast lamb, roast gammon, roast pork, roast beef. Mmmmmm....

Marmite. You either love it or hate it. I love it. Perfect with cheese on toast. Yum.