here's an article on the ploughmans lunch.

For food, I'm quite happy with my local in Norfolk. The landlord is Irish and the landlady from Thailand. You can get a good roast dinner (usually pork, beef, lamb and chicken on offer) with lots of locally produced vegatables, or other "traditional English" meals or venture into the oriental stuff...

If I was to name my favourite pub, it would probably be the Cross Keys, Penhrynside, Wales. Nothing special about it - just a straight locals pub in a village. Why my favourite? Just a great crowd of locals (who are all 1/2 mad ;-)) and the previous and current landlords were excellent. It's been the sort of pub where I have popped in once in a while with the banjo and we've had a sing song, a pub where after late night, I agreed to have my hair cut by a "non-hairdresser" for charity (and I had to pay to get it cut after...), a pub where the tv is used sparingly, e.g. for a football match but a pub where rival supporters make fun of each other in a freindly manner (and when you support Norwich, just about everyone makes fun of you), etc.

Who needs stereotyed "English pubs"? Give me a pub with character that can only come from the people and landlord anyday...

Jon