In defence of Britain; Nando's isn't British. It's a South African chain.

If you feel bad about being mean about Jamie Oliver, just remember he called his son Buddy Bear, and his daughter Daisy Boo. In his defence, I had his ham and free range egg sandwich pack from a petrol station, it came with a drink and Veg samosa. All delicious - perhaps one for a taste test video?

That was really funny! Hope you’re having a nice break, you deserve it!

Cuteness overload on today's post. A good carvery is awesome ! Perfect Sunday outing.

I despise carveries because it reminds me of school, waiting in a queue surrounded by annoying people with your tray waiting to get served. I want to sit and drink a beer, chatting with friends until my food comes to me.

On the "overcooked veg" thing... yes and no! It's certainly true that historically we would overcook our vegetables but over the years we've (mostly) realised the error of our ways. No longer mush but tasty, firm carrots, cauliflower, green beans etc.. There's a common joke that we "put the sprouts on" sometime in October in preparation for Christmas dinner!

For me the most overrated thing about UK is soccer. I find it a very boring sport but so many British males of all ages just assume everyone is interested in it.

Love this video You have absolutely nailed it all!! :-)

Nothing wrong with nostalgic comfort food - Beans on Toast. ❤️

Another excellent posting, you are brilliant and your wit is outstanding on all your subjects :-)

I always stick a fried egg on top of beans on toast. So quick and easy and can replace a meal.

Yorkshireman with 100% Scottish parentage here. And I totally agree with the hot weather thing also. The thing is, it's usually easy enough to keep warm enough if the temperature drops a bit. But much harder to get cool if it heats up like the odd red hot July we have here in the UK.

People from the USA and Canada "Hike" Brits walk, ramble, yomp, fell walk, .etc. depending....

Yea for AC. Report from Canada: I had to turn my AC on yesterday (Saskatchewan at +27C). Happy Spring!

Now this looks interesting - great topic to talk about. Well done.

From Australia, as a Brit, the place doesn't seem the same as it was 20 years ago, when I left. And I DO want to return. But it seems very expensive, work conditions are generally poor, healthcare is worse (Australian healthcare is a cross between UK and US. So many people have private health, and many GPs charge, but everyone gets those costs subsidised by government. Usually about 60%, but once you spent over a limit in a year it jumps to about 85%, but the quality is very high and often when you need it). Maybe someone who has returned after 10+ years away, can tell me what is it like now? Also I work in state government. I'm right in the middle of the pay scale, and get AU$100,000 a year. Which currently exchanges to £56k. Pay in the UK seems awful in comparison.

Air con in UK is Lager or cider, and if it gets too hot and sticky just beat somebody up.

Loved this and loved your recent tea video too 👍😉👌

Yet another great experience keep up the good work beautiful ❤️❤️

Your bravery to tackle thorny debates seems to know no bounds in recent weeks. I like it.

Hi Alanna, Congratulations on getting an A/C unit. I hope it makes your summers much more comfortable. I agree with you that Carveries are not very good. In 2019, I went to a Chicago concert at Ravinia, which is an outdoor concert venue in Highland Park Illinois, and they had an all you can eat carvery station, and the chicken and beef were both so overcooked and dried out that it reminded me of the dinner scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation when Clark goes to carve the turkey and it was totally ruined. Anyways, I hope you have a great day.

I used to love Jamie’s Friday night cooking show at Southend. I’d buy the ingredients and give it a go on Saturday- the Steak and Stilton pie is exceptional!

Spot on about London. I worked in and around that city for a couple of decades and the only way to survive commuting is to use a form of self-hypnosis to switch off. It also stopped 'happening' as it was called in the 60s, the result being that social spots would close at 11:30pm leaving peop[e wandering around the streets looking for a place that was still open. I'm now happy living back in Oxford and you couldn't pay me enough to visit the old place.

For most overstated tourist attraction, how about Stonehenge? £22 to get in, expensive gift shop and you can walk round it in a minute.

Nice one Alanna. Very much agree about cheap carverys, especially the ones where they cut your allotted three slices of meat soooo thin.

Yes I'll be there shortly , just having i quick tea after taking Lenny for a walk .

Have you tried a carvery without the meat? I tried it once in a pub and it was really cheap. I think that the only protein was in the stuffing. You could go back as often as you liked.

Hi Alanna, great video. I've got nothin', except to comment to help out your KZfaq stats. Have a great weekend. 🇨🇦🍻🍻🍹🍹

Hi Alanna, so pleased you've got ait-con now. You mentioned new ones were very expensive - I wondered if they are much cheaper in Canada? Also, when you fire it up, I'm keen to hear how expensive you find it to run. Keep cool & keep us posted.

Happy Friday Alanna ! Loved this, it made me chuckle and I wouldn't turn my nose up at a Wetherspoons either 😂

When you visit Stonehenge, go to Salisbury, admire the cathedral and find 'The Haunch of Venison' pub in the centre of town; there you can enjoy a cider and don't forget to ask to see 'the hand in the wall'. I love all of your KZfaqs that I've watched. Please keep on keepin' on.

I've had some excellent carvery meals, and some excellent Sunday roasts, but you're absolutely right that the quality can be very variable and you have to stick with the ones you can trust. As a rule, and this covers MacDonalds, Wetherspoons and Nandos, the bigger the chain the poorer the quality of the product and the less interest the staff have in the customer.

Alana, I love baked beans! They go with a jacket potato, fish and chips, chicken and chips (at kfc they put bbq sauce in them), a full english, but definitely not with meat and gravy. In fact, as a kid I'd love to eat cod in butter sauce with mashed potato and baked beans. They just go so great with white meat and potato. I also like to have baked beans with white rice or Mexican rice. A cheap faux way to pretend you're eating mexican food. :p They also go with eggs, bacon, sausages etc. But if you think they're too boring, you can always jazz them up with chili powder, black pepper, brown sauce, bbq sauce, or even go crazy with indian spices. ;)

I don’t think British people can stand too much heat anyway. A friend sold his house and the family migrated to Australia. He said the heat was unbearable it was 80 degrees everyday. He said he couldn’t get used it and guess what he came back after 4 years.

Well done Alanna, you successfully navigated the bear & elephant traps! I do agree with you about carveries. Lots of overcooked veg & a few sliced of over-dry meat isn't my idea of a good meal out. Roast dinners similarly. You have to go to a local independent eatery (we have a superb one in my home town- let's hear it for the Dales Cottage Café in Skipton!). Sunday lunch there is great. As always Alanna, have a great weekend. All the best.

Can we have a change of background scenery please. I love the brick wall and plant but it would be even better to look at something new, maybe a window or a different wall?

The reason I like Nando's over McDonalds is that the food in Nando's is made of actual food. Very much agree with Jamie Oliver and Ant&Dec (they became famous for Byker Grove and the song 'Let's Get Ready To Rumble')

Love this video Alanna great fun lots of information in this I am an Englishman that hates baked beans on toast 😂 I am a pg tip man not keen on Yorkshire tea and I am also a southerner living in the East Midlands great video great job 👍👍

I like Wetherspoons because the destitute and disfigured clientelle creates the illusion that you're in an actual medieval tavern. And you simply cannot argue with £1.60 for a pint of bitter.

Are modern air con units noisy? In Florida we could choose between not sleeping because of the heat, or because of the rattling roar of the air con. I might consider buying one if they are quieter now.

I agreed with just about everything you said, except for the Carvery. I have a Toby's Carvery near to me and the food has always been great as it is a free pub. The choice of meats and the taste is excellent with all you can eat veg that still has a crunch to them if you see A Carvery full of old people, leave because the veg will be overcooked and tasteless as they cater for the old who ofter can't chew and have no tastebuds left.

Yup - right there with you about Ant and/or Dec. I've no idea which is which. Or even if they're capable of being split into two. or if they're some weird kind of symbiotic thing.

Hey Alanna, your opinions left me both laughing and delightfully infuriated. A perfect combination👌😂

You need to do a video rating the different brands of beans! We need to know which beans are the best.

great video, I'm desperate to know where you're sourcing your cut-priced home fittings from. Also want to point out that Nando's is basically the only place in the UK with free refills on fountain drinks, which shocked me as another ex-pat - so maybe one point in their column? But agree that the food is medium-rubbish

Very happy for you. Buying an AC unit will really make the few nights where it is horribly hot soooo much better. Once you have experienced it you will say to yourself why the heck did we not buy one of theses years ago! Hopefully, it comes with a window kit as your windows are absolutely perfect for using a portable AC Unit. Beans on toast and a nice cupa is just so British and very much a comfort food. Can’t say I do it anymore but as a kid, even in Canada, I had beens on toast.

Hi, Alanna, I must congratulate you on having good taste WILTY and HIGNFY are the best two programs onTV. As a non tea drinker who can't tell Ant from Dec I will also congratulate you on getting portable A/C unit. Mine is great. Brilliant video, well done.

It’s really sad, but the last time I had a meal out before lockdown was Nando’s, and it was the first (and only) time I’ve ever eaten there.

Hey Alana, I'm curious, was beans and toast something you ate before you came to the UK or did you discover it here?

Ant 'n' Dec owe their fame to a children's TV series called Byker Grove. As a spin-off, they had a short-lived pop act under their character's names (PJ and Duncan), then moved over to ITV as the channel's favourite hosts for prime time TV. They've been named most popular presenters at the National Television Awards for 20 years running (largely due to their "Saturday Night Takeaway" series, but possibly also for their presenting of the UK version of IAC:GMOOH!). More recently, Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby have also become ITV favourites, popping up everywhere. Even worse, Philip also does adverts for a car buying company, and they sponsor some of his shows - so you get Philip presenting, Philip doing the sponsored by break bumpers, and quite often Philip in an ad during each break...

Beans on toast is one of the childhood comfort foods I have occasionally. As Alanna said not the best, but good on a cold, wet winter day. I've never understood the jam or cream first debate when it comes to scones, in my opinion they taste as good either way round (jam/cream cream/jam).

Idea of a carvery - yum, yum! Toby Carvery - yuk yuk! Early Ed Sheeran - top notch, everything after - snooze-fest. I just love a Greggs sausage roll! Or maybe I just like any sausage roll. Another hard hitting, thought-provoking video! 😀

I always put grated cheese on top of my beans on toast. It tastes really nice especially as it starts melting! Absolute comfort food! As far as scones, I put cream first and them strawberry jam on top...yum!

Yorkshire Tea was only "invented" as a marketing exercise 45 years ago. So while it's certainly /possible/ your mother brought you up on it, it's not something that's been a favourite for generations. Having said that, I like it a lot.

Beans on toast (with cheese and Tabasco) got me through uni 😅 I haven’t really watched Ant & Dec since Ant (PJ) was blinded on Byker Grove tbh Your taste in tv shows sounds quite exquisite 😉 Jam first, cream on top. Maybe more cream on top of that 🤭 I’ll have a Nando’s a handful of times a year, if that. I’m a Londoner who no longer lives there, maybe says it all. Another great vid, Alanna. You’re definitely not overrated 😋

I lived up in Hatfield for 3 years. (Doncaster one. Eddie-u-know Milliband was our local M.P. at the time.) Near there was a nice country gastro pub called 'The Green Tree,' where they did carveries on weekdays for £3.99. One serving of meat/s per ticket. BUT.. unlimited refills of veg. I commented to the then wife that the local eldies on a tight budget could probably have got away with eating half a weeks food a couple of times a week at the carvery. And saved themselves money on feeding themselves.

Roast dinners are definitely best reserved for home. I've had Yorkshire puddings in pubs n restaurants that could be weaponised.

I agree on the music bit 😋

Carverys can on occasion be really like a home Sunday roast, but many have over cooked (dryed out) meat(s) and hard roasties and al-dente (undercooked) veg.

Great video you always bring a wonderful smile.. Aircon wow Energy costs in the UK have just gon up around 50 percent and are set to rise again...... Wheathspoons is ok. Eaten there a few times. Toby carvery is ok. Nandos in general chicken is dry and it's not cheap. I'd rather have a Macdonald's

One of the most overrated things in Britain is American fast food. Not because American fast food is bad but because our version of it is bad. In Brighton, a Wendy's just opened. I'm pretty sure the menu is smaller than in the US, but the most ridiculous thing is our response to it. People literally queued round the block to get a Baconator just because they've seen it on Instagram and whatnot. Same thing happened when Five Guys opened. We have SO MANY burger places already - some of the US ones like McDonalds and Burger King, some British chains and loads of local joints too - but people always seem to absolutely lose their shit when one of the big American chains opens up here. 6 weeks later the place is usually half dead inside, just awash with untidied food waste and day drunks.

Can you get ice tea there? I'm from Florida in Southern U.S. and icedtea is part of the southern thing. Come visit. I'd love to show you and your partner around. I live in St. Petersburg, and it's a beautiful place.

I see that we share similar taste on TV. I watch very little (been weeks since I last watched TV) but will watch WILTY and HIGNFY (QI's not too bad either). Good video and I agreed with most of them!

Agree with all. The Old Mill in Toronto takes some beating.

In Canada we used to have Mother Tuckers. It was a good Carvery

I bought an AirCon unit in the the UK 34 years ago and for 34 summers I’ve slept like a top and have had a smug smile on my face ever since 🤣

I always enjoy your videos, this is a good one! Beans on toast is brilliant, it just fits the moment. Not every day or week. There is just that certain time. Carverys, I agree, you get what you pay for. I prefer quality over quantity. A carvery does to food what Wetherspoons does for booze. Totally agree. Ant and Dec are so overrated. The most overrated people on TV. They haven't done anything new or outstanding for 20 years. I know what you mean about Ed Sheeran, seems like a decent bloke though. I have bought several electrical items that are from the manufacturers own "outlet" website. You can save loads and if the damage is just cosmetic, so why not? I agree with you about Nandos and Greggs, they're chains. They're easy and as you say. One day you'll want one. I also prefer to support independent restaurants Roasts dinners, I refer to my answer about carverys I think most of us will be pretty much agreeing with most of your comments. Which tea is best depends on the person and is dependent somewhat on the water supply as well. I prefer Twinnings (when its on offer!)

Try Weatherspoons in Whistable. It’s unique. Worth a visit if only once.

I completely agree with you about London. I live in NW England and I've set foot in London fewer than half a dozen times in my entire life (the last time was 30 years ago!) I have no intention of ever returning. You are totally right about Ant and Dec... and as for Jamie Oliver, just look up the names he has chosen for his kids: that tells you all you need to know about him. Most TV chefs are extremely annoying...with the exception of Nigella of course! :)

I think when it comes to the well known outlets such as greggs, costa coffee,cafe nero,nando,s, toby carvery,etc etc you can expect a similar experience its like its done to a price..but find yourself a cafe or pub thats not a chain and you will fare better.i had an amazing roast dinner which surpassed toby in quantity and taste and it was a small cafe in a uk park and half the price of the big chains.infact it beat anything which my own city could serve up !

Beans and sausages on toast with white pepper.....but twice heated beans and sausage, boil then cool then heat again..........and on special occasions a fried egg, large can need 3 toast and eat the spillage first

OMG. I agree with the thumbnail. Nando's sucks ! I remember living in London, trying to organise a diner party for my birthday and one of the girl said " let's go to Nando's " to which I disagreed and she went " YOU DON'T LIKE NANDO'S, WHATS WRONG WITH YOU ? " I replied, " I'm not gonna spend money on a dry piece of Chicken I could get from Tesco ! " Hahaha.

Good taste in TV..!! :) I remember watching the Iraq wars; and watching the reactions in the early episodes of Have I Got News For You. But Ant and Dec have presented lots of shows since the nineties, and now they own the production company that produces lots of the mainstream flagship shows on British Television. For example, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here is one of theirs. I think they might have created I'm a Celebrity; but I'm not sure. It's mainstream stuff but always a pleasant, high quality distraction. lol And they're not fat egos, who insist on being the stars. For Britain's got talent, they are the back stage sidekicks; offering encouragement, reports and reaction. *So not high brow; but they play a well deserved healthy role in British TV*

Went to Nando's when there were only a few branches and it was really good. It seems that these chains start off with high standards and then let them side as they expand

Personally I really enjoy Nando’s. Most of the chicken shops in the UK seem to make only deep fried breaded chicken. The others are Piri Piri roast chicken trying to duplicate Nando’s so why not go to the original. Plus I adore roast chicken and veggies slathered with hot sauce and they even serve corn on the cob spiced extra hot. I can make hotter/spicier at home but sometimes can’t be arsed 😁. Weatherspoons is ok…. Personally what think is over-rated is the average British Pub only because they’ve all been absorbed into one of the big Pub chains serving the same exact menu and sometimes same lack of quality food. Give me a traditional INDEPENDENT owned Pub any day though. Great video as always

As always you are correct. Cream first. And yay to beans on toast, love it. And it was you who converted me to Yorkshire Tea, nicer than what I was drinking and worth the little bit extra cost.

I live not far from where you used to live when you were at Upnor. I was born in Kent. I say scone the same way as you do and put cream on a scone first. Who's Ed Sheeran? 🤣. I have air conditioning. That is a problem with rented accommodation here. Good on you for getting one. Jamie Oliver is human Marmite. Depends which bit of London you live in. It can be OK. I have friends in London. It is huge and most people have no idea of the better parts to live in. Local butchers for sausage rolls or pasties. Much better. Sunday roast at the Malta Inn at Maidstone or The Ferry House on the Isle of Sheppy. That one is very good but book in advance. I have had a Nandos once. Enough said for me. Why go to a Whitherspoons when there are so many good local pubs? Agree about tea. Wales is improving. Once a long time ago it was like going back to pre war times but it is much better now. Mix a Tetley tea bag with a small amount of Earl Grey. It's brilliant. I think you are one of the most normal people I see doing blogs about the UK. Keep up the good work. Ray.

Wetherspoons full English breakfasts are amazing!

Alana I have never been to Nandos in Australia. And I won't be. I love beans on toast. With an egg. Yummers

Trouble is, finding a decent pub carvery is tough. The big firms have bought out many smaller establishments. And you often cannot tell until its too late. I search high and low for decent pub grub. Don't mind paying a premium

Well, if you want good tea at a reasonable price, nothing (imo) is better then Co-op Indian Prince (of those available in tea bags). Mind you, to get it, you have to be within striking distance of a Co--op that sells it (not all do). My most over-rated thing is the South, too, even though I was born in Middlesex and brought up in Surrey. At the age of 19, when I was at university in Oxford, my parents moved to Yorkshire (the Huddersfield area), so, at the start of one term I left home from Surrey to go back to Oxford, and when I went home again, I went to Huddersfield, which was a much better place in all respects. The second most over-rated thing is Lancashire, Lancastrians, and everything from Lancashire.

where did you get your air conditioning unit?

Beans on Toast PLUS, Heinz bean (has to be Heinz) 4mm think slice of Double Gloucester cheese cut in to 4mm square, add cheese to beans with a little black pepper cook until cheese melts, serve on hot toast and enjoy with a cup of English Breakfast Tea. I have been eating this as a snack/meal for over 50 years. Now a little challenge, There is a concert at The Troxy Theatre London on the 14th June at 7pm, have someone buy you a ticket so you do not know what the event is until you arrive as I would love to hear your reaction to the concert. If you do manage to get there and you see an old man in a suit with a walking stick that has a horses head handle that will be me. Listen to youtube "The Ballard of the Wogglers Moulie" by Kenneth Williams and "The Ballard of Freda and Barry" by Victoria Wood. Reaction to both please.

I quite like Slug & Lettuce myself, I eat there fairly often if I'm meeting up with a friend or family member for lunch. Though I've only ever been to the one that's in my own city so maybe I just have a particularly good local one? :)

Yes, I usually have my AC unit on for a few days a year, it's worth it. I add cheese to my beans on toast, I assume you would do to?

Nando’s yes, Gregg wash your mouth out with soap! 😱. Ok, not gourmet but the sausage rolls, stake bakes, sausage and bean melts and bacon baguettes are 😛

What about having scones plain like I do? Also Nandos is South African and the quality depends on which Nandos you go to because there are different grades of chicken. If you go to one that has the better quality chicken then it can be very nice. It also can depend on what you choose from the menu. The majority of people drink tea incorrectly. Do not put milk or sugar in it.

Hi Alanna, You are really pushing the limits today. 😃 I don't like cream, so i just have the jam and scone. I agree about Ant and Dec being overrated. (grossly overrated). If you want a good Sunday roast then you cook it yourself. We the British drink around 164 million cups of tea per day compared to 90 million cups of coffee per day. As I said you are being very controversial today, which is good! It brings a laugh to us viewers.🤪👍

It's scone like gone not scone like cone. As to whether cream or jam is first, I couldn't care less. It tastes the same either way.

2:53, English accent popping out for a second👍👍😁😁

I'm sure you've all heard this before, but:- Q. What's the difference between a Scone and a Scon? A. Before you eat it, it's a Scone, and after you've eaten it, it's scon. 😁 Sorry, this joke is easier to tell than to write.

So, Ant and Dec became famous in the their teens, originally in a kids show called Byker Grove (I think a Canadian equivalent is called Degrassi?) , they then had a music career in the 90s and went onto TV presenting where they've been ever since. Yup they're everywhere! Ed Sheeran... Totally agree, my wife likes him but I wonder why a busker with a loop pedal can fill stadiums. Roast Dinners, the trick is to find pubs that do their own cooking, normally ones in the middle of the countryside are the best ones. We hate mulchy veg too... roasted carrots for the win! As for the weather, the past few years have gotten hotter than some others i remember... Im originally from a town in Kent called Faversham and up until last year we held the record for the highest temperature in the UK ever! Was beaten during lockdown I believe....And finally... Tea.... Not the biggest fan personally, but when I do have it, its the law to be Yorkshire Tea! Nothing else touches the spot! All done now.. phew!

It's funny how my parents are avid tea drinkers (they tend to drink Yorkshire Tea and PG Tips) and they were super against coffee and usually people will drink the same as their parents, but I absolutely hate tea and I'm much more of a coffee drinker. So much so that I unintentionally managed to influence multiple family members to drink coffee, INCLUDING my parents haha I did a bit of an uno reverse card on them lol Now my parents will go on a coffee date with each other at least once a week to have a latte and a sandwich or soup which I think is really adorable I think tea is overrated and I do get tired of hearing about it, especially as the majority of people I know don't even like tea (or rather, they don't like British tea - usually they'd prefer boba or something)

I completely agree on the Nando's front. Twice I've been dragged to one and hated it. Either you eat some bland chicken or smother it in a nasty peri-peri sauce that tastes like it used to be a nice sauce but was left out of the fridge for way too long and has now gone off.

Amazing Alanna I agree with all the overrated things about Britain you come up with. I had a portable aircon unit and I found it wasn't very good as it hard to get a good seal for the hose out the window and the hose would get vary hot. In the end I got a a proper split aircon unit fitted. I know you can't when your renting though?

Detest Nandos and London. Heartily recommend buying a turbo fan for summer.

Watching this now and laughing at your prediction of “two hot days in the year”. But good for you for buying the AC when you could!

Hey Alanna. Great video and I wonder how many comments you'll get telling you to leave the country if you don't like it 😄. For overrated London has to be #1 IMO. Great in small doses but beyond that - no thanks. I've never had a Nando's and from what I've heard about them, I hopefully never will. Jamie Oliver is annoying but I'd take him over Gordon 'I'm an a-hole ego' Ramsay any day. Ant and Dec are basically the go to stooges for popular TV. As for scones, jam first for me because it's heavier and it's easier to add cream as you eat. Putting jam on second just smushes the cream.

Waiting another 90 minutes for a local carvery’s leftovers via a ‘too good to go’ app. Dirt cheap. Haven’t had beans on toast for a while, will rectify that for tomorrow’s breakfast, with HP sauce.

Great video, always fun to hear what is and isn't overrated wherever you are!!😂 Any woke celebrity who take's the kings shilling as it were, is obviously deplorable (begone A&D and JO) Nandos is something i only ever really heard girls fawn over, but that covers the north south debate too, along with my previous point, in terms of rationality (or the lack thereof) As for Whterpsoons and gregs, they are fine!