It is believed that the British have an obsession with weather – no surprise in England where sunshine and floods can coexist in a day.

Tea is a British tradition, even though tea was first discovered far, far from England. Tea first became popular in England in the seventeenth under the influence of Charles II’s Portuguese wife, Catherine of Braganza.

Ask someone to name an English sonnet writer and most people will answer “Shakespeare”. Yet England has produced a wealth of poets who have tried their hand at the sonnet form.

There have been some wonderful films about English kings and queens, starring many of Britain’s top actors and actresses. I have selected a few films which I feel showcase both English acting talent and pivotal points in the history of the monarchy; between them they have won a galaxy of awards.

England has had strong leadership from women, yet they have rearely had the chance to shine as male heirs have had precedence in the line of succession. Boudicca led her tribe after her husband died. Mary I succeeded her teenage brother on his death, thus opening the door for her younger sister.

English puddings include some classic recipes which have stood the test of time, from Apple Snow to Summer Pudding; more stodgy counterparts include Bread Pudding, Eton Mess and Queen of Puddings.

Summer is festival season. England has a wide range of festivals, featuring different types of music. This article features a few of the highly popular music festivals that take place in England – from Glastonbury to the Glyndebourne Opera Festival.

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England is home to a wide variety of cheeses, some of which have been made for hundreds of years, many of which take their names from the village, town, city or county where they originated.

Niglel Slater has a sensual love of food that oozes through his writing. Eating for England takes time honoured English classics and celebrates their glory. Entries are generally short (often no more than a page), making this a book of bite-size writing which can be devoured in bite-size pieces.