Springtime in England is scenic and picturesque as the days become longer and the start of beautiful flowers opening in bloom. With spring and summer approaching, I look forward to a few simple indulgences such as a nice cup of early morning coffee with a scrumptious muffin, a book or magazine and definitely a bit of American comfort food.

Being an American transplanted into the British world, I am quickly learning that food and life here can be quite an adventure. I do admit that living abroad is fantastic and even so, there are times when I find myself longing for familiar situations and of course memorable foods that were a part of normal everyday American life.

I am sure that we all have our “what we miss most” lists of the things, activities, places, and people from America. I miss my family, driving on wide roads, glasses full of ice, all day Sunday shopping, mixed water taps and of course American comfort food. I am sure that all of us Americans remember our most-loved comforting foods, those particular delicacies that trigger thoughts and signify spring break times or summer vacation events.

American mixes and cooking shortcuts have always been my back up when cooking but these are not at times as easy to locate here. I am finding with a bit of ingenuity that simple substitutes are easily reproduced in order to refresh memories and satisfy the palette.

It was a total shock when I discovered that my English kitchen fan-assisted oven setting of 200 degree Celsius was quite different and definitely not the same 200 degrees Fahrenheit, as I was familiar to in America. Because of these differences, I began writing myself cooking notes for future reference and techniques when preparing my American recipes.

Having a few of my immediate notes at hand in the kitchen makes baking much simpler for me. My collected details take some of the guesswork out of calculating those recipes from Fahrenheit settings to my British Celsius fan-assisted oven settings. My notes include what works, as well as information to myself regarding the oven temperatures that did not really bake as productively as I expected.

I found that baking sponge cakes, muffins, and most bread recipes requiring an oven setting of 325 degrees Fahrenheit will bake nicely in a fan-assisted oven set at 160 Celsius; shorten the cooking time by approximately 10 minutes.

American recipe for a denser cake or muffin batter (i.e. blueberry muffins, fruitcake, breads or cakes with nuts, cakes heavier than a sponge type) which required a setting of 375 degrees Fahrenheit can be baked in a fan-assisted oven at 190 degrees Celsius, also less cooking time than the initial recipe suggest. I find that the less cooking time “rule of thumb” for me is generally 10 minutes less than most instructions indicate for most of my American recipes as they were initially intended to be cooked in a Fahrenheit oven.

A simple basic table offering a quick solution: 90°C (200°F), 150–160°C (300–325°F), 180– 190°C (350–375°F), 200–230°C (400–450°F).

I have collected a list of shortcuts that work nicely for substituting some familiar American products. My list was created by trial, perseverance and determination in most instances.

British biscuits work fine for most cookie crumb crusts. One of my favourite American simple deserts specifically requires a Graham cracker crumb crust, which I have easily been able to replicate by substituting the British biscuit (cookie) Digestives. They have a similar texture when crumbled, are comparable in flavour to the graham cracker taste, and work well forming a delicious crust.

As a reminder of home, occasionally I would like the Sunday roast to include a bit of American style stuffing. My usual state side shortcut for stove top stuffing mixture is obviously not available in the shops here so I found that it was quite easy to copy.

The copy, cheating version that I find works best;

• 2 c breadcrumbs (dried toast works)
• 2 T poultry seasoning
• 2 crumbled chicken cubes (bullion cubes)
• 2-4 T butter.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, add 1 c boiling water to this mixture, cover and set aside for approximately 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork and it is ready. If you prefer the mixture can also be baked or prepared by microwave. Extras can also be added to ingredients such as chopped celery, onion and parsley, all sautéed in a bit of butter. These will add a bit more flavour to the stuffing mixture, depending on your own personal taste.

Thankfully, we now have online shopping offering anything from around the world that we desire. The exception to that simple buying solution is the time when you can not wait for the parcel to be delivered and then substitutes are useful. A few of my favourite American recipes call for cornmeal, which I found is not available in any of my local shops so I found an alternative.

Cornmeal substitutes: Polenta serves this purpose, and you may want to experiment with this a bit on your own. Bramata is the most common form of polenta and it seemed to be very versatile. This type of polenta is traditionally a rustic stone-milled corn flour making it moderately coarse and similar to American corn meal. Polenta can be used for a crusty breading, baking cornbread or used as a replacement for grits, since Polenta can be cooked to a creamy consistency. This is definitely the best of both worlds here so I will continue finding ways to combine a touch of Britain into my American food favourites.

Oh, but how lucky I am to be in the United Kingdom with all of its history and traditions. This is definitely the best of both worlds here so I will continue finding ways to combine a touch of Britain into my American food favourites.

I think that “trial and effort” are wonderfully ambitious endeavours. Remember that there are some situations in cooking when you do not have such the luxury for experimental time, so be prepared with your own back up plan. I sincerely hope that you have found a few of my private cooking tips helpful and useful for your own use. My challenge to you is to find your favourite American recipe and make it amazingly British American....

Article by Julie Nobles Woodcock

I was sitting on a plane that had just taken off from JFK, New York, back to my home in the UK and already that familiar feeling was starting  within me. I could never have imagined this 30 odd years ago, when I first knew that I would be making the United Kingdom my permanent home. That this would still be happening to me after every visit to my family in America, a strange ambivalence in leaving my parents, brothers and countless cousins behind, and the home of my childhood and teenage memories. If anything, this feeling seemed to be getting stronger with the passing years. Perhaps it was the realisation that I really am not ever moving back, a thought that had lived somewhere in the recesses of my mind for so many years previously. I love my life in the UK, but on these return trips back to England it’s like that whole feeling of being American had been crammed into two weeks and was now being lost to me again. However, I have been here on this plane journey many times before. I knew that after several days, I would soon settle back into my life in the UK, the adopted home that I have come to love. It helps to have a wonderful husband who is British and a beautiful teenage daughter who is an American/British dual national. I also have a job I enjoy, (I’m a sign language interpreter) and I have very many, absolutely lovely British friends. So even as that ambivalent feeling on the flight began, I knew eventually all would be fine again, the post USA blues a distant memory. Until the following year and the next trip back home to the USA.

My British husband and I married in 2015. I had already been living here as a permanent resident for over 30 years. (I have been married before, well, more than once but that’s another story that wouldn’t possibly fit into this article!). Our trip to New York last June was the second time Richard had visited the USA with me. He was concerned after this last visit when I went into my usual maudlin few days of post USA depression. I knew it was temporary. My daughter knew too, so neither she nor I worried much about it. But it bothered Richard so he suggested I look for and join an expat group. I was incredulous at the suggestion! An expat group? I had lived in this country for 35 years! How would someone like me benefit from joining an expat group? Wasn’t that for people who were new to the country? Also, I had plenty of British friends and felt completely integrated into the British life style. Surely these clubs were for people who just wanted to confine themselves to American culture and American people? “Besides”, I told him, “those groups are only in London. We live in Warwickshire. There won’t be anything like that for me here anyway”.

A few weeks later, I was getting past my post USA blues and my husband Richard came home with a glossy magazine that he had picked up in London, which just happened to be this one, American in Britain. “Have a look”, he said, “There are some American Women’s groups listed in here.“ I left the magazine on the table for a few days before eventually picking it up out of curiosity. When I got to the women’s clubs section, to my surprise I found that indeed the clubs listed weren’t all in London. To appease my darling husband I googled American Expat groups in Warwickshire. And there it was, The North American Connection.“A group for expats living in Birmingham, West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and all points in between.“

So I gave it a try. I remember attending that first coffee morning last September and feeling I was finally home. I was suddenly amongst people who were just like me, they had grown up some place else, had left most of their family behind and either for long or short-term, they were here. It hit me that although I thought I had been fully integrated into the British lifestyle and culture, this was the first time in 35 years I was amongst a group of people where I one hundred percent fit. Although I love my British friends it dawned on me that there would always be things that made me feel slightly apart, something I wasn’t consciously aware of before. Was this feeling of being slightly different one of the reasons for my annual post USA blues? Very insignificant things started to come into my consciousness, like a mention from a dear British pal that they were popping over to visit their mother or brother at the weekend, something that cannot be part of my life experience in the UK without a lot of forward planning and expense. I learned that my fellow expats also shared the feeling that you didn’t completely belong in America either. An expat’s life experiences changes your perspective of the world and you can find yourself thinking and feeling very differently from old friends and family members in the USA.

After that first coffee morning with my new expat friends, I felt lighter, happy. These other people ‘got’ me. Within weeks I found myself volunteering to become the NAC’s marketing chairperson and joining the Board. I was hooked. Then just recently, I attended my first FAWCO conference in London and I was doubly hooked. Now I was meeting women like myself from all over the UK and the rest of the world too. I have happily just become the FAWCO rep for my club.

So there you have it, my husband was actually right. Joining an expat group after 35 years in the UK has added to my life in a way I could not have predicted. Experiences like for the first time in many years, my husband, daughter and I spent Thanksgiving with a group of Americans, about 80 in total! We still had our small British family Thanksgiving celebration at home which included my lovely stepsons and their partners, but sharing the holiday again the following week with a large group of Americans was very special for me. I’m looking forward to the 4th of July celebration my club is planning. Again, it’s been many years since I’ve shared this day with lots of other Americans. Another thing I was mistaken about - members of expat groups aren’t people who just want to mix with other Americans. A lot of the members were just like me. ‘Lifers’, American ladies settled here permanently, some with British husbands. All had British friends and friendship groups. They also enjoy mixing the cultures and traditions of both countries. I have only been a member of my expat group since last Autumn so I haven’t been back to the USA again just yet. But I have a feeling that it may be slightly easier the next time I am sitting on that plane having just waved my family in America goodbye for another year. This time, I will be coming back home again to a little bit of America in Warwickshire and home to my new, other large American family who just happen to be living near to me right here in England.

For further information on The North American Connection visit www.naconnect.com.

For information on various Expat Clubs please visit the Expatriate Clubs page of our website.

Article by Karen Storey. Picture: Karen Storey and her friends, Jennifer, Abby and Becky

Stuart Milk is a prominent American civil rights and LGBT activist, nephew of the late Harvey Milk and founder and President of the Harvey  Milk Foundation. As a broadcaster, speaker, writer and campaigner, Stuart works alongside LGBT and civil rights organisations around the world. On behalf of his uncle, he recently accepted the highest US civilian honour, the Medal of Freedom, from President Barack Obama.

Welcome to American in Britain Magazine. We understand you visit the UK often - what brings you here this time?

I’ve been here for LGBT History Month 2017 - The Milk Foundation partners with Schools Out UK for this annual event, which I think is really the best in the world, with dozens of events, hundreds of participants and 15 different hubs around the country.

What have you most looked forward to on this visit?

One highlight I always look forward to, wherever I go, is visiting schools and speaking to kids. I believe that’s where everything starts and that’s where our future is. I love their responses. In the UK in particular I see what I call “the equality generation”. They’ve known nothing other than equality as a right. And that’s wonderful. But it’s important to teach them about some of the struggles too. History, as President Obama would say, doesn’t move in a straight line, so we need to know history to see a path for the future, both in the bright days and in the dark days. For example, what happened with the assassination of my uncle Harvey was very dark, but what has eventually resulted is very bright.

Your Uncle Harvey clearly had a huge influence on you and many others. Why?

Well, you know, I’m LGBT myself, and my uncle was my touchstone to my own authenticity. When I was young, I hated the fact I was LGBT because of the environment at that time. It was illegal, it was seen as mental illness, there were no gay characters in movies or TV. But I could talk to my uncle about anything. When I was around 12, he gave me a book called Seven Arrows, about American Indian traditions, and he wrote in it, “You, with all your differences, are the medicine that will heal the world even when the world doesn’t recognise that.” That became my life compass and still is.

Please share with our readers an inspirational moment in your own life.

The year after Harvey was killed, 1979, I was at university in Washington DC. I had just come out. I was asked to speak there at the first memorial event. When I showed up, there were a handful of people for the memorial, and around 300 hundred religious protesters from the AME, an Afro-American evangelical church. It was really shocking for me. Suddenly, this very large black woman grabbed my hand and said, “You’re the nephew, aren’t you?” I guess even then I looked similar to Harvey. I thought I was going to get a dressing down. Instead, she turned to me and said, “My name is Dr Maya Angelou.” She grabbed my hand, faced the crowd of protesters and belted out: “I am gay. I am lesbian. I am black. I am white. I am Christian. I am Jew. I am Native American. I am human!” And she just stared at them. She was not so well known then, and at first I had not known who she was. But they knew, and they were very excited. They put down their protest signs, left them right there, turned around and got back on their buses. And we went ahead with our memorial service. It was such a vivid moment.

You’ve been here to promote LGBT History Month and that’s clearly very focused. When you have a completely free day off for yourself, how do you like to spend it?

I love coming to the UK. I enjoy going to brilliant free museums like the British Museum: I love being able to see the world in one building. I like walking here. Often I get lost because some of the streets don’t make sense. But sometimes I like that. I’ll always walk if I can, although as an American, I really appreciate the signs saying ‘Look Left’ or ‘Look Right’, because I always seem to look the wrong way! I love all the open spaces, even when it’s cold out, where people are interacting, people are connecting. London’s Hyde Park is one of my favourites. And this is the best place in the world to get a haircut! Ted Baker, for instance, has great walk-in grooming salons. We don’t have anything like that in the US.

Some say these are particularly challenging times. But the abiding spirit of your uncle was positive. What would he have said?

My uncle would say “you can’t live on hope alone but you can’t live without it”. We may have dark times coming around the world, including places we didn’t expect to see it. But we have some light too. For instance, due to social media, hope can spread easily across boundaries on a global scale far easier than in my uncle’s day, so rays of light can reach into dark places.

Here at American in Britain we like to promote international relations.Tell us who you’d invite to your fantasy cross-country dinner party, living or from the past.

There are lots of people I’d like to have. Uncle Harvey, of course, along with Maya Angelou, Nina Simone and Queen Elizabeth I. I’d also invite Nobel Prize-winning writers, Juan Ramon Jimenez and Octavio Paz, and two inspirational young rights activists I’ve known, Hungarian Milán Rózsa and Cesar Parra from Peru. I can really relate to people who bring forth a world vision that’s open, inspiring and collective, even during casual conversation. This connects with Harvey’s message: that there’s always a positive to life, that we can change things, that we can take everyday conversations and make them into something important and meaningful. So, this dinner party would have lots of conversation, and perhaps Keith Jarrett playing piano in the background. To eat? A simple spread of fresh bread, cheese and fresh vegetables would be perfect.

Stuart Milk has been speaking at LGBT History Month events around the UK; further information at www.milkfoundation.org and www.schools-out.org.uk.

Interview by Judith Schrut, email Judith at judith0777@gmail.com

• Image 1: Photo courtesy of the Harvey Milk Foundation, photo credit Brook Fifer
• Image 2: Stuart Milk receives the Medal of Honor from President Obama, the White House, photo courtesy of Harvey Milk Foundation

The eating habits of the UK has dramatically changed over the last decade or so, and the usual favourites of pizza, fish and chips and curry  have been usurped by a new Asian invasion led by one of my personal favourites, Thai. The reason for its popularity is that is combines exquisite taste with a degree of healthiness. Balance, detail and variety are of paramount significance for all Thai chefs, and what I love so much about Thai food is that although the dishes appear simple, they are in fact highly complex. This complexity takes the form of at least three, and more likely four or five fundamental taste senses in each dish, and the art is how the sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy flavours are mixed together to create that killer dish. Combined with this taste mixture you also get the other senses stimulated with the texture and colour explosions on the plate.

I always think a testament to a restaurant’s quality is its longevity, and Busaba Eathai opened its first branch in Soho in 1999, and now 18 years on, there are eleven restaurants in and around London, with further restaurants planned.

Busaba is named after a Thai flower, and I won’t insult you by saying what Eathai is a fusion of (think what you do in a Thai restaurant!!), and its philosophy is one I like of a more casual dining venue with a menu devised to feed you with minimal fuss. Eating should be an enjoyable experience, and that should not only include the food but also the décor, location and the service, and I can see why Busaba has thrived as I just loved the restaurant in Kingston.

Kingston is on the River Thames, and just a stone’s throw from the main shopping area is a delightful terrace running along the bank which is where you will find Busaba Eathai. Each restaurant contains intrinsic sensory elements which are designed to welcome guests and create a congenial atmosphere in which to eat, so there are tranquil water features with floating candles and gerbera flowers, and the aura senses are also stimulated as lemongrass incense fills the air. The wall to ceiling glass windows at the Kingston restaurant also brings the outside in and inside out, creating a feeling that you are dining on the Thames despite being in the warmth of the main restaurant, and follows the traditional Buddist value of Sookjal, helping you to avoid the chaos of everyday life. Thai cuisine is one of the most popular cuisine’s in the world, and in 2011, seven of Thailand’s popular dishes, more than any other country, appeared on the list of the “World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods in a worldwide online poll. They were: Tom Yam Goong, Pad Thai, Som Tam, Massaman Curry, Green Curry, Thai Fried Rice and Moo Nam Tok, and all of these can be found on the menu. On our visit, I initially selected one of Busaba’s signature dishes Thai Calamari, ginger and peppercorn (£7.75), and loved the contrast between the crispy glaze and the slightly chewy squid, all encased with a slight curry heat. My wife chose Chicken Satay with peanut sauce (£6.25), where a slightly crispy exterior encased succulent and moist chicken.

The second course was much harder to choose as the selection is wider, with dishes from the Bangkok Char-Grill including Tamarind Grilled Duck (£15.50) and Green Curried Grilled Chicken (£11.95), which almost tempted us, but my wife chose the Chicken Butternut Squash Stirfry with cashew nuts and dried chilli (£8.95), and I went for another of Bushaba’s favourites, the Massaman Duck Curry (£11.95). The chicken and butternut squash certainly has a kick to it, but this heat complements the fleshy butternut squash and goes perfectly with the cooling coconut rice (£3.50). I loved this slight deviation of a classic massaman curry, with the thick rich sauce, as it didn’t have too much heat, and it had a lovely hint of hoisin which complemented the duck, and this went perfectly with a classic Pad Thai (£9.50), which had just enough sweetness without being sickly.

When looking at the desserts the Asian continent is renown for having very sweet, almost sickly offerings, but here the dishes are sweet but also very tasty. I plumped for the Salted Caramel Chocolate Slice with strawberry coulis (£6.50,) which combined a crunchy chocolate biscuit base with a smooth moreish chocolate ganache. My wife opted for the Banana Fritters (£5.95) where a light crispy batter encased soft fresh banana.

Busaba has continued to keep itself at the forefront of this Thai revolution by providing good food in relaxing environments, and continues to develop dishes which will keep it there for many years to come.

4 Riverside Walk, Kingston Upon Thames, London, KT1 1QN Telephone: 020 8481 6788

Website: www.busaba.com/locations/busaba-kingston-riverside

When I hear the name Villandry it always makes me think of grand houses in France, so imagine my surprise when investigating this review, that I find that is exactly what it actually is, and is named after Chateau de Villandry in the Loire Valley that is renown for having the largest walled vegetable garden in France.

Villandry has three very different restaurants at present, two in London and one in Bicester Shopping Village in Oxford, and my wife and I visited Villandry St James's, near to Pall Mall, on a Sunday lunchtime in February, and rather than having the place to ourselves there was an incredible buzz from the many diners who were availing themselves of the unlimited Prosecco Weekend Brunch (£35), which has proved extremely popular.

The St James restaurant is situated on the corner of upmarket Waterloo Place and Pall Mall in an area known for having some of the most impressive architectural buildings in London. The restaurant is split level with the lower level set out in a café style and the other a more stylish art deco restaurant boasting 1970’s style lamps that I know my parents would love. Both levels have soaring ceilings and are bathed in a warm light from the impressively large windows, making it a perfect location to while away a couple of hours with fine wine and good food. Indeed,Villandry’s purpose is to provide its diners with delicious quality food, ‘fait maison’, at affordable prices with a light and sunny style, in comfortable casual Grand Café surroundings, and these surroundings are certainly ‘Grand’.

Villandry opens at 7am for breakfast, providing a dazzling array of breakfast fare, and at another time I will surely come back, but as it was lunch time I focused my attention on the lunch and dinner menu which is equally appealing.

The starters are what you would expect from a high class French café/bistro, with Spiced Squid with fresh chillis and harissa mayonnaise (£11) and Dressed Crab (£11.50), but my choice was the Salt and Pepper Squid (£11), which had thin and crispy strips of squid accompanied by a lovely homemade crunchy tartare sauce. My wife fancied two of the mains so asked if they could do a starter portion of the Seasonal Risotto, and like the good restaurant that they are, their kitchen was able to accommodate the request. Risotto on the face of it appears easy to cook, as it is just rice with a few additional ingredients, right? Wrong, risotto, although simple, is actually very hard to do properly, but our portion made us wish that we had just had the larger main portion as the rich and moist mushrooms complemented the just crisp rice to give us a perfect risotto. The main courses are equally enticing and I wanted something I wouldn’t normally choose but that would satisfy my hunger. I scanned the menu and there was only one choice, a Smoked Haddock and Wester Ross Salmon Fishcake with Salmorejo sauce, spinach herb and tomato relish (£16), with a side of Villandry Aspen chips (£6.50), which were light and crispy chips tossed with parmesan and white truffle oil. When I cut through the fabulously crispy outer shell I was rewarded with flaky white haddock interlaced with pink salmon, and the tomato relish was refreshing. This was accompanied with crispy fries subtly flavoured with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese. Truly marvellous! My wife opted for the Villandry Burger with cheddar cheese on a sourdough bun served with salsa and chips (£14), and I think this must be one of the best burgers she or I have had. The meat was well-seasoned and so succulent that the juices seeped out into the bun making it delightfully gooey. A little difficult to eat genteelly, but perfect on your taste buds.

Villandry also doesn’t disappoint with its dessert offerings, with Irish Coffee Crème Brulee (£6.50), very tempting, but my wife selected the Warm Chocolate Fondant (£7.50), which was a bundle of rich chocolate fudge joy, and I plumped for the Villandry Pudding Platter (£11), which offered a small piece of a number of desserts. This was nice, but I realised that although I got to taste a mouthful of a number of the desserts, in many cases that wasn’t enough, so no more hedging my bets in future and I will just select one.

Villandry has an extensive wine list, as you would expect, which caters for all tastes and budgets, and as mentioned it has an unlimited prosecco weekend brunch offering, where staff ensure your glass stays full for the whole two hours. This offer includes a select choice of offerings from the breakfast and dinner menus as well as a cake platter and choices of pastries. As well as prosecco there is unlimited tea, coffee and orange juice. Other special offers include a steak night on Friday (£20), three small plates and a bottle of prosecco for (£26), or two beers for (£18.50), Monday to Saturday between 5 and 7pm, and on Monday you can celebrate the start of the week with Lobster Night where you can get a whole fresh lobster with chips and salad for £24.

Villandry St James's is a super place to meet up with friends and enjoy good food and fine wine which matches the palatial surroundings, and don’t forget the pastries/cakes as they are totally moreish. 

12 Waterloo Place, Mayfair, London, SW1Y 4AU Telephone: 020 7930 3305

Website: www.villandry.com/st-james