Customs of Great Britin Traditions of Great Britin

2. Tea (and biscuits, obviously)

It’s not just a stereotype. When asked about quintessentially British customs, almost all respondents to my question immediately mentioned drinking a nice cuppa. The word “cuppa” (/ˈkʌpə/) is a common way to refer to a cup of tea, as when you pronounce the expression “cup of tea”, it sounds more like “cuppa tea”. And it’s true that the humble cup of tea forms the basis of many British social interactions. Most Brits drink tea for breakfast, more tea during work breaks, tea before bed, tea when the neighbours visit, tea during a meeting, tea to help decide how to solve a crisis … you get the idea. And let’s not forget the great British art of “dunking”: this means dipping sugary biscuits into tea before eating them. In fact, one source of national debate is which brand of biscuit is best for dunking purposes .

3. Going to the pub

Like many other respondents, Simon from Essex says that the main British tradition for him is going to the pub. Many people have their “local”, meaning the pub that they go to most regularly and where they know the staff and the other customers. I remember working in an office in London and how our entire team of about 50 people had the fun habit of going to the pub together every Friday after work (sometimes on Thursdays too!). It’s not all about drinking though. A trip to the pub can involve playing darts, watching sports on TV, eating some “pub grub” (that’s the name for food served in a pub), or maybe even taking part in a challenging pub quiz. If you’re in the mood for a fun night out, keep an eye out (or Google) for a typical British pub quiz right here in Portugal.