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Proud to be British?
(June 16, 2011)A STRAWBERRY sweet firm has surveyed the public and come up with a list of what makes us proud to be British. What an odd list.
''There's no room for our rule of law, policing by consent, the English countryside, our inventiveness or even the stiff upper lip,'' said Steve.
See what you make of the list.
1. Fish and Chips
2. Cup of Tea
3. Yorkshire Pudding
4. Strawberries and Cream
5. Sunday Roast
6. English Breakfast
7. Buckingham Palace
8. Cheddar Cheese
9. Bacon Sandwiches
10. The Queen
11. NHS
12. The Beatles
13. BBC
14. Lake District
15. Pubs
16. Big Ben
17. The Pound
18. Stonehenge
19. Tower of London
20. Shakespeare
21. Countryside
22. Aston Martin
23. Red Phone Boxes
24. Royal Family
25. Queen’s English
26. Red Arrows
27. Driving on the left
28. Ice Cream Vans
29. Black Cabs
30. Cornish Pasties
31. Mini Coopers
32. Harry Potter
33. Parliament
34. James Bond
35. Prince William
36. Monty Python
37. Enid Blyton
38. Prince Harry
39. Crumpets
40. Stephen Fry
41. Covent Garden
42. Harrods
43. Greenwich Mean Time
44. Dr Who
45. Camden Market
46. Dyson hoovers
47. Concorde
48. Kate Middleton
49. Cricket
50. Pimms
Best of British - What makes Britain Great?
Fish and chips have gained the top spot in a list of the 50 things we love most about Britain.
The popular fried take away is loved more dearly than the humble cup of tea which came in second place.
The entire top ten was dominated by food with Yorkshire puddings coming in to third place and strawberries and cream nominated at number four followed by the Sunday roast at number five.
Buckingham Palace came in eighth place and the Queen at number 10, leaving the English breakfast, Cheddar cheese and bacon sandwiches to complete the top ten.
The poll of 3,000 Brits was conducted by Sweet Eve strawberries to find out the 50 things we love most about the country.
Places 10 to 20 were dominated by the nation’s best loved landmarks with Big Ben, Stonehenge, the Tower of London and the Lake District all making an appearance.
Kate Middleton came in at number 48 just behind her husband who came in at 35 and her new brother in law Prince Harry who was at 38.
The Beatles were the only musicians to feature in the top 50 and were ranked at number 12 and Dr Who was the only TV show to make the list.
Adam Olins, a spokesperson for the new Sweet Eve strawberry variety, said: “It’s pleasing that so much of what we love most about being British and what gives us a sense of national pride is edible.
“It seems strawberries evoke really nostalgic memories. Our research showed that eating strawberries reminds us of our childhood and school holidays, so it makes sense that they also make us feel proud to be British. Sweet Eve is a born-and-bred British variety with a traditional strawberry taste – perfect for conjuring up those feelings of English summers.
“Part of our national heritage is food production – we are a small country but have a strong history of agriculture, and should be – and clearly are - proud of our traditional national flavours. It’s heartening to see that Great British food inspires as much patriotism as traditional British icons such as the Royal Family and Big Ben.”
Shakespeare and Enid Blyton were the writers to make the highest appearance while Harry Potter and James Bond were the only characters from books.
The only celebrity to make the top 50 was Stephen Fry while black cabs, the Aston Martin and the Mini Cooper were the cars that made the list.
The Red Arrows came in at 26while Concorde made number 47.
The Dyson vacuum cleaner came in at 46 while institutions like the NHS came in at 11 and the BBC at 13.
Eighty five per cent of those surveyed said that they were proud of their country with most agreeing that they want a bank holiday on St George’s Day.
Adam Olins from Sweet Eve strawberries said: “We were delighted that strawberries rank so highly in people’s hearts and with Wimbledon approaching, most people will be enjoying many more berries from now on and throughout the summer.”