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Is it possible for Mother Nature to be so in tune with the going-ons of TSLL that she would turn the rain on in celebration of the commencement of British Week? 😉
I kid completely, but it was a joy to wake up to a gentle rain falling on the yard and porch this morning. And if you had seen me, you would have seen a smile stretching from ear to ear (and maybe a little bit of a happy dance).
Being an Anglophile, what we admire about the British, is unique to each of us as we have our own experiences that have inspired our affection. For some it is the city of London solely, while for others, it is the countryside, and still others a combination of the two. However, when we meet someone who is equally as delighted to share their love of Britain, a spontaneous burst of dopamine may dance through our being as we share our experiences, gather new places to visit and ideas to try to welcome the British way of living a bit more into our daily life.
On this first day of TSLL’s British Week, I thought this post would be most fitting. I have shared below 30 characteristics of an Anglophile that came to my mind, but as I shared before, everyone has their own, and I do hope you share one or more in your comments to add on to the list.
You May Be An Anglophile If . . .
1.You prefer to accompany most life moments, good, not so good and everything in between, with a cup of tea.
2. Rainy days make you feel right at home, and in fact, they may just be your favorite weather pattern.
3. It is without hesitation that you know Hercules Poirot is Belgian, not French, and not British. Belgian, Mon dieu! (as Hercule might say)
4.You know what a tea cosy is, even if they may be hard to find outside of Britain. (Etsy has many unique and wonderful ones to choose from. My preference is a crocheted cosy, but there are many different styles to suit your taste.)
5.You woke up in the middle of the night (if you lived in the states or anywhere not in Europe) to view Prince William and Katherine MIddleton’s wedding in April 2011 without questioning whether you would be your best self for work (it was on a Friday).
6. And subsequently, you didn’t give a second thought to disregarding sleeping in last year (on this very day!) when Prince Harry married Meghan Markel (it was a Saturday morning).
7. Whether you view The British Bake Off or The British Baking Show, you have viewed each season, and if you’re like me, don’t mind watching seasons repeatedly as background while you go about other business as it is pleasurable, about food, full of cheesy puns and light-hearted humor and full of support for the contestants as they attempt the most awesomely impressive baking feats.
8. Jane Austen – you have either read each of her six best known novels or at least know their titles without hesitation (Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816), Northanger Abbey (1818) and Persuasion (1818).
9. You remember where you were when you heard the tragic news of Princess Diana’s death in August 1997.
10. If it’s a British series or movie, your interest is piqued. A short list: TV — Sherlock Holmes, Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren (anything with Helen Mirren), to Downton Abbey, Doctor Who, Midsomer Murders, Upstairs, Downstairs, The Crown, Victoria, Coupling, The Office, Absolutely Fabulous, Fawlty Towers, Yes, Minister; and Movies — Elizabeth, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Full Monty, Love, Actually, The Calendar Girls, The King’s Speech, Billy Elliot, any film based on a Jane Austen novel, Bridget Jones, and I am wrapping up because this list could go on for days. Please do share your favorite British films in the comments below.
11. You wholeheartedly agree British theatre is worth buying a plane ticket for (if you live beyond the island or European continent). The last time I had the opportunity to view a play in the theatre district, the woman sitting next to me, from New York, shared, she regularly hops the pond for her regular theatre holiday in London. Having seen two plays in London, if I could afford to, I would too.
12. When hearing the phrase Fortnum & Mason and you know exactly what is being referred to. Fortnum & Mason is a mecca for tea, holiday and special occasion hampers, high tea or simply a good meal in one of their many restaurants. (view images from my trip in 2012 of Fortnum & Mason)
13. Owning an umbrella is an absolute necessity no matter where one lives in the opinion of an Anglophile.
14. You admit that the history of monarchs of Britain and its past may be hard to swallow at best, but you are still fascinated by the culture.
15. You know the British spelling of words that the Americans have changed, and find yourself defaulting to the British spelling from time to time. (British vs. American) Cosy vs. cozy; theatre vs theater; apologise vs apologize; neighbour vs neighbor; travelling vs traveling; judgement vs. judgment. Here is a full, aphabetized list if you are curious.
16. Speaking of language – You delight in learning the different words for seemingly similar events (and yep, sometimes use them). For example (British vs. American), takeaway vs. takeout; jumper vs. sweater/knits; chips vs. fries; crisps vs. chips; biscuit vs. cookie; dummy vs. a child’s pacifier; hamper vs. a picnic basket; and holiday vs. vacation. View a detailed list here.
17. You have a deep affection for at least one British musician, but most likely many. Perhaps one of them is included in this list (if not, please do share in the comments) Adele, Sam Smith, The Beatles, David Bowie, Elton John, Phil Collins, Ellie Goulding, George Michael, Sting, Ed Sherran, Coldplay.
18. Emma Thompson, need I say more?
19. On that same note, Colin Firth.
20. You tune in to the annual Wimbledon Tennis Championship, and you’re not even a fan of tennis.
21. Clotted cream and scones is always a good idea. Oh, and Strawberries and Cream as well.
22. Speaking of food, you know that Yorkshire Pudding is not a pudding at all, but rather made from a mixture that resembles pudding, is equivalent to a popover here in the states, and is actually quite easy to make.
23. The sight of tea cups and saucers brings a smile to your face.
24. Pubs and fish & chips and even for non-beer drinkers, a pint of beer, just go together. And upon visiting Britain, a pub stop is a must-do.
25. No matter how lost you may get on the streets of London, you love the city more with each wrong turn.
26. Even though you are a devoted Francophile as well, there is a part of you that finds the London parks to be more comforting and more naturally beautiful than Paris’s (and that is coming from someone who loves Paris and adores the Luxembourg Gardens!)
27. You know that Spotted Dick is not a filthy phrase (but rather a steamed pudding for dessert).
28. You follow Monty Don on television, through his books and/or his Instagram even though the climate for growing plants that you live in is not as forgiving as his.
29. “Looking Right” was at first something odd to see written on a street next to the curb in Britain, but now you automatically look right without thinking about it, even if you aren’t in the city.
30. You realize you have been an Anglophile for quite some time upon further rummaging through your life experiences, thoughts, preferences, items saved, in my case, blog posts written and saved in the archives.
SIMILAR POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
~View all of TSLL’s British-Inspired posts in the Archives
~My First Peek at London (first in my life!) – 2012
~34 Lessons I Learned in London & Paris (2012)
TSLL BRITISH WEEK 2019 Posts:
Sunday May 19th
- A Giveaway for Anglophiles: A Year’s Subscription to The English Home magazine and more!
- TSLL’s First Annual British Week Begins!
~Do you enjoy reading TSLL blog and visit regularly, but would prefer to read the blog without ads? I have some good news for you. For a limited time, during British Week, the price for a monthly or yearly ad-free subscription has been reduced. Simply use the following promo codes below when you subscribe (or learn how to subscribe) here. The discount runs through Sunday May 26, 2019.
- Yearly
$69.99– Now $60/year – use promo code YEAR60Ad - Monthly
$6.99– Now $5/month – use promo code BRITWK5Ad. - Learn more and subscribe here.
~Image: captured during my trip to London in November 2017 – see more of my excurions about the city here.
Another great post! I like that you mentioned the differences between the British and American ways of spelling. Being Canadian, we follow the British spelling. Most of the British television we see is broadcasted on PBS (from Boston or Seattle) and it’s wonderful. I noticed that you did not mention the prequel to Inspector Morse, Endeavour. If you have not seen it, you will love it! One of my all time favourites. Season six starts in June.
Looking forward to the rest of this week’s special posts.
I do, I do love! The list could go on forever, but this is indeed one I love as well. 🙂
Hi Shannon. I can relate to most all of these, not all, but many. I also especially love rainy days. As you know, we live in New England, and we have a steel roof on our steeply-pitched Cape Cod-style home. Listening to the rain on the roof is the most soothing sound. These days give me an excuse to stay home and read and have my tea. I also love the countryside, tea cups, Wellies, wax Barbour jackets, dogs, teapots…I could go on. So looking forward to British Week. Enjoy your rainy day.
Bev
Ah, yes, the sound of falling rain. That is truly Mother Nature’s music. Thank you for sharing your list Bev. Kindred spirits we are. 🙂
Hello Shannon Can I recommend Shirley Valentine as another British film? Stars Pauline Collins and Tom Conte and is about a femme d’un certain age finding herself on a holiday on a Greek island. Best wishes from England, so looking forward to British week. Sue
Sue, Thank you! This film sounds lovely! I look forward to viewing it and I know other readers are now as well. 🙂
Ah, Shirley Valentine. A wonderful, funny film. Need to watch again, thanks for the reminder Sue.
I am English and Irish by heritage so I grew up with a sense that this was my background and I should be proud of it despite the fact that some of the family live in the colonies! I have a significant tea pot and tea cup collection and grew up knowing that difficult times spent over a cup of tea could soften any blow. Most recently when we built our house I often remarked about the beautiful trees. We moved house in October, the trees were glorious. Most villages and country homes have names. Some have no street address, just a name. We thus named this place Maple Lane Cottage. Our country house is a home!
My uncle’s wife (my aunt by marriage) is from England and she makes the most delicious Yorkshire Pudding! When I was a kid at family dinners we’d have a Yorkshire Pudding eating contest (not very refined or sophisticated), and to this day I am the defending champion with a total of 13 in one sitting lol.
I could relate to so many things in this post—the love for rain, Downton Abbey and the Crown, waking up early to watch both Royal Weddings, and the love of tea!
I’d also add that I love the Britt’s sense of humour and of course Burberry.
Thank you for creating this British week! It’s a wonderful and fitting addition to your already amazing content.
Cheers,
Erin
Erin thank you for sharing your experience with Yorkshire Pudding! How fantastic! Oh, and indeed your two additions are a must-include. I could not agree more. Thank you very much for your comment. 🙂
Shannon – do you know about the National Theater Live? For twenty dollars you can see productions that are filmed performances at the National Theater in London – I noticed that The Audience with Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth is playing at the Regal Old Mill in Bend on June 3rd – I have seen it twice and plan on going again in my town for a third time – I have seen many great productions through National Theater Live – it’s worth signing up for their emails so you know when something is coming around
Thank you for sharing this with readers. I will certainly look into it. Funny enough, and fortunately enough, I had the opportunity to see Helen Mirren when she starred in The Audience in New York a couple of years ago. A fantastic play! And she is amazing!!!! I would watch that play gladly again. But there are so many plays I haven’t seen and would love to. I will definitely be looking into this. Thank you tremendously. 🙂
How lucky you were to see The Audience and Helen Mirren truly live! I hope you get a chance to se some of these other productions through National Theater Live – Frankenstein directed by Danny Boyle and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller comes around nearly every October and I can attest to it being one of the most thrilling things I’ve ever seen on “stage”
Highly recommend Call the Midwife also that one of your other reader’s mentioned
And Nigel Slater is a favorite writer of mine also – Can you tell I love this subject? – cheers!
Thank you very much for all of these ideas. 🙂 I love and appreciate your enthusiasm.
I love all your articles – they bring a smile to my days. Another television series that I adore and it is on Netflix is Call the Midwife. It is an entertaining and informative show chonicling the adventures of nuns and midwives in a suburb of London after WW2. It is a wonderful show.
Thank you for sharing! I have heard of it but never watched. I will have to check it out per your description. It sounds intriguing.
Yes! Yes! I am a true Anglophile. Everything on your list resonates with me. Shannon, if you aren’t already a virtual girlfriend of Susan Branch, author of “ A Fine Romance”, please do check her out. She loves England and writes about it.
Will do! Thank you Karen. 🙂
I love this! I found my “place” when my family and I visited England 3 years ago. I actually had tears in my eyes as we waited to board our flight home because I didn’t want to leave yet. I cannot wait to go again someday. This is going to be a great week and I can’t wait to read your posts!
Oh my goodness, Deb, thank you for sharing. That’s the moment that is life changing. So happy for you. 🙂
While I’m not a fan of the rain, I do love most of the things on your list. I’d also add Laura Ashley designs, David Austen roses and any flowers in an English garden. Some TV series you might like: Jeeves and Wooster (Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry!), Rosemary and Thyme mystery series, Foyle’s War (WWII themed mysteries), the Agatha Christie mysteries with Joan Hixon as Miss Marple. To be completely honest, I’m not a fan of Jane Austen (shhh!), but I love all the British poets like Tennyson, Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley, Lord Byron…Anne Perry’s mysteries are great too (Thomas and Charlotte Pitt!). I’m sure I’m forgetting some things too!! Thank you for reminding me of some of my favorite things. 🙂
Hi Shannon and friends, I am a confirmed Anglophile and have been since I first watched Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 – 1975) every Sunday night on Masterpiece Theater. My favorite show of the week at that time. In addition to Agatha Christie’s Hercuel Poirot I loved watching Miss Marple. Rosemary & Thyme is so perfectly British in the garden every week. Gosford Park is a wonderful movie, early Julian Fellowes and an outstanding cast, Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren and many more. And can’t forget Doc Martin . I always try to see a very British theater production every other night when in London, never ever an American musical. I will be in London in June. Hope to catch some Shakespeare in Regents Park, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Great additions and ideas! Thank you for sharing Bonnie and enjoy your trip in June. 🙂
Yep, you sealed it! I am a true blue Anglophile.
Pat
Lovely! Thanks for stopping by Pat. 🙂
Do my eyes deceive me? …” judgement vs. judgement”
However, I have my “cuppa’ and look forward to the series. Toodles.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention! All is fixed. 🙂 the Americans remove the “e” and Brits keep it!
This list resonated with me as well. Each week, I look forward to watching Monty Don and crew (especially Nigel and Nell). I’m filling my garden with roses from David Austin. Tea is a cure all, but I came by that from my Irish grandparents. BritBox is the best thing to happen to television in forever. As someone else suggested, I do think you would enjoy Susan Branch’s “A Fine Romance”.
Susan Branch is on my list to check out. 🙂 And isn’t Britbox just wonderful! I too have enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing your list Maureen. 🙂
Yes, yes, yes! A Fine Romance by Susan Branch is a must! She is also writing another English-trip-inspired book right now. Can’t wait!
British Week, brilliant idea. One of my favorite movies is Howard’s End with Emma Thompson & Anthony Hopkins. It has rain, trains, tea, and scones. ☺️ Thank you for constant inspiration!
A perfect Anglophile film! Thank you for the reminder. 🙂
Oh yes, hardcore Anglophile right here.
I became thus “infected” 😉 when I was 11 years old and read the novel “Uma Família Inglesa” (“An English Family”) by Portuguese author Júlio Dinis. Also all those English series on TV, namely “Upstairs Downstairs” (the old one, that is; but I must say that I find the new one also great, especially Clara Foy), “Lillie”, “Brideshead Revisited” , etc., contributed a lot to the fact.
Truly, there is a lot of common history between between my country (Portugal) and the UK, and a very large British community living in Portugal, especially since the 19th century, namely in Porto (Oporto), city and region where the famous Oporto wine is produced. Most producers were, and still are, British families. I was born in Porto and therefore have always been surrounded by this English connection to the country and culture in my city. Started to drink tea at a very young age – sadly I don’t like Oporto wine. 😉
“Guilty” of all of the “symptoms” mentioned by Shannon, except n. 5,6 and 7. In my case, Monty Don is “replaced” by the Alan Titchtmarsh series and books, in spite of the fact that at the moment the only “garden” I have are the flower pots in my balcony. * here, she shakes head, unbelievable what a 50 yrs old woman can do in the absence of a garden…*
Some of my English favourites, to add to those mentioned by the readers:
English composer: Michael Nyman;
English writer: Kazuo Ishiguro, Terry Partchett , and Virginia Woof, of course;
English film: too many to list, I would mention “The Remnants of The Day” (novel by K. Isuguro; with Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins).
I love English style for interior design/ decoration, so much that all paint used on our flat, for walls and ceilings, and most of the fabrics/ curtains are sourced from UK (Fired Earth, Sanderson, Zoofany, et al.) * here, shakes head again, oh dear, my my…* 😉
It’s great fun to meet like-mined people. :-)Thanks to reader Sally for the tip on the National Theatre Live. I have just entered this now on my next- to-do in Berlin. How is that?
P.S. – Does anyone know the magazine Anglotopia?
Typo, sorry: I meant “How cool is that?” and not “How’s that?”…
Obviously too long a comment.
*hangs head in shame” 😉
Thank you!! A fantastic tv show (on amazon) – A Discovery of Witches with Matthew Goode. LOVE Matthew Goode!! Also, there is Brit Box that you can subscribe to on Amazon Fire TV – a lot of fantastic shows including Mary Berry taking viewers into gorgeous manor homes/castles. Mary Berry’s Country House Secrets is the title of the show. Enjoy!!
I’m a bit late coming to the party but one Masterpiece Theatre/PBS show which
you got me started on is Poldark. It is just amazing. Starring Aiden Turner.
(A restless British man who fought in the Revolutionary War to come home to his finance engaged to his cousin and life in the coal mines of Cornwall)
My favorite movie is Hundred-Foot Journey with Helen Mirren. (although filmed in France it is about a displaced family from Indea ending up in France and opening a restaurant in front of a 3 star Michilin resturant owned by Helen Mirren.
Perfect movie with a bit of French theme, English charm, and Indian/Pakistan
mystic.
Oh, yes – the 100 Foot Journey is a delightful film. I agree. Thank you for sharing both. Poldark is great as well.
Just read this article, it brought a smile to my face 🙂 I’m from the UK (Scotland) & although I’m very interested in other cultures & any little tweaks I can pick up to make my own life that bit more pleasant & ‘soft around the edges’, I’m also really quite find of quite a few typical British habits. Sipping tea (I prefer green), rain (I love it, in fact we’re due thunderstorms tomorrow yippee), Marks & Spencer, scones, strawberries & cream, some of the newspapers & magazines, the Royals, Wimbledon, Bake Off, murder mysteries on TV (although I also love many American cosy mysteries like Aurora Teagarden etc), the manners (although not everybody…!!!). Thank you for a lovely post! 🙂
Caroline, I think you are hands-down, without-question an Anglophile based on this list. 😉 Enjoy the thundershowers tomorrow. That sounds lovely. 🙂
I always love your posts and look forward to your newsletter every Friday! #17 QUEEN ?
Love this post Shannon!
Have you seen Death in Paradise? British murder mystery set in the Caribbean, fantastic series, & Agatha Raisin?, strong independent female lead who solves murders in the English countryside. Both are great entertainment!!
Cheers, Andrea
Love that series – so much fun. Thank you for bringing it to the attention of readers. I will need to add it to a future This & That post indeed!
Actually, most Brits couldn’t give a flying goose egg about the royal family. They are aware of them but don’t really bother to watch the weddings unless they have to watch it for news’ sake. Being informed about them detail for detail on the other hand is something they couldn’t be bothered about—like Americans with a lot of other world news and sometimes our own politics. If they come up in news it’s because the queen wants the people to know but by royal decree are illegal to be slandered against even through royal scandal. My husband and friends are all Brits and they say it’s mostly Americans who are obsessed with the royal family.
Thank you for sharing. I have had similar conversations with some, but not all, Brits. I know they draw a lot of tourism which helps the British economy. I understand this can have positives and negatives.