American in the UK reveals the 'scary' food that's a staple in British households - but do YOU agree?

Daily Mail​

11-07-2025

An American woman living in the UK has stirred up an online storm after sharing a video calling out the everyday British foods she claims would 'send Americans into a coma' - with one so-called 'staple' branded downright 'scary.'
Paige Wester, who moved from the U.S. to Newcastle in 2024 with her British partner and their two young sons, regularly posts lighthearted videos about her UK culture shocks to her 51,000 followers on TikTok.
But her latest post, filmed during a routine shop at Sainsbury's, didn't go down quite so smoothly with British viewers.
In the now-viral clip posted to her account @p_west_, the mother-of-two walks through the aisles, highlighting a number of British foods and habits she finds odd, fascinating, or just baffling.
First up were eggs - unrefrigerated, and, to Paige's surprise, much cheaper than those sold in American supermarkets - as she pointed the camera at a box of ten eggs on offer for £1.64.
Then it was on to breakfast cereal, as she pointed out the UK's version of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes: Frosties.
The tea aisle, meanwhile, was overwhelming to the expat, as she confessed: 'The tea aisle is absolutely insane to me - it is an entire aisle just dedicated to different types of tea. I didn't even know this much tea existed in the world.'
Paige also took aim at the British love of instant coffee, admitting she'd never tried it before moving to the UK - and wasn't sold.
Another surprise was the sheer amount of pies on offer, such as steak pies, chicken pies and cheesy vegetable pies.
Though she admitted she 'loves a good pie,' she added that 'not everything needs to be inside' of a pastry.
But the biggest culture clash came when she discovered black pudding - an acquired breakfast item made from pig's blood.
She said: 'This is where things get scary... black pudding is a staple in most people's households. It's pig's blood. People eat it for breakfast. The fact that this packaging says "from breakfast to fine dining" is absolutely absurd to me.'
Paige went on to roast the produce section too - particularly the lack of plastic bags for fruits and vegetables.
She also highlighted the nation's 'love' for baked beans, though she added she will 'never get on board' with the 'breakfast, lunch and dinner' staple.
Finally, Paige expressed her frustration at having to pay for plastic bags at checkout - something she admits she regularly forgets.
The video racked up thousands of views and over 2,000 comments - many from Brits who weren't thrilled with the mother's take, as one person wrote: 'Lol black pudding is not a staple in most British households.
The video racked up thousands of views and over 2,000 comments - many from Brits who weren't thrilled with the mother's take
Another defended, 'Most people think black pudding is rank' as a third commented, 'I only know one person who likes black pudding, and we all mock him for it.'
A fourth wrote: 'It is absolutely NOT a staple in British households. it can be served as part of a full English, but absolutely not a staple. I don't know anyone who has it in their house.'
Another person explained: 'Our eggs aren't refrigerated because we don't bleach them, pies are a British classic stemming back many years most areas have a pie filling popular to that area.
'Black pudding isn't a staple food unless on a fry up, beans got us through 2 world wars and one world cup and tea... babes tea is the king of beverages. and instant coffee because we don't all own a coffeemaker but most own a kettle.'
Another viewer said, 'They're freaked out by an aisle of baked beans meanwhile I went into a Walmart and got freaked out by the KIOSK OF GUNS,' while a second added, 'Weird to have a whole aisle of tea but in America they do that for Pop Tarts.'