Common Equivalents
The substitutions listed below are provided to help with the small language gap that exists between American and British cuisine. Some of the food equivalents listed are not the ideal equivalent, however in a situation where a product is often unavailable or not in circulation, it’s incredibly useful to know the best-fitting substitute for a particular ingredient.
Some of the equivalents listed are not representative of the exact language. “Sausages”, for example, are also known as “sausages” in the UK, but are sometimes referred to as “bangers” as in “bangers and mash”, hence this is noted.
A
| aged cheddar cheese | farmhouse cheddar cheese |
| All Spice / Pumpkin pie spice | Mixed Spice |
| all-purpose flour | plain flour |
| allspice | mixed spice |
B
| bacon | streaky bacon |
| baked potato | jacket potato |
| baking sheet | baking tray |
| baking soda | bicarbonate of soda |
| baron of beef | two sirloins in one roast |
| beef cut from the rump | silverside |
| beef stock | brown stock |
| beer with lemonade | shandy |
| beet | beetroot |
| bell pepper, green pepper | capsicum |
| black cod | coal fish/coley |
| blueberry | bilberry |
| bologna | polony |
| bouillon cube | stock cubes |
| bread flour | strong flour |
| broiler | grill |
| brown sugar | barbados sugar |
| Brown Sugar | Barbados Sugar |
C
| cake/baking pan | cake tin |
| canadian bacon | back bacon |
| candied fruit | glace fruits, candied peel |
| canned tuna | tinned tuna |
| catsup, tomato | tomato ketchup |
| celery rib | celery stick |
| cheesecloth | muslin |
| chicken or fish stock | white stock |
| chicory | endive |
| chocolate sprinkles | chocolate vermicelli |
| chop | cutlet |
| cilantro | coriander, fresh |
| clams | cockles |
| clotted cream | devonshire cream |
| coffee sugar | sugar crystals |
| concentrated fruit syrup | cordial |
| concord grapes | black grapes |
| confectioner’s / powdered sugar | icing sugar |
| cooked oatmeal | porridge |
| cookies, crackers | biscuits |
| corn | maize |
| corned beef, canned pressed ham | corned beef, bully beef, salt beef |
| cornstarch | cornflour |
| cotton candy | candyfloss |
| crawfish | crayfish |
| cream, light, half-and-half | single cream |
| cumberland sauce | oxford sauce |
| cupcake | fairy cake |
| custard sauce, baked custard | custard |
D
| dark ale | brown ale |
| deep baking dish | pie dish |
| dessert | pudding |
| dhana | cilantro |
| dill pickled gherkin | pickled hungarian gherkin |
| doughnut | ring doughnut |
E
| eggplant | aubergine |
| endive | chicory |
| english muffin | crumpet |
| extract (vanilla, etc.) | essence |
F
| farina | semolina |
| farmers cheese | curd cheese |
| fat from roasted meat | dripping |
| fatback | pork fat |
| fava beans | broad beans |
| filberts | hazelnuts |
| finely granulated sugar | caster sugar |
| fish sticks | fish fingers |
| flank steak | skirt steak |
| For 1/2 teaspoon: Use 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice | Cream of Tartar |
| For 1/4 teaspoon: use 8 drops of Tabasco (or other hot pepper sauce) | Ground Red Pepper |
| For each cup: Measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 Tablespoons and replace with 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch | Cake flour |
| For each cup: Mix 1 cup of plain yogurt or sour cream mixed with ¼ cup skim milk (use only 1 cup of the mixture) | Buttermilk |
| For each cup: use 1 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon molasses | Brown sugar |
| For one cup: Combine 1 cup tomato sauce, ¼ brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon, dash of ground cloves and dash of allspice | Chili Sauce |
| french-fried potatoes, fries | chips |
| frosting | icing |
| fruit juice beverage | squash |
G
| ginger snap | ginger nut |
| golden raisins | sultanas |
| graham crackers | digestive biscuits |
| green beans | french beans, haricot beans |
| ground beef, minced steak, mince meat | mince |
| ground meats | minced meats |
H
| ham | gammon |
| hamburger bun | bap |
| hard candy | boiled sweet |
| hard cider | cider |
| hard cider made from pears | perry |
| hard rectangular currant cookie | garibaldi |
| hard-cooked eggs | hard-boiled eggs |
| heaping spoonful | heaped spoonful |
| heavy cream | double cream |
J
| jelly doughnut | doughnut |
| jumbo shrimp | king prawns |
L
| lady finger or boudoir biscuits | sponge finger |
| lamb chop | chump chop |
| large cut of meat to roast | joint |
| large head savoy cabbage | large green cabbage |
| large zucchini | marrow |
| large, thick, round piece of ham | gammon |
| lemon-lime soda | lemonade |
| light brown cane sugar | demerara sugar |
| light corn syrup | golden syrup |
| light corn syrup | golden syrup |
| light cream/thick milk | channel island milk/single cream |
| liverwurst | liver sausage |
| lox | smoked salmond |
M
| maize, sweetcorn etc | corn |
| meat turnover | cornish pasty |
| meatball | faggot/collops |
| molasses | treacle |
| mozzarella or scmorzel cheese | caerphilly cheese |
| muscats (white raisins) | sultanas |
N
| navy bean | haricot bean |
P
| papaya | paw paw |
| pastry shell | patty case |
| peanut | groundnut |
| pie | tart |
| pig’s foot | pig’s trotter |
| pimiento peppers | sweet peppers |
| pit | stone |
| plain yogurt | natural yoghurt |
| plum pudding | plum duff |
| pork shoulder roast | hand of pork |
| porterhouse steak | sirloin steak |
| potato chips | crisps |
| powdered candy | sherbet |
| Pumpkin Pie Spice | For 1 teaspoon: Combine 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 teaspoon allspice, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg |
Q
| quiche pan | flan tin |
R
| raisins/seedless, golden | sultanas |
| Raw Sugar | Demerara Sugar |
| raw sugar | demerara sugar |
| raw, unrefined sugar | muscovado sugar |
| Replace with honey | Corn syrup |
| roast | large cut of meat with bone |
| romaine lettuce | cos lettuce |
| round steak/stewing beef | chuck steak |
| rutabagas | swede |
S
| salad cress | watercress |
| saran wrap | clingfilm |
| sausages | bangers |
| scallions, green onions | spring or salad onions |
| seeded | stoned |
| seeds | pips |
| self-rising flour | self-raising flour |
| shortening, vegetable | margarine/butter/lard |
| shoyu sauce | tamari sauce |
| shredded coconut | desiccated coconut |
| shrimp | prawns |
| sirloin | rump steak |
| skillet | frying pan |
| slice | rasher |
| small pork sausage | chipolata |
| small shrimp | prawn |
| small silvery fish | whitebait |
| small turbot | brill |
| smoked haddock | finnan haddie |
| smoked herring | kipper |
| spatula | fish slice |
| spatula | fish slice |
| sprinkles, non-pareils | hundreds and thousands |
| steaks | cutlets |
| strain, strainer | sieve |
| string beans | runner beans, french beans |
| stuffing mixture for meat or fish | forcemeat |
| superfine sugar | castor sugar |
| sweet or bell peppers | capsicums |
T
| taffy | toffee |
| Tart aAples | Cooking Apples |
| tart apples | cooking apples |
| Tenderloin | Fillet steak |
| tenderloin steak | fillet steak |
| to bake an empty pastry case | to bake blind |
| to beat or whip | to whip or whisk |
| to broil | to grill |
| to clean fish | to gut fish |
| to shuck | to hull |
| to strain | to sift |
| tomato paste | tomato puree |
| tuna | tunny |
U
| Use Amaretto | Almond extract |
| Use green onion or scallion tops instead | Chives |
| Use plain yogurt | Sour cream |
| Use red onion | Shallots |
V
| vanilla bean | vanilla pod |
| variety meats (liver, kidney etc) | offal |
| vienna sausages | hot dogs |
W
| wax paper | greaseproof paper |
| white raisins (muscats) | sultanas |
| white snapper or porgy | sea bream |
| whole-kernel corn | sweetcorn |
| wholegrain flour | wholemeal flour |
| wholemeal, wholewheat bread | brown bread |
Y
| yellow squash | vegetable marrow |
Z
| zucchini | courgette |