English

I heard two interesting exchanges on the radio today, relating to St George's Day.

In the first, a presenter said he had tweeted "Happy St Georges Day." He said that the only responses he received were numerous criticisims for omiting the apostrophe. He asked whether this is what English people have become - trivia obsessed pedants? He was just trying to be jovial and celebratory.

In the second, a phone-in programme asked people to nominate the "Best of English." This produced some consensus but two major disputes.

Someone nominated Marmite, a product that strongly divides opinion - people love it or hate it. But the interesting dispute was over its English origin. Some claimed it was French, others German. The facts are that it is a strongly-flavoured paste, made from brewer's yeast, discovered in the late 19th century by a German scientist. It was first manufactured in England in 1902, by the Marmite Food Extract Company in Burton on Trent. A "marmite" - the emblem of the company - is a French term for a large, earthenware or metal cooking pot.

The other dispute arose when someone nominated Lancashire Hotpot. Opinion on this, I am sorry to say, divided on purely North-South lines. The knowledgable folk in the North agreed that Hotpot is a unique and special delicacy. Those in the South alleged, quite wrongly, that it is no more than a version of cottage pie. Ridiculous.

At least, there is no dispute over Fish and Chips - I hope...