American’s First Scotch Egg Experience at London Pub: A Four-Word Review

An American visitor to the UK recently experienced his inaugural pub lunch, generating quite a discussion about the classic scotch egg. Kalani Smith, who is popularly known as Kalani Ghost Hunter on social media, enjoys introducing his American friends to the diverse culinary delights found in the UK. Originally from Tennessee, Kalani is currently in London and took his filmmaker friend Tanner Wiseman to sample some authentic British pub fare.

The duo chose the Pig and Butcher in Angel, a decision driven by Tanner’s lack of exposure to British pub food until that point. In a TikTok video shared with his 3.3 million followers, Kalani set out to alter Tanner’s perception, as the latter had previously described British food as “bland.” Kalani remarked, “If you saw the video before he came over, he mentioned he’d heard the food might be a little bland. So today we’re at the Pig and Butcher, known for their incredible food.”

Delighting in the Scotch Egg

Kalani enthusiastically shared insights about the pub, noting, “They actually have a team that goes out each morning to source fresh fruit and vegetables, and they also have an in-house butcher who prepares their locally sourced beef.” Eager to sample the offerings, the first dish they tried was the quintessential scotch egg. Displaying the appetising dish on his fork, Kalani praised its “nice crispy outside” before taking a bite. As they savoured the egg, Tanner expressed his delight, stating, “Okay. That’s really good,” and later added, “I do like the crunch of the meat, and it’s seasoned really well.” Kalani, not letting his friend’s earlier comments slide, turned to Tanner and asked, “Bland food?” to which Tanner sheepishly replied, “I’m wrong.”

Next, the table was laden with an array of dishes, including lamb pie, triple-cooked beef fat chips, garlic potatoes, and a 45-day aged sirloin served with peppercorn sauce. Kalani observed, “First thing I will say from my perspective is that everything looks incredibly fresh. The vibrant colours and greens show there’s a lot going on here.” Tanner concurred, telling Kalani he had “nailed it” as all the dishes “look so good.”

Revelations About British Cuisine

After tasting the lamb pie, Tanner was momentarily at a loss for words, simply saying, “Yeah.” Kalani noted the pie was “incredibly tender” with “nice pastry.” The two continued to rave about the flavours, with Kalani bringing up Tanner’s earlier “bland” remark again, prompting Tanner to reflect on his previous comments and affirm that everything was indeed delicious. The dry-aged steak, accompanied by peppercorn sauce, was next on their list. Tanner sampled the meat and exclaimed, “Hmmm yum. Yup, they did that right,” while Kalani appeared momentarily speechless by the flavour.

As they prepared to order Tanner’s first sticky toffee pudding, the video concluded with Kalani delivering a final assessment. He reminded Tanner, “You came here expecting bland food.” Tanner, now convinced, admitted, “Wasn’t what I was expecting; what I heard was wrong. That was all super good.” The video wrapped with Kalani noting that Tanner had also tried lamb for the very first time in his life, marking a triumph in culinary exploration.