"Bubble & Squeak" Not got clue how to make it. Help please?!


Question: Bubble and Squeak is a traditional British Food which consists of potatoes and some type of green vegetable, usually cabbage but sometimes brussel sprouts and if you’re feeling adventurous, any other kind of vegetable can be substituted or mixed in combination.

Bubble and Squeak Recipe & Cooking Instructions

Cooking this dish is easy, you’ll need the following ingredients:

- Approx 1lb of left over boiled, mashed or roasted potatoes

- Approx 1/2lb - 1lb of left over cabbage or brussel sprouts

- A little butter or oil

- salt and black pepper if desired.

(you can adjust the quantities in your recipe for bubble and squeak to suit your personal taste as desired, some people like half as much cabbage as potatoes, some like half and half.)

Now, either mash, or rough chop the potatoes…personally I use left over roast potatoes and rough cut them into bitesize chunks but traditionally you mash the potatoes. Chop or break up the cabbage into bitesize pieces too and mix both these together, adding a little salt or pepper to the mixture if desired.

Then, add a little oil or butter to a frying pan or skillet and heat on a medium heat.

When the oil/butter is heated, add the cabbage and potatoes and form into a patty and let cook.

You might hear the distinctive squeak which gives bubble and squeak half of its name around this point. The ‘bubble’ part probably comes from the first stage of cooking the potatoes and cabbage which are typically boiled.

When the bottom of the patty turns a golden brown colour you’ll need to flip it over to cook on the other side…and then, you’re done.

Bubble and Squeak is typically served with cold meats (more leftovers from Sunday Lunch) and pickles as an evening meal but is also often served with breakfast with eggs, baked beans, fried tomatoes, sausages, bacon, and perhaps black pudding…a typical fry-up with the bubble and squeak replacing the potatoes or hash browns.

Alternative Bubble and Squeak Recipes

There are lots of alternative ways to cook this very versatile dish. Traditionally, although this has been phased out, the left over cooked beef used to be minced up and added to the Bubble and Squeak and this is still an option you can try. You can also add corned beef or bacon bits for a little extra flavour.

Although cabbage is the traditional vegetable used to partner the potatoes in bubble and squeak, you can also use brussel sprouts, or a combination of other vegetables. Throwing a finely chopped onion into the mix adds a little extra flavour too as will throwing in a few of your favourite herbs and spices.

Experiment, it’s fun…and of course, you do not need left overs to make this dish either, just boil the cabbage and cut into pieces and boil and mash the potatoes and away you go. It’s just more traditional with leftovers.

Some Bubble and Squeak Trivia

‘Bubble and Squeak’ is also used in cockney rhyming slang to describe a Greek person (geddit? Bubble and Squeak -> Greek) and is often shortened to just ‘Bubble’ as in ‘Nick the Bubble’ meaning ‘Nick the Greek’. Anyone who saw the movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (and if you haven’t, then do so) might remember Nick the Bubble as a dodgy Greek geezer…now you know what the ‘Bubble’ bit means.

The history and origins of bubble and squeak are not too clear but it seems the original recipes consisted of beef and cabbage mixed and fried, which later became beef, potatoes and cabbage or just potatoes and cabbage as it is vastly more often found today.


Answers: Bubble and Squeak is a traditional British Food which consists of potatoes and some type of green vegetable, usually cabbage but sometimes brussel sprouts and if you’re feeling adventurous, any other kind of vegetable can be substituted or mixed in combination.

Bubble and Squeak Recipe & Cooking Instructions

Cooking this dish is easy, you’ll need the following ingredients:

- Approx 1lb of left over boiled, mashed or roasted potatoes

- Approx 1/2lb - 1lb of left over cabbage or brussel sprouts

- A little butter or oil

- salt and black pepper if desired.

(you can adjust the quantities in your recipe for bubble and squeak to suit your personal taste as desired, some people like half as much cabbage as potatoes, some like half and half.)

Now, either mash, or rough chop the potatoes…personally I use left over roast potatoes and rough cut them into bitesize chunks but traditionally you mash the potatoes. Chop or break up the cabbage into bitesize pieces too and mix both these together, adding a little salt or pepper to the mixture if desired.

Then, add a little oil or butter to a frying pan or skillet and heat on a medium heat.

When the oil/butter is heated, add the cabbage and potatoes and form into a patty and let cook.

You might hear the distinctive squeak which gives bubble and squeak half of its name around this point. The ‘bubble’ part probably comes from the first stage of cooking the potatoes and cabbage which are typically boiled.

When the bottom of the patty turns a golden brown colour you’ll need to flip it over to cook on the other side…and then, you’re done.

Bubble and Squeak is typically served with cold meats (more leftovers from Sunday Lunch) and pickles as an evening meal but is also often served with breakfast with eggs, baked beans, fried tomatoes, sausages, bacon, and perhaps black pudding…a typical fry-up with the bubble and squeak replacing the potatoes or hash browns.

Alternative Bubble and Squeak Recipes

There are lots of alternative ways to cook this very versatile dish. Traditionally, although this has been phased out, the left over cooked beef used to be minced up and added to the Bubble and Squeak and this is still an option you can try. You can also add corned beef or bacon bits for a little extra flavour.

Although cabbage is the traditional vegetable used to partner the potatoes in bubble and squeak, you can also use brussel sprouts, or a combination of other vegetables. Throwing a finely chopped onion into the mix adds a little extra flavour too as will throwing in a few of your favourite herbs and spices.

Experiment, it’s fun…and of course, you do not need left overs to make this dish either, just boil the cabbage and cut into pieces and boil and mash the potatoes and away you go. It’s just more traditional with leftovers.

Some Bubble and Squeak Trivia

‘Bubble and Squeak’ is also used in cockney rhyming slang to describe a Greek person (geddit? Bubble and Squeak -> Greek) and is often shortened to just ‘Bubble’ as in ‘Nick the Bubble’ meaning ‘Nick the Greek’. Anyone who saw the movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (and if you haven’t, then do so) might remember Nick the Bubble as a dodgy Greek geezer…now you know what the ‘Bubble’ bit means.

The history and origins of bubble and squeak are not too clear but it seems the original recipes consisted of beef and cabbage mixed and fried, which later became beef, potatoes and cabbage or just potatoes and cabbage as it is vastly more often found today.

Its usually left overs from dinner cabbage,,,potato's,,,,gravy mix up and cook up in a frying pan,,,,,

Bubble and squeak (sometimes just called bubble) is a traditional English dish made with the shallow-fried leftover vegetables from a roast dinner. The chief ingredients are potato and cabbage, but carrots, peas, brussels sprouts, and other vegetables can be added. It is traditionally served with cold meat from the Sunday roast, and pickles. Traditionally the meat was added to the bubble and squeak itself, although nowadays the vegetarian version is more common. The cold chopped vegetables (and cold chopped meat if used) are fried in a pan together with mashed potato until the mixture is well-cooked and brown on the sides. The name is a description of the action and sound made during the cooking process.

It was originally made with cold mashed potato and cabbage...the left overs from the Sunday dinner....so mashed potato and cabbage, lots of seasoning...put in a frying pan and gently fried in butter until golden on each side....it must be seasoned correctly with salt and pepper so keep tasting it.

Bubble and Squeak is an old English dish. You take all the leftovers from a corned beef and cabbage dinner and chopped it up small and fry in a frying pan. It is like a hash. Use a good amount of butter. As it cooks it will make bubbles and squeak hench the name. It was always one of my kids favorites.

Its really easy, even I can make it!
It is best to have the veg, more so the mashed potato from the previous day (ideal to cook too much and use it the next day).
Mash all the cold veg together and fry it like a big 'pancake', allowing it to go crispy and golden brown. ( serve with ketchup!)
Good luck and enjoy!

Its meant to be a leftover dish after a sunday roast. You take all the leftover veg/ potatoes and mash together. You then shallow fry.

Alternatively - mash potato with cheese and bacon and hallow fry.

-Approx 1lb of left over boiled, mashed or roasted potatoes

- Approx 1/2lb - 1lb of left over cabbage or brussel sprouts

- A little butter or oil

- salt and black pepper if desired.

(you can adjust the quantities in your recipe for bubble and squeak to suit your personal taste as desired, some people like half as much cabbage as potatoes, some like half and half.)

Now, either mash, or rough chop the potatoes…personally I use left over roast potatoes and rough cut them into bitesize chunks but traditionally you mash the potatoes. Chop or break up the cabbage into bitesize pieces too and mix both these together, adding a little salt or pepper to the mixture if desired.
Then, add a little oil or butter to a frying pan or skillet and heat on a medium heat.
When the oil/butter is heated, add the cabbage and potatoes and form into a patty and let cook.
You might hear the distinctive squeak which gives bubble and squeak half of its name around this point. The ‘bubble’ part probably comes from the first stage of cooking the potatoes and cabbage which are typically boiled.
When the bottom of the patty turns a golden brown colour you’ll need to flip it over to cook on the other side…and then, you’re done.
Bubble and Squeak is typically served with cold meats (more leftovers from Sunday Lunch) and pickles as an evening meal but is also often served with breakfast with eggs, baked beans, fried tomatoes, sausages, bacon, and perhaps black pudding…a typical fry-up with the bubble and squeak replacing the potatoes or hash browns.

There are lots of alternative ways to cook this very versatile dish. Traditionally, although this has been phased out, the left over cooked beef used to be minced up and added to the Bubble and Squeak and this is still an option you can try. You can also add corned beef or bacon bits for a little extra flavour.

Although cabbage is the traditional vegetable used to partner the potatoes in bubble and squeak, you can also use brussel sprouts, or a combination of other vegetables. Throwing a finely chopped onion into the mix adds a little extra flavour too as will throwing in a few of your favourite herbs and spices.

Experiment, it’s fun…and of course, you do not need left overs to make this dish either, just boil the cabbage and cut into pieces and boil and mash the potatoes and away you go. It’s just more traditional with leftovers.

‘Bubble and Squeak’ is also used in cockney rhyming slang to describe a Greek person (geddit? Bubble and Squeak -> Greek) and is often shortened to just ‘Bubble’ as in ‘Nick the Bubble’ meaning ‘Nick the Greek’. Anyone who saw the movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (and if you haven’t, then do so) might remember Nick the Bubble as a dodgy Greek geezer…now you know what the ‘Bubble’ bit means.

The history and origins of bubble and squeak are not too clear but it seems the original recipes consisted of beef and cabbage mixed and fried, which later became beef, potatoes and cabbage or just potatoes and cabbage as it is vastly more often found today.

This is a very old dish, used as a way of finishing up the leftovers from a previous meal. The name comes from what happens when you cook it apparently. You will need a big pile of cold, left-over mashed potato, cooked cabbage. In Victorian times (i.e. Mrs Beeton's 1st edition, 1861), bubble & squeak was made of cold, cooked beef from the Sunday joint and cabbage and onion, but rationing probably put an end to all the meat except the dripping.

Heat some dripping (fat) in a pan fairly strongly and fry the cold cooked cabbage and mashed potato and mix it thoroughly, then reduce the heat somewhat and cook the whole dish steadily for 15 to 20 minutes or more without stirring it, so that it is set solid, the edges and underside are browned but not stuck You can 'season' a cast-iron pan so that it does not stick by heating it very strongly with a good sprinkling of salt in it until it is smoking hot. Throw the salt away after. and it is cooked right through. Serve it piping hot.

use one of the standard recipes, when it is nearly done make a hollow in the middle break an egg into the hollow cover pan till egg is the way you like it,

Mashed potatos and cooked cabbage mixed up and fried. It's lovely with a fried egg on top or as an accompaniment to a fry up.

Cabbage and potatoes cooked in a skillet untill well browned. Flip it over and brown the other side.

It is fried leftover vegetables and Yorkshire pudding from the night befores roast fried in a pan with a little oil or goose fat, for really decadent any meat leftover from the roast can be added. I can smell mine now as it frys for a really late Sunday breakfast.

fry mashed potatoe and cooked cabbage

The way my mother used to make it was to put out and extra plate of food when we were having a roast dinner, which would include, lamb/beef (optional), potatoes, peas, cabbage (or whatever vegetables we were having that day) including any gravy that was put on the plates. The spare plate would be refrigerated. The following day she would put it into a frying pan and mash it all up with a fork, (cutting the meat into small pieces) she would then fry it until it started to bubble and squeak in the pan, stirring all the time.





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