Мероприятие по английскому языку Collop Monday

Collop Monday

Teacher: Hello dear students. Today we are going to speak about an unusual day. This day is not so popular as Christmas, New Year or St. Valentine's Day but it has got a very interesting tradition. British people call this day Collop Monday.

Student 1: What is a Collop?

Teacher: Let's look this word up in the dictionary.

collop noun ['kɔləp] a slice of meat

So collops are slices of meat. Although there are different ideas as to where the name originated. Many people believe it came from the Swedish word kallops, rather than from the French word escalope. In England by the Elizabethan era, the name collops referred to slices of bacon. Nevertheless all these names mean a piece of meat.

Student 2: When is Collop Monday?

Teacher: Collop Monday is a moveable date. It means that you'll never find a certain date in a calendar for this celebration like 1^st January (New Year day) or 31^st October (Halloween) but it is always the Monday before Shrove Tuesday. We usually call this Tuesday a Pancake day.

Collop Monday is also known as Shrove Monday, it was traditionally the last day to cook and eat meat before Lent.

Student 1: What is Lent?

Teacher: Let's come back to the dictionary.

Lent noun religious [lent] Великий пост

That was a period of fasting from meat.

Student 2: And what is fasting?

Teacher: The dictionary will help us again.

fast noun religious [fɑst] поститься

During Lent religious people usually don't eat meat.

Student 1: What is so special about Collop Monday?

Teacher: A traditional dish on Collop Monday was collops of bacon topped with a fried egg.

The tradition was established that on Collop Monday the bacon would be fried and served with eggs, usually for breakfast - like today's traditional English Breakfast.

Student 2: What kind of meat bacon is?

Teacher: Which domestic animal gives us bacon? - Of course it's a pig! And its meat is called pork. But bacon isn't the only meat which British people cook for traditional Collop Monday Breakfast.

Scotch Collops are a traditional Scottish dish. It can be created using thin slices or minced meat of either beef, lamb or venison.

Now let's check whether you know these types of meat. (Students match the types of meat with the pictures of animals.)

Key: Beef (cow), lamb (sheep) and venison (deer).

Scotch Collops are combined with onion, salt, pepper, then stewed, baked or roasted with flavourings used with meat.

Student 1: Do British people eat only collops for breakfast?

Teacher: They eat not only collops. They serve it with different food.

Please guess which food is traditionally served with collops. (French fries, rice, vegetables, toast, cereal, mashed potatoes, pancakes)

It is traditionally served with thin toast and mashed potato.

Now you know how to cook a traditional British breakfast on Collop Monday. Try it and have Good appetite!