The full English: how to fall in love with this country

00:00 04:36

Robin Ashenden has narrated this article for you to listen to.

My nine-year-old half-Russian daughter has arrived in England for the first time since she was a baby. As she knows almost nothing about British culture apart from Peppa Pig and Willy Wonka, my job is to put together a week-long programme before she goes back to Italy, where she currently lives with her mother, my ex-partner. They were living in Russia but left following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Ideally, my daughter will go home enthused about all things English and wanting a lifetime more. But where do I start?

First, there’s the question of food. I shall insist on her trying a Sunday lunch – something with bread sauce or stuffing (preferably both) and plenty of gravy. There will be an English breakfast too, though I’ll expect some resistance.