Cornwall is fantastic place – a land of geographic and cultural identity distinct from the rest of Britain. In honor of this week’s shirt dedicated to Cornwall, here are a few facts and figures you might now know.

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1. The flag of Cornwall is Saint Piran’s Flag. The flag is attributed to Saint Piran. Saint Piran or Pyran (Cornish: Peran) was an early 6th-century Cornish abbot and saint, supposedly of Irish origin. He is the patron saint of tin-miners, and is also generally regarded as the patron saint of Cornwall, although Saint Michael and Saint Petroc also have some claim to this title. Traditionally, St. Piran has been identified as the Irish saint Ciarán of Saigir. Saint Piran’s Flag, a white cross on a black background, is used as a symbol of Cornwall. Saint Piran’s Day falls on 5 March.

2. Cornwall is home to 545,355 people.

3. Cornwall is 1,376 square miles (3,563 square km) and features 422 miles of coastline (697 km).

4. Cornwall’s longest river is the River Tamar which marks the border between Devon and Cornwall.

5. Some famous British TV shows to be shot in Cornwall: Doc Martin (one of our favorites), Poldark (old and new), Jamaica Inn, Wild West, Wycliffe and The Camomile Lawn.

6. Following a review by the Boundary Commission for England taking effect at the 2010 general election, Cornwall is divided into six county constituencies to elect MPs to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

7. A Cornish pasty is a baked pastry, a traditional variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall. It is made by placing uncooked filling, typically meat and vegetables, on one half of a flat shortcrust pastry circle, folding the pastry in half to wrap the filling in a semicircle and crimping the curved edge to form a seal before baking.

8. The Cornish language is closely related to the other Brythonic languages of Welsh and Breton, and less so to the Goidelic languages of Irish, Scots Gaelic and Manx. The language continued to function visibly as a community language in parts of Cornwall until the late 18th century, and it was claimed in 2011 that the last native speaker did not die until 1914. There has been a revival of the language since Henry Jenner’s Handbook of the Cornish Language was published in 1904. A study in 2000 suggested that there were around 300 people who spoke Cornish fluently.

9. Tourism is estimated to contribute up to 24% of Cornwall’s gross domestic product. In 2011 Tourism brought £1.85 billion into the Cornish economy.

10. Truro is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2011 census of 18,766. It is Cornwall’s county town and only city, also being the most southern city in mainland Great Britain. People from Truro are known as Truronians.

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Article by John Rabon

Every country and region in the world has its own unique delicacies. While these local dishes have been around for centuries and seem perfectly normal to the people who live there, tourists might be a bit taken aback at them. However, were they to give these uniquely British dishes a chance, they might find a new favorite food. From the sweet to the savory, whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner, these are some of the more interesting and distinctive foods that the United Kingdom has to offer. So instead of turning up your nose, take your fork and dive into these dishes.

There three days left to pick up our tribute to British Food by designer Caroline Silfverling. Available in red and navy blue in men’s, women’s, v-neck, long sleeve, hoodie and sweatshirt starting at $16.99 and shipping worldwide. 

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1. Toad in the Hole

A dish with a more disgusting name that masks its deliciousness, the Toad in the Hole is actually a group of sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter. The name is meant to evoke an image of toads submerged in mud, and there is some debate about whether it originates from the game of tossing disks or whether the dish used actual toads when times were tough. More than likely, it comes from the 1600s when the dish was invented at a time that meat was roasted over batter puddings and the fat would drip into the batter, creating holes, while sometimes the poorer cuts of meat (or toadies) were cut off and allowed to fall into the batter.

2. Stargazy Pie

This one is slightly more unappealing to look at, but certainly no less delicious. This Cornish dish involves baked sardines in a pie, filled with eggs and potatoes, and covered with a pastry crust. Then, using the remaining sardines’ heads, the pie is decorated. The reason for leaving the heads in is to permit the oils from the fish to seep back into the pie. It was created to celebrate the festival of Tom Bawcock’s Eve, which recognizes the efforts of Mousehole resident Tom Bawcock to ease a famine on the village through relentless fishing. The name comes from the appearance of the fish heads, as if they are staring at the stars.

3. Black Pudding

Not like any kind of pudding you’ve had before, I’ll wager. Black pudding is another name for a blood sausage and is made from a combination of congealed pig’s blood, oatmeal, and that all-purpose ingredient—lard. Some recipes also include seasonings such as pepper, onion, salt, and cloves. It is a particular delicacy of the Black Country, West Midlands, and North West England, and Lancashire has a variation where it is boiled and served with malt vinegar. I found the texture a little dry and grainy for my taste, but you may feel different. It’s definitely a “love it or hate it” dish.

4. Spotted Dick

All right, stop with the sniggering! It is actually a pudding made from a sheet of suet pastry filled with either raisins or currants, then rolled up into its traditional circular shape. Its first recorded appearance was in chef Alex Soyer’s “The Modern Housewife” in 1849, and it is believed that “dick” was simply a term used for pudding in the 19th Century, while the “spotted” part should be fairly obvious.

5. Haggis

This traditional Scottish dish gets more of a bad rap for how it’s made than anything else. This pudding is created by taking the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep (also called the pluck), mincing them, and adding in onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, stock and salt before cooking it in the sheep’s own stomach. The first written recipes appeared around 1430 in Lancashire. So famed as a dish that it has had poetry written about it, including one piece by Robert Burns, in whose honor haggis is traditionally served on Burns Night. It is also the subject of a game called “haggis hurling”, but if you’d rather eat it instead, it is traditionally served with mashed turnips and mashed potatoes (neeps and tatties) and the recommended beverage is whiskey.

There three days left to pick up our tribute to British Food by designer Caroline Silfverling. Available in red and navy blue in men’s, women’s, v-neck, long sleeve, hoodie and sweatshirt starting at $16.99 and shipping worldwide. 

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In 1933, two motorcycle enthusiasts named William Lyons and William Walmsley took their Swallow Sidecar Company and formed SS Cars Ltd., producing their first car, the SS Jaguar, in 1935. Following World War II, SS Cars formally changed its name to Jaguar and began producing sports cars such as the XK120, XK140, and the E-Type. With a sales slogan of “Grace, Space, Pace”, Jaguar has always been committed to producing luxury vehicles and sports cars. With the firm celebrating its 70th Anniversary this year, it is our hope that you will enjoy this great t-shirt recognising the accomplishments of one of Britain’s automotive giants as well as these interesting facts.

There’s 72 hours left to get our latest British Classic car themed design dedicated to the Jaguar Mark 1. Available in men’s, women’s, v-neck, long sleeve, hoodie and sweatshirt starting at $16.99 and shipping worldwide.

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Side Business

As mentioned above, Jaguar actually started out as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, making sidecars to go with motorcycles. Lyons and Walmsley started the company with a £1,000 loan taken out with the help of their fathers. In 1927, they began experimenting with cars by coachbuilding kits for the Austin 7. That same year, they stopped making sidecars and changed the company name to Swallow Coachbuilding Company. It would only be eight more years before they started making their own automobiles.

Leaper

For decades, Jaguar’s hood ornaments, also known as “The Leaper” featured a prominent leaping jaguar. In 2005, Jaguar removed the Leaper from its models in line with the European Union’s safety standards for automakers. In addition to removing the Leaper out of safety concerns for frontal collisions, vice president of marketing and communications Tim Watson said “We’ve taken a much more modern, svelte, and aerodynamic approach.” Customers can still have the Leaper added to their cars for about $250.

World’s Fastest

The Jaguar XJ220 was the world’s fastest production car from 1992 to 1994, achieving a top speed of 213.478 mph. It held the record until it was superseded by the McLaren F1 that achieved a speed of 231 mph. The XJ220 held the production car record lap time of 7:46:36 at the Nurburgring from 1992 to 2000

All Day and All of the Night

24 Hours of Le Mans is the world’s oldest sports car endurance race in which teams of drivers take turns to keep the race going for a full day. Jaguar first won in 1951 with a XK120C and has won the race seven times, the last race being in 1990 with a XJR-12.

What’s Cooler than Being Cool?

Jaguar climate tests all its vehicles in a freezer at -40 degree Fahrenheit for 12 hours. Then they stick the cars into a wind tunnel with air streams that are 0 degrees all while spraying the car with water. This is to ensure that, no matter how cold it gets outside, your Jaguar will run like a dream.

The Finest Leather

For the company’s XJ models, Jaguar uses only leather from Scottish Angus Bulls. The reason for bulls over cows is that the cows can get stretch marks from pregnancy. What’s more, the Scottish bulls are less likely to have been bitten by mosquitos, which could damage the leather. Skin from the belly and neck are used for the dash and the doors, while the rump and backbone are used for the seats as those parts of the hide are tougher.

It’s Good to Be Bad

Jaguar relied on the American cinematic tradition of British actors playing villains for its 2014 Super Bowl commercial that featured Ben Kingsley, Mark Strong, and Tom Hiddleston. During the filming, Hiddleston had to hang out of the side of a helicopter that was approximately 500 feet off the ground moving through central London, an act that actually terrified him (though he doesn’t let it show). In the same commercial, the driving was actually done by former Top Gear Stig, Ben Collins.

VR Modeling

Jaguar’s designers have a Virtual Reality Cave with eight cinema-quality 4K projects that help to recreate the interior of the cars so that designers can sit in their designs and get a sense of proportion. It also lets them form 3D models of parts to see how they will work together.

I Can’t Drive 55

Steve McQueen was once the proud owner of a Jaguar XKSS, which was one of only 16 ever made. The car got him in a bit of trouble, though, and he had two driving bans over the ten years that he owned it. He eventually sold it, but regretted the decision and later bought it back, keeping it until he died in 1980.

Emus?

Prior to painting, Jaguar workers brush every car with ionized emu feathers because they can briefly hold an electrostatic charge. This way, the bare metal won’t attract dust between the final cleaning and the painting.

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Our runaway hit design this week is our new tribute to the London Underground – Tube Love – and is popular with fans of the Tube all over the world. That got me thinking – just what is it about the Tube that I love so much?

There’s still time left to pick up Tube Love – our tribute to the London Underground by Kevin Scharr. Available on navy garments in men’s, women’s, v-neck, long sleeve, hoodie and sweatshirt starting at $16.99 and shipping worldwide.

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Here are 10 things I love about the Tube in no particular order.

It Goes Everywhere

The Tube simply goes everywhere – with 250 miles of track and 270 stations, the London Underground sprawls in every direction. You can travel to a different station every day and discover something new.

Mind the Gap

The most iconic phrase to come from the Tube is ‘Mind the Gap,’ which is broadcast over audio systems of the network and also painted on the platforms. It’s such a reassuring thing to hear the tone and then the calm voice warning you to watch your step as you get on the train.

The Smell

Some one argue that the Tube doesn’t smell good. But I would argue that the Tube has its own unique patina – dust, engines and people all combine to make the smell of the London Underground completely unique. I know I’m in London when the smell hits me at Heathrow station.

The Whoosh

Standing on the platform, one of the simple pleasures of traveling in London is hearing the train approach and then feeling the rush of wind rushing ahead of the train as it arrives. It’s such a feeling of anticipation. And a relief on a hot day as most of the Underground is not air conditioned!

Old Stations

While there are no shortage of new stations on the network, I really love visiting the old stations – some built over a hundred years ago. Many have unique and beautiful tile work you simply cannot see anywhere else. There’s such a timelessness about these stations and they’re a joy to travel through.

The Tube Map

With 270 stations, it would be easy to get confused when you look at a rail map. That’s why Harry Beck had the brilliant idea to re-imagine the map as an electrical diagram and the iconic Tube Map was born. It’s so simple to navigate – you can easily find your way around London and transferring between lines.

It’s a Cheap Way to Get Around London

There are cheaper ways to get around London (buses are much cheaper) but the Tube is a surprisingly affordable way to travel around London when you’re on a budget. When we visited during our college days, it was indispensable for poor college students.

Feel Like a Local

We know it will never be possible for us to live in London, but when we travel there – riding the Underground makes us feel like locals. You get to see a slice of London life. London fashion. What people are reading. Hear what people are listening too. You also notice social cues you might not notice anywhere else (like don’t talk, ever or don’t sit next to someone if there is a free seat elsewhere).

The Oyster Card

London pioneered using an electronic card to travel its network and we recommend that everyone get one before they go to London. It never expires and you can use it on future trips. For those that don’t know what it is – the Oyster card is your ticket to the Tube. It gives you the cheapest fare whenever you use it (and caps out for multiple trips). It’s much cheaper to use than paper tickets. It’s also much easier to use to get through the ticket barriers. My Oyster card is one of my prized possessions and I always keep it with my passport, ready to go to London.

The Rolling Stock

I’m not a train geek that can tell you what kind of train each one is, but I simply love trains and love examine the variety across the network. They’re so fast! And that sound they make as they accelerate of the station is truly an iconic London sound.

Here are some of the sounds of the Tube:

There’s still time left to pick up Tube Love – our tribute to the London Underground by Kevin Scharr. Available on navy garments in men’s, women’s, v-neck, long sleeve, hoodie and sweatshirt starting at $16.99 and shipping worldwide.

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We’ve had an excellent response to this week’s featured design London is Always a Good Idea. People are really enjoying the sentiment and as passionate Londonphiles, we share it as well.

We thought it would be fun to put together a list of 10 reasons why we think a trip to London is always a good idea.

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There’s always another museum you haven’t been to

London is home to well over 100 museums – it would take a lifetime to explore them all. This ensures that on every trip you take to London, you can always explore somewhere new with a fascinating history. From the British Museum to the Sir John Soane museum or to the smaller Museum of Brand and Packaging, there is something for every interest.

There’s always a new play to see

London is the original capital of good theatre and musicals. Many new ones make their premieres here. Many older ones have daily performances. There’s always something to see and it’s a ton of fun eating a nice dinner out on the town and then hitting up a show.

Your old haunts miss you

We all have our own favorite special places in London – the places we’re sure to visit every time we’re in town. They’re calling to you. They want you to come.

Miles of Streets to Explore

If you look at a map of London, you’ll know very quickly that it will take a lifetime to explore its rabbit warren of streets. There’s always somewhere new to visit, a new village within the city to explore, a new garden square to relax in or a new Mews row of houses to admire.

Christmas is a Magical Time

We’ve been to London twice during Christmas time and it’s a truly magical place to visit during the Christmas holiday season. Everything is decorated, there’s the Hype Park Winter Wonderfest, plenty of lovely places to buy presents you can only get in London. We love it. Kids love it. And believe it or not, the weather is usually pleasant.

It’s Great Anytime of the Year

A lot of people like to complain about the weather in London. Yes, it does rain but no more than anywhere else. Yes, it can be cloudy and dreary but that’s part of the charm. We’ve travelled to London in all four seasons and the only time we really try to avoid is actually the summer! We love cool London days and the bumper seasons are the best. But despite the heat in the summer, that is when London comes into its own and the sun shines more than any other. The days are also very long (the sun stays out until 10pm or so!). If someone asked me what time of year to go to London, I’d simply say right now. You will like London any time of the year.

Your Friends Miss you

Part of the joys of traveling to London once you’ve done it for a few years is that you start to make friends with locals. And while they may be busy with their London lives (try not to be jealous), they’ll always fancy a visit from a friend. Good friendships will make you cherish your times in London even more!

There’s always a new bookstore to explore

As a person who loves books, London is a treasure trove of big bookstores and small independent bookstores. There’s always a new one to explore and you’re always guaranteed to fill an entire suitcase with books to take home.

The London Underground is calling for you

Despite it being a workhorse and often a source of derision for daily commuters, I greatly enjoy traveling the London Underground. In 15 years of London travel, there’s still a new station to explore and a new place to visit. There’s just something so special about the rush of wind blowing through the station as a train approaches. Perfection.

London’s latest fashions await

Due to London’s proximity to the fashion capitals of Europe, there is always a new fashion to explore before it hits the USA. London is full of small boutiques and even big chains that haven’t cross the pond. In addition to need another suitcase for books, you may also need another one for new clothes!

There’s just 48 hours left to pick up London is Always a good idea from Anglotees. Available on white in men’s, women’s, v-neck, long sleeve, hoodie and sweatshirt starting at $16.99 and shipping worldwide. 

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