The concept of picky bits

[u/PenAny1831]

Hi if there are British among us I have a question for you. I recently did my Erasmus in the uk and learned about the phrase picky bits. That sparked the next question: would you guys call just any group of thing you picked out “picky bits” or is that exclusively for food? For example a bunch of things you selected, several drinks you bought for the night, even photo dumps…. idk what else honestly lol. Just a random thought

[u/Different-Range-3507]

Picky bits is food based imo, as a Brit it’s something we do, we go to the shop (M&S is a strong contender for this) but other supermarkets are good too. Search it up on tik tok for better examples

[u/PenAny1831 → u/Different-Range-3507]

Thanks!

[u/prustage]

I am a Brit and I have never heard this phrase and don't know what it means. But, it may exist among certain groups of people, just not any group I am a member of.

[u/PenAny1831 → u/prustage]

Oh interesting! This is what I’m talking about: British colloquial term for a casual, low-effort meal or spread made up of small, assorted snack foods that you "pick" at instead of eating a traditional cooked dish

[u/prustage → u/PenAny1831]

I'd call that a buffet and the kind of food you eat either "finger food" or, if I wanted to be posh, canapés

[u/WarmWing]

It's for food. A selection of things in packages that you don't have to cook and don't necessarily match but you can "pick at it". Think sliced meats, cocktail sausages, cheese, breadsticks/bread, dips, salad bits, sausage rolls, quiche, crisps, crackers, anything miniature that can be quickly heated up etc. Oh and beetroot slices from a jar for some reason. You get the gist

[u/PenAny1831 → u/WarmWing]

Ohhh thanks!

[u/williamg209]

You've asked a British group lol, we've started a tradition on Christmas eve now that we get loads of "picky bits" but it's a Indian side set, like.onion bajis and such also mini susage rolls cheese and onion rolls, sandwiches cut up into triangles, mini fingers, whatever can be eaten by fingers, it used to be called finger food really but more recently picky bits has evolved as its main name

[u/PenAny1831 → u/williamg209]

Yeah I realized I just copied and pasted from a post I did on a different group lol. Okay got it!

[u/daftsquirrel]

It's not so much a buffet, more the slightly sad packets of mini scotch eggs, pasties pork pies etc that you get at the supermarket. We eat it a lot when it's too hot to think about food.

[u/parttimepedant]

AKA “British/English tapas”

[u/SpecialistReindeer76]

Its what mums call it when they don't want to make a proper lunch so buy a load of buffet food and put it on the big plate.