Missing Toad In The Hole

        Although many people criticize British food as being bland and boring, I beg to differ. Whilst staying with my host parents in Plymouth, they had introduced me to many a local dish, one of which is the toad in the hole.
        Aha! Gotcha! You thought I was going to talk about a certain animal in my garden hole, didn't you? I have no love for toads, as well as their cousins, the frogs, having inherited the dislike for them from my dear dad, who suffers from ranidaphobia. So when I first heard of this peculiar name for a dish, I was most hesitant to try it.
        But one integral ingredient in this traditional English dish caught my fancy. It was the Yorkshire pudding batter that triumphed over the aversion to the unappetizing name. Being a stickler for all kinds of batter, I could not say no to this toad in the hole, which is essentially sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter. It is often accompanied by vegetables and onion gravy. One bite into it, and I was hooked. I remember having my fill of the toad in the hole during my last days in England as it would be difficult to find this dish being served outside the country.
        How on earth was this icky name bestowed upon this delightful dish? Nobody knows for sure but one reason could be due to the dish's resemblance of a toad sticking its head out of a hole. But then again, the Brits do have some weird food names like Bubble And Squeak, as well as Pig In The Blanket. Ah! This is fodder for another blog. Both dishes, as well as many other traditional English dishes, are simply scrumptious. Anyone who claims that British food is unimaginative and unpalatable needs to have his or her head examined!
        The Internet, as always, is a wealth of information. I managed to google many different recipes for this wonderful toad in the hole. And since I am missing the toad in the hole, I am going to try my hand at making this dish one of these days  :)