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Made in Britain: British foods that might surprise you

It's British Food Fortnight (27 July to 12 August) and to celebrate, we've taken a look at some of the foods produced in Britain that you might normally associate with other countries. Check out these British versions of everything from halloumi to chorizo.

Halloumi cheese
Halloumi is normally associated with Greece. But at High Weald Dairy in West Sussex, they're making a British version of this salty, squeaky cheese.

Their halloumi is made from 100 per cent sheep's milk, is Soil Association approved and also bagged a bronze at the International Cheese Awards in 2010.

They say that once cooked, its texture is "reminiscent of a grilled marshmallow with a crusty outside and a soft centre and a taste similar to that of bacon".

It's also worth mentioning that this family-run dairy also make their own ricotta and a cheese similar to feta, as well as other varieties of cheese.

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Junipers
These purple little berries are normally harvested in Tuscany, Macedonia or India, but there's now a campaign to get them growing again in Britain.

The Plantlife charity announced last year that 300 juniper seedlings are now growing at nine different sites around the UK.

And with gin maker Martin Miller planning to plant juniper seedlings in Herefordshire, we could soon be drinking gin made from British-harvested juniper.

British chorizo
Chef Jason Freedman and his team at The Minnis Bar and Restaurant in Birdington make chorizo as well as other cured meats.

"We are using traditional methods with a few modern technology twists, to create a whole range of produce," Jason stated.

Chorizo is also made by Riverford Farm, using meat from their own organic pigs and made to a recipe devised by Ben Watson at their farm shop.

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Edible snails
They're often regarded as a French obsession, but in Britain, the demand for edible snails is on the rise.

Helen Howard, of H & RH Escargots in Kent, tells us: "The common garden snail was brought to Britain by the Romans to eat and was widely eaten here for centuries. Snails seemed to fall out of favour a couple of centuries ago for some reason that we don't understand."

She explained that snails started to appear again on British menus in the 1980s and now many more snail farms have sprung up in the UK.

"Although in Britain people seem to associate snails with France," Helen said, "they have always been widely eaten across many countries of the world... They are a readily available cheap source of protein - like oysters used to be in England in the past."

Her advice? "If the snails in your garden are a nuisance - eat them!"

[Related article: Top 10 English dishes]

Biltong
These spiced, air-dried strips of beef are normally associated with South Africa. But biltong is also made on the Isle of Wight.

Nick, a third-generation Zimbabwean, learned to make it on his father's farm and now produces various types of hand-made biltong in flavours such as curry, garlic, kibbled pepper and smoked.

It's also additive-free, has a softer texture than the average biltong and in 2011 it won a Great Taste Gold Award. If you want to try some yourself, it can be purchased on the Tastia website.

Salami
As well as chorizo, The Minnis Bar and Restaurant also make salami, which is hung for a minimum of three months to mature. But it's also made in Scotland.

Caron Kennedy Stewart, of Clash Farm in Port Logan, makes it from her own organic saddleback pigs. She explains that her father came to Scotland from a village near Monte Cassino in Italy and so "when the opportunity for introducing a new charcuterie range of Clash Farm products arose it seemed a very natural step."

[Related article: Chicken and leek pie: My favourite British comfort food]

Buffalo Mozzarella
You'd normally associate mozzarella with Italy. But at Laverstoke Park in Hampshire, they make it from their own herd of water buffalo.

"The milk from our own herd of buffalo is especially sweet and fragrant," they say, "thanks to our grass with 31 herbs, grasses and clovers."

This buffalo mozzarella is made without any preservatives and the buffalo are free-range. Laverstoke are very proud of their fresh mozzarella, and state on their website: "We went to Italy to learn from the masters, and now we think we've beaten them at their own game!"

Have you tried any of these British foods? What other foods are produced in Britain that we normally associate with other countries?