The British Summer

I’ve come across more than one reference to the term ‘British summer’ now and so that means I’m qualified to make far reaching assumptions about what exactly this means. One of these references was simply on a sign outside of my local smoothie shop, implying that smoothies are a key ingredient to the British summer. However, this reference does not tell you exactly what a British summer specifically entails, or how it differentiates from a non-British summer.

Luckily the other mention of the British summer was in the form of an oft-repeated cider commercial. This commercial was kind enough to essentially list out all the key ingredients required to make your summer British, and it seems being in Britain is not on the list so perhaps we can all have British summers!

Here are the requirements:
- Smoothies (apparently…)
- Complain when it’s too hot
- Complain when it rains
- Get stuck in traffic in a car with no air-conditioning going to or from a specific summer event, such as a music festival or the beach
- Attempt to obtain a sun tan when rational people would assume it’s too cold to do so
- Do something quirky – the commercial suggests riding one of those reclining bicycles down a waterside promenade while holding an inflatable alligator under one arm
- Hang out with your good-looking friends in a pleasant outdoor environment drinking alcoholic cider from glasses wet with condensation

My apologies if you don’t have good-looking friends. Perhaps it’s enough to just sit out in your backyard by yourself, but just to be sure, you best refer to the yard as your garden while you are out there.

A few months ago there was an additional commercial that alluded to the British summer, but I can’t recall if it specifically used the phrase. A Walkers Crisps ad (aka, Lays Potato Chips) involved a man driving to National Trust sites in a Routemaster bus while singing and enjoying a salty snack. To me this implies that visiting stately houses and Roman ruins may also be integral to making a summer British.

All in all, I’m slightly pleased to know that I’m not expected to go camping or partake in extreme sports to be making the most of my summer. Sitting around drinking beer is much more approachable…