Podcasts in English

Jackie: There are over 6,000 islands that make up the Atlantic Archipelago, more commonly known as the British Isles. And of these 136 of them are permanently inhabited.

Richard: And so for this week's podcastsinenglish.com we're talking about two of them. The Isle of Man, where I come from…

Jackie: …and further south, Jersey, where my family come from.

Richard: And there are many similarities between these two islands.

Jackie: Yes, um… both of the islands were very popular tourist destinations for the British before, you know, package holidays and cheap flights to warmer destinations I suppose.

Richard: Yes, they've both got very nice beaches.

Jackie: Ahh, yes.

Richard: Although the water's very cold, in the Isle of Man, for sure.

Jackie: Well, I've travelled to many places and for me, I think Jersey has some of the best beaches in the world.

Richard: And both islands, great seafood. Obviously the Isle of Man is famous for kippers which is smoked herring.

Jackie: And I know that there are also… the Isle of Man is also famous for 'Queenies'. What are they, Richard?

Richard: Scallops. Types of shellfish.

Jackie: Right. Shellfish, very popular in Jersey as well, especially the… the crabs. I just love Jersey crabs. Fantastic. And you've got to have um… if you go to Jersey, you've got to have Jersey new potatoes as well. Famous.

Richard: What about Jersey toffee? That's famous as well, isn't it? And the cream?

Jackie: Yes, the cream. Now, that's interesting. [both laugh] The cream is famous because both… both islands um… have animals associated with them, don't they?

Richard: Yes

Jackie: And for Jersey it has to be the Jersey cow. Not only does it give the most amazing rich, creamy milk but it's also the most beautiful cow in the world.

Richard: [laughs] Yes, in the Isle of Man we've got our famous sheep, the Loaghtan sheep.

Jackie: Why… why are they so special?

Richard: Because they have four horns, and they have brown er… brown wool.

Jackie: Brown?

Richard: Yes. And the sheep has four horns but the cats have no tails.

Jackie: The Manx cat.

Richard: Yes, I