Where to eat
You won’t go hungry or lack choice in what you eat in Britain; there’s an incredible variety to tempt the taste buds. And healthy eating (or just tasty eating) definitely won’t break the bank.
You’ll find cuisine from around the world, Japanese, Italian, Thai, Moroccan, Indian, Ethiopian and even British!
British cafés range from no-frills joints with big helpings at bargain prices to smarter teashops where meals are more inviting. Many countryside cafés cater especially for tourists, walkers and outdoor types, they’re always friendly and welcoming – even if your boots are covered in mud.
Most pubs serve cheap and cheerful ‘bar snacks’ and many more offer enticing, good-value, no-nonsense menus, often involving fresh local produce.
British Specialities
For centuries a typical English dinner included roast beef, and today top-quality cuts from well-reared cattle grace the menu in good pubs and restaurants across Britain. For a different taste, venison is readily available in Scotland, as well as parts of Wales and England (most notably the New Forest).
Beef’s traditional accompaniment is Yorkshire pudding – simply roast batter but fantastically succulent when well-cooked. In many pubs and cafés you can buy a big bowl-shaped Yorkshire pudding filled with meat stew, beans, mixed vegetables or you can try another national favourite – Chicken Tikka Masala.
Near the coast, seafood is always a local speciality. Towns on the east coast of England are famous for cod, while restaurants in Scotland and Cornwall offer prawns, lobsters and mussels. Look out too for Norfolk crab, Northumberland kippers (smoked herrings) and jellied eels in London, traditionally served with mashed potato and liquor, parsley sauce.
Wales is famous for sheep and excellent Welsh lamb is available in many pubs and restaurants. Other traditional Welsh dishes include bara brith (spicy fruit loaf) and laverbread – seaweed served with oatmeal and bacon on toast which tastes a lot better than it sounds.
In Scotland, instead of bread, try oatcakes, in sweet and salty varieties. Of course, the Scottish food that everyone knows is haggis – traditionally a poor-man's sausage – made from minced meat and oatmeal. Some pubs and restaurants serve very good haggis and it's also available deep-fried with chips at takeaways.
Insider Info
If you want to eat good, fresh food and save your pennies, then instead of going out for lunch - take a picnic. It's praticalary a British institution and a great excuse to laze in the park or find a scenic spot. Supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsburys and Asda are really well stocked and good value.
Five of the Best
For local specialities in friendly surroundings you can’t get better than a good British pub or small restaurant. Here are some of the real gems:
The Black Horse
A charming pub in a pretty Cotswold village with a great menu of country classics like steak and kidney pudding or ploughman’s lunch. To work up an appetite, it’s a four-mile walk from Bourton-on-the-Water. Tel: +44 (0)1451 850565; Naunton, Gloucestershire, England.
The Jolly Fisherman
This pub overlooks the sea and that inspires the menu: fish and chips, legendary crab sandwiches and kipper paté – all at great-value prices. Tel: +44 (0)1665-576461; Craster, Northumberland, England.
The Sloop Inn
Celtic mussels, Welsh lamb chops, washed down with local cider, overlooking the picturesque harbour. It’s on the Coast Path too, but a good lunch here may scupper worthy walking plans. Porthgain, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Isle of Arran Distillers Restaurant
OK, whisky’s the main draw, but the restaurant’s Scottish specialities are well worth sampling too: game-meats, local cheeses and our favourite – oak-smoked salmon with Arran whisky and mustard dressing.
Tel:+44 (0)1770 830264; Lochranza, Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Waterfront Restaurant
Anonymous outside and minimalist inside and the best place for an enticing selection of seafood specialities. You like your fish fresh? It’s just been landed on the nearby quay. Tel: +44 (0)1631 563110; Oban, Argyll, Scotland.