Whether you’re hopping from London to Cardiff or taking a road trip in the Scottish Highlands, we have something delicious just for you. From singing hinnies to Sunday roasts, Bedford bangers to the full English breakfast, our world-famous dishes are in our DNA, and our quirky regional specialities can transport you through time. Wherever you’re travelling, we have something delicious just for you – that you cannot find anywhere else.
Set off on a journey of food discovery and explore Britain’s local delicacies from the tips of Scotland to the toes of Wales. We’ve handpicked the most popular – and most peculiar – flavours that make Britain the ultimate foodie destination. Discover everything there is to know about Scotch eggs, Sussex pond pudding and the unusual stargazy pie.
One of Britain’s greatest biscuits, the buttery, crumbly shortbread is synonymous with Scotland. Unlike many other biscuits, it is traditionally made up of just three ingredients – a good amount of butter, flour and sugar.
Originally served to celebrate the raspberry harvest in June, cranachan is a delicious medley of layered seasonal fresh raspberries, cream, Scottish oats and whisky. Today it is one of Scotland’s most favoured desserts.
An Arbroath smokie is a hot-smoked haddock, originating in Arbroath. They are smoked in an enclosed barrel which helps produce the cooked (but not burnt), strong and smoky flavour.
Known worldwide for its superior quality and the marbled appearance giving it that great distinctive taste, Aberdeen Angus is a breed of small cows that originate from the north-east of Scotland.
Scotland’s national dish conjures great curiosity. This savoury pudding is often eaten on Burns Night and traditionally consists of seasoned sheep’s offal, oats and onions encased in the stomach of an animal. Today there are many variations available, from vegan to venison.
This sugary sweet treat is not to be confused with English fudge. Crumbly in texture and even sometimes referred to as grainy, Scottish tablet’s ingredients set it aside. Often enjoyed as it is, it also comes in multiple flavours such as the classic rum and raisin.
Legend has it that this delicious mistake was created by a Derbyshire cook back in the 1800s. Instead of adding the almond and egg mixture to the pastry, she spread it on top creating an egg custard – although also originating from Bakewell, it’s not to be confused with the tart.
Acclaimed as the best British kippers, Craster kippers – from the Northumberland village of Craster – are herrings soaked in brine before being cured over smouldering oaks for 16 hours. They’re usually served at breakfast with toast and even sometimes a poached egg.
The most curious of British sausages, this long – up to 50 cm – often coiled pork (chopped not ground) sausage is the ultimate addition to a cooked breakfast. Or better yet, served with mashed potatoes and onion gravy to create the British classic bangers and mash.
Not quite a biscuit and not quite a cake, Grasmere’s gingerbread is a sweet and spicy Lake District delicacy originating from Victorian cook Sarah Nelson in 1854. Although internationally popular, the best place to get it is the original Grasmere Gingerbread Shop.
The fluffy and much adored Yorkshire pudding is a must-try side dish for any Sunday roast. It can come filled with sausage and mash or can be used to create the base for classic toad in the hole. A simple batter of milk (or water), eggs and flour is poured onto a preheated tray to rise.
This oddly named sugar-free griddle cake is rich in both fat and taste, and is usually made with currants. A popular delicacy in Northumberland and Newcastle, they’re still made fresh in cafes across the north and often served with cream and jam like a scone.
This traditional Northumberland veggie winter warmer is an unadulterated indulgence, combining layers of fried potatoes with butter and cheese before going under the grill until it all starts to bubble. Deeply satisfying comfort food and the perfect side dish to almost anything.
A much-loved favourite of Wallace & Gromit, Wensleydale’s medium-flavoured crumbly cheese from Yorkshire is suited to sweet flavours. You will often find it in its most popular pairing, cranberry Wensleydale, or accompanying an apple pie.
A little-known fact, the term ‘Scouse’ actually derives from ‘lobscouse’, a hearty stew of lamb or beef, potatoes, onions and carrots. It was traditionally eaten by seamen and dockers in Liverpool’s port, giving people of that region their name.
Did you know that the Balti as we know it today is claimed to have been invented in Birmingham in 1977? This very Indian one-pot dish is a type of quickly cooked meat curry and is served enthusiastically in pubs and Indian restaurants in every corner of Britain.
This succulent sausage has two distinct characteristics; course ground pork and plenty of sage. Originating in Lincolnshire where the ample sage can be attributed to its low rainfall, these sausages are enjoyed all across Britain anywhere from breakfasts to bangers and mash.
Served chilled or at room temp, Melton Mowbray’s Pork Pies are roughly chopped pork in a jellied stock, encased in hot water crust pastry. Bakers in Melton Mowbray have been making these porky treats since the 18th century.
Caught in the nutrient-rich waters just off the shores of Norfolk near Cromer, these crabs are distinctively flavoursome, tender and fragrant. Although one of Norfolk’s most famous exports, we recommend you enjoy these meaty crabs in the pretty coastal town they are caught in.
Tiptree has been making jams since 1885, as well as a variety of curds and spreads. These all-natural products are made the good old way, with no artificial preservatives or GMOs.
A claimed favourite of Jane Austen, these brioche-like buns are topped with sweet or savoury toppings. The creation originated in Sally Lunn’s Historic Eating House, located in one of Bath’s oldest buildings.
Bedfordshire’s unusual snack, the Bedfordshire Clanger, was originally a boiled pastry with a savoury filling on one end and sweet on the other. Today they are more commonly baked but still contain that famous sweet and savoury combo. They’re dinner and dessert in one.
An assortment of whipped cream, broken meringue and strawberries or berries, the Eton mess is said to originate from Eton College. A complete version of the dessert was dropped at an Eton versus Harrow cricket match, creating this deliciously smashed treat.
London’s luxury department store Fortnum & Mason claim to have invented this hearty British pub favourite in 1738, which features a whole soft or hard-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage meat that’s then rolled in breadcrumbs before being baked or deep-fried.
The East Sussex Rye Bay scallop season runs from November to May, with an extra special week in spring – the peak of the season when the scallops are at their plumpest – dedicated to celebrating this delicious little shellfish.
A south-west England classic, a cream tea is a combination of two British favourites – clotted cream-filled, jammy scones and… tea, of course. According to tradition, the scone in a Devon cream tea should be split in half, with cream covering both sides and strawberry jam on top.
Named for how the lemon, butter and sugar filling forms a “pond” on the plate, a Sussex pond pudding is traditionally a pastry filled with butter and sugar which is then steamed (or even boiled) for hours – apparently, the famous lemon centre was added later.
Originating from Cheddar – a large village in stunning Somerset – this is a hard cow’s-milk cheese and a sandwich staple. The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company produces an array of vintage cheese all year round – the only cheddar producer based in Cheddar to do so.
According to legend this peculiar pie with protruding fish heads – whole pilchards, eggs and potatoes topped with a pastry crust – is eaten only on Tom Bawcock’s Eve (23 December), to celebrate his fishy catch during a stormy famine that ravaged the tiny port of Mousehole, Cornwall.
Also known as pie, mash and liquor when served with its common parsley sauce accompaniment. Pie and mash has its roots in London’s East End and has evolved from feeding the working class at the London docks to being a current-day favourite of David Beckham.
These iconic D-shaped, crimped, baked pastry goods are a must for all visits to Cornwall. Did you know, it’s only deemed a Cornish Pasty if it’s traditionally made using beef, potato, swede and onion. It can be enjoyed hot or cold, but recommended out of a paper bag.
Sometimes called bakestones, these sweet little cakes are cooked on a cast iron griddle rather than baked in an oven and can be enjoyed hot or cold. Traditionally Welsh cakes are not served with any accompaniment except a healthy dusting of caster sugar.
These are no normal sausages. Glamorgan sausages are vegetarian, cheese – usually Welsh Caerphilly – and leek filled, coated in breadcrumbs and then fried. This meat-free sausage variation is thought to have been a byproduct of meat rations during the Second World War.
This is the ultimate cheese on toast! Welsh rarebit – or rabbit – is a grilled savoury cheese-based sauce consisting of ingredients such as flour, beer or ale, Worcester sauce, cayenne and mustard served on top of toasted bread.
Wales’ sole native cheese is a hard, crumbly, white, cow’s milk cheese from the castle town of Caerphilly – Caerffili in Welsh. Caerphilly cheese was thought to be originally produced as a snack for Welsh coal miners and has recently been awarded a protected food name status.
Although not actually a bread at all, Laverbread is a fine laver seaweed harvested from the south-west Welsh coastline that has been boiled for hours and then minced or pureed. Sometimes served rolled in oats, it’s a common Welsh breakfast accompaniment.
Want to live like a local or sip like a Brit? Swipe below for several iconic dishes that will take you from breakfast through to dinner in Great British style. From the posh afternoon tea to the humble fish and chips, and from sausage’s best friend mash to Sunday’s traditional roast dinner, Britain has you covered three meals a day (or more), seven days a week.
From a Champagne Afternoon Tea at The Ritz to the more than 100-year-old Yorkshire institution Bettys, the rules of an afternoon tea remain the same. Saucers don’t leave the table, only stir from side to side, don’t use cutlery (except for cream and jam), eat the sandwiches first and under no circumstances are you to raise your pinkie. It’s these rules that have preserved that art of afternoon tea and made it the experience it is today.
The once humble dinner-time classic considered the national dish of England, fish and chips have gone from the local newspaper-wrapped staple to gastronomical heights. This simple yet revered combo of fried and battered fish with chips can be found everywhere, from seaside towns like Colmans of South Shields to Tom Kerridge’s Fish & Chips at Harrods. Wherever you are, you are never far away from a great British fish and chip shop.
Dished up in every hotel, pub and cafe the full English breakfast – or ‘fry-up’, as it is affectionately known – is the hero’s way to start the day. Consisting of all the breakfast champions, sausages, eggs, bacon, toast, beans, mushrooms, hashed potatoes, grilled tomatoes, black pudding and coffee (or tea). Stop by for a classic at Terry’s Cafe in London or get your fry-up fix as an early afternoon option at Manchester’s Trof.
This is more than a mere meal, this is a family and friends-uniting Sunday ritual. You can pick from upmarket options such as the Champagne Sunday lunch at the Chester Grosvenor or opt for a more traditional pub or inn setting, like Somerset’s Cotley Inn or the Felin Fach Griffin in the Welsh Borders. Go vegan, go veggie, go chicken, beef or pork, but make sure you have roast potatoes, some seasonal veg, a Yorkshire pudding and plenty of the good stuff – gravy.
The rather unconventionally named toad in the hole brings together two famed ingredients, sausages baked in a Yorkshire pudding. The origins of the name are unclear, but it is said the floating sausages resemble toads lying in wait for their prey – delicious! This wholesome classic can be found sporadically in pubs all across Britain and is a staple at the Clifton Sausage, Bristol’s upmarket ‘sausage specialists’.
A British pub-grub favourite, and much-loved comfort food, bangers and mash – sausages and mashed potato – is usually served with gravy and sometimes accompanied by peas. There is a great vegetarian version at Edinburgh’s Makars Mash Bar or go wild with flavour at London’s Mother Mash – chicken and garlic, cheddar and spinach, or smoked pork with honey sausages, anyone?
