The United Kingdom is often a country of traditions, but it also has much to offer: from comfort foods to innovative gastronomic delights. Long overshadowed by its more renowned European counterparts, namely French or Italian, British food has enjoyed a recent renaissance.
Today, the UK is not only known for preserving its rich food heritage but also for embracing global influences and culinary creativity. For food lovers, the UK is a treasure trove of gastronomic experiences that range from iconic dishes to world-class fine dining, with something to tantalize every palate.
The Best of British Food You Should Try
Before going deep into the restaurants, it is important to consider the traditional British dishes one should not miss. British food is known for its heartiness, rich flavors, and simplicity, often reflecting the country’s agricultural history.
1. Fish and Chips
Probably the most recognizable of all the dishes that make up British cuisine, fish and chips have been a staple dish in the UK diet since at least the mid-nineteenth century. In this comfort dish, crispy, battered fish—either cod or haddock—prepared with thick-cut fried potatoes is a good meal for both locals and visitors.
Best devoured with a side of mushy peas, dolloped with tartar sauce, and sprinkled liberally with malt vinegar, you can find fish and chips in just about every corner of the UK.
While it can be had at many seaside towns or local chippies, London’s Poppies Fish & Chips and Golden Union are renowned for perfecting the execution.
2. Full English Breakfast
The full English breakfast, also known as the “fry-up,” has been enjoyed throughout the generations. It classically includes fried eggs, sausages, back bacon, black pudding—a blood sausage—grilled tomatoes, baked beans, sautéed mushrooms, toast, or fried bread. This is the ultimate comfort food, mostly served for a busy day to get one going and very popular in cafés and hotels throughout the UK.
A variety of those good places for this full English breakfast in London includes a famous place named The Breakfast Club.
3. Sunday Roast
The Sunday roast forms the backbone of British dining culture, normally served as a family meal every Sunday afternoon. Traditionally, a roast would include meat, usually roast beef, lamb, chicken, or pork, roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and Yorkshire puddings—all smothered in a great deal of rich gravy. Indeed, preparation is the key to a perfectly cooked Sunday Roast: meat slowly cooked to perfect tenderness, vegetables roasted until just crisp enough, and flavors just right.
For a Sunday roast as it should be, head to The Ledbury in London or to The Black Swan in Oldstead, both Michelin-starred restaurants that have raised this humble dish to an art form.
4. Steak and Ale Pie
British pies are sort of a beloved tradition, with steak and ale perhaps being one of the most recognizable. The tender pieces of beef stewed in that rich, malt ale gravy have been wrapped in an envelope of flaky, gold pastry. Really, it’s just comfort food taken to the nth degree—perfect when it’s chilly and raining.
For a truly great steak and ale pie, look to The Hand and Flowers in Marlow for its Michelin-starred take on British pub food.
5. Cornish Pasty
A product of Cornwall, the Cornish pasty consists of a beef, potato, swede, and onion mix in a crimped pastry case. Originally this was the sturdy lunch of the Cornish miner, with the crust acting as a handle to be discarded uneaten after being used. Today the pasty has spread to become a favorite with people throughout the country and has been adopted as something of a regional icon, synonymous with Cornish heritage.
For one of the best places to try a true Cornish pasty, one should go to Cornwall itself, where local bakers like Ann’s Pasties or Warrens Bakery are baking up golden-brown authentic pastries.
6. Bangers and Mash
A simple yet much-satisfactory dish, bangers and mash is also a plate consisting of sausages, popularly known here as “bangers,” topped with creamy potato mash, really often accompanied with onion gravy. It definitely is a whole classic meal affair in the restaurant that is dense and flavorful when it comes to the complete filling of being full.
For one of the best renditions of this dish, head to The Eagle in London, a historic pub that does a fantastic rendition of British classics.
The Rise of Modern British Cuisine
Admittedly, food in the UK evokes many comforting feelings with traditional fare. On the contrary, though, it’s actually full of a quite exciting modern scene that is constantly stretching the bounds of creativity—from locally sourced and in-season to a bit of gastronomic molecular tweaking. And British chefs definitely have a big role to play on the world stage.
1. Michelin-Star Dining
From its shores come some of the world’s most renowned chefs and restaurants. The epitome of fine dining, Michelin-starred restaurants dot the landscape of the UK. One such forerunner is The Fat Duck in Bray, under the guidance of Heston Blumenthal. The Fat Duck is known for its playful and experimental take on food—the meal becomes an immersive dining experience that engages the senses.
Others include Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London, where the celebrity chef offers refined and elegant dining, showcasing the best of British produce in modern forms.
2. Farm-to-Table Movement
The trend in the UK over the last couple of years has been all toward sustainability, farm-to-table dining, and restaurants focusing on locally grown, organic ingredients to support British farmers and producers. This in turn gave birth to a whole new genre of “modern British” cuisine that incorporates fresh, seasonal, local produce into refined dishes, both innovative yet deeply connected with the land. Probably the most prominent exponent of this is River Cottage Kitchen in Axminster under the leadership of celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It prides itself on being locally sourced with all the ethics applied.
3. Street Food Revolution
The street food scene in the UK has really exploded in recent years, from food markets and pop-up stalls offering everything from international influences to modern twists on British classics. Be it London’s iconic Borough Market or Street Feast in East London, this is where you will find many vendors selling anything from gourmet burgers to exotic, curried beasts, often with a British twist.
One of the most interesting food vendors is Dishoom, which takes its inspiration from Bombay (Mumbai) but uses British ingredients and methods, thus fusing Indian and British traditions.
Must-Visit Restaurants Across the UK
For all food lovers who want to experience the best of British food, here are some of those highly-rated restaurants that one can try across the nation:
1. The Ledbury – London
Two Michelin-starred, The Ledbury is an absolute must-visit in London for creative, high-end British dining. In Notting Hill, Brett Graham sends out menus with a seasonal focus on British ingredients and modern dishes inspired by tradition.
2. The Black Swan – Oldstead
This little North Yorkshire gem of a restaurant, a holder of a Michelin star, offers a real twist on British cuisine. The Black Swan is run by chef Tommy Banks, a restaurant well known for using local organic food, with its changing seasonal tasting menus.
3. St. John – London
For a more rustic, yet similarly inventive take on British cuisine, try St. John in Smithfield. In keeping with the restaurant’s nose-to-tail ethos, the decor is starkly un-fussy, but the menu never fails to impress in its praise of the beauty of British butchery and offal.
4. L’Enclume – Cartmel
L’Enclume is a two-star Michelin modern British venue for Cumbria; it’s probably the most critically acclaimed restaurant of famous chef Simon Rogan located in the middle of the very picturesque village of Cartmel and is highly famed for its eclectic treatment of its local produce combined with seasonal materials.
5. The Sportsman – Seasalter
Another Michelin-starred restaurant that has won praise for its earthy approach to fine dining is The Sportsman in Seasalter, Kent. This menu focuses on simple, yet exquisite dishes using ingredients sourced from the surrounding coast and countryside.
Conclusion
British cuisine is the epitome of tradition and innovation, variety in unity. Long underrated, the UK’s food scene has grown to become a vibrant, dynamic world of flavors ranging from the comfort food of fish and chips to the avant-garde dishes that are served at restaurants with stars in the Michelin guide. Whether you will have a meal in a casual pub or go for the finest dining, every food experience within the UK boundaries will leave great memories and an empty stomach. For gastronomes, Britain has now really become one of the most thrilling food destinations throughout the world.
