Discover the best of English food with traditional dishes, regional specialties and hidden culinary gems that reveal English cuisine’s best kept secrets.
What are English must-try? English food is amazing! I know that this might go against everything you have heard so far, but I know I am right and I am going to prove it.
Below is an extensive list of all the amazing food we have in England (with two additions from Wales, because they are too good not to be included!)
Fish and Chips
I know you know Fish and Chips. Everyone knows fish and chips! But do you know where to find the best options? In the coastal town, of course – where the fish is at its freshest.
The best Fish and Chips I had? – At Rick Stein Sandbanks. Please, do yourselves a favour – know your famous chefs and put on appropriate attire when you go there. I didn’t know anything about the place and went in dressed in shorts and a sports bra (still I received a 5-star service and no one even mentioned how out of place I looked!), you can read more about my Bournemouth adventures in the section for England.
English breakfast
I have no doubts every hotel wants to provide you with the best experience but do yourself a favour if you want to have a proper English breakfast – go to a Café.
Cafés, especially the ones far from touristy places, can offer you with a variety of English breakfast options with many of them offering all items individually. Yes, you can build your very own variation of English breakfast with everything you’d love to try.
My personal recommendations are:
- Fired slice
- Bubble and squeak
Sausage roll
You are in a rush, but still want to have a classical English breakfast? Sausage roll! My cousin recently visited the UK for the very first time and for some reason developed an addiction to sausage rolls (I blame Greggs for it!). And if you are heading to Greggs as well, noticeable mentions also are – steak bakes and yum-yums!
Sunday Roast
Every pub in the country offers this! You have special versions of it – Christmas dinner and Easter Dinner. The best of roast meat with vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and Gravy! Please add the gravy – it will change your life!
If you want a kick – add mustard and horseradish to your plate.
Carvery
Sunday roast but every day! I think carvery is the hidden gem in English cuisine. Head to Toby Carvery for a choice of pork, gammon, beef or turkey roast accompanied by peas, roast potatoes, mash, cauliflower cheese, and many more. Oh, and a yorkie, of course. Around Christmas, you can get pork cracklings.
Still hungry? – you can usually go and put sides on your plate as many times as you want. The chances, however, for you to still be hungry after a plate of carvery are very slim.
Bangers and Mash
Another pub classic. You don’t hear about this a lot, but England has some very good sausages. Try this in the countryside where the meat is usually locally sourced.
Beef burgers
One thing I noticed about the UK when I moved here is that we have many cows. We have great beef! I must have had more beef here than for 23 years in Bulgaria. Again, countryside pubs that serve local meat are the best!
Ploughman’s Lunch
It’s just the perfect combination of warm bread, melting butter, ham, cheese, pickled onion and salad, served with an apple. You might be sceptical, so was I before I ordered this for lunch in a New Forest pub. It’s surprisingly filling and allows you to experiment with different flavours.
Pie
It’s not what you are thinking. It’s not sweet and it doesn’t have fruits in it. It’s full of meat, surrounded by vegetables and usually swims in gravy. The perfect meal for a cold evening after a long hike. If you are after the best pies – the New Forest Inn in Emery Down is your place.
Jacket potato
It’s a classic. And you can get it with a variety of toppings – from beans to tuna. The secret is the butter that melts in the baked potato.
Cornish pasty
This is a savoury pasty you can find with a variety of fillings, but the classic is beef, potatoes and onion. I could have it for breakfast, I could have it for lunch, I could have it for a snack. Obviously, if you are heading to Cornwall, it’s a must-try!
Venison
There are specific parts in the country where you can try venison. Venison burgers, Venison sausages or even Venison steaks. It’s a must-try meat for the food-lover.
Yorkshire pudding
It’s fluffy, it’s light and it’s a must for every roast dinner. If you go to York, there are people who turned it into a wrap and you should definitely try it!
Cream Tea
No, you don’t have to be a royalty to have cream tea! However, if you are looking to have your tea in Central London, it may cost you. I personally prefer to have my cream tea in the gardens of lovely coffee shops around the country. Remember – you want milk in your tea, clotted cream and jam on your scones and good company!
Bread and butter pudding
I don’t remember how I found this hidden food gem, but when I did, I got addicted. It came about during the war, when people were struggling financially and women came up with an idea how to use old bread to make a delicious and filling food for their children.
No one tells you about it and it’s hard to find, but if you are to find it, you must try it!
Visiting Wales?
- Rarebit – amazing cheese melted on a fresh bread roll. Both, me and Stitch, highly approve!
- Lamb – Wales is known for its sheep and they know how to cook lamb. No offence to my family, who are great at preparing lamb, the best lamb shank I have ever tried was in the Red Cow Inn in Merthyr Tydfil. Do your tastebuds a favour and visit them! It’s not only the lamb – everything they cook is beyond delicious!
And if you want to cook it yourself, pick your own! I love Pick your own farms where you can go and pick your own fruits and vegetables. Here, you can see me in my favourite – Sopley Pick Your Own in the New Forest.
Verdict:
England and Wales have a lot to offer when it comes to food, but people often don’t know where to go and what to order. I hope I have given you some ideas what to try next.
Have you tried any of the above? Can you recommend the best places to find English food? What do you plan to try next? See you in the comments.
KEY HUBS
