Here’s Your Official List Of The Top Foodie Experiences In The UK
Italy, Spain and the US might be the first places that spring to mind when you think of food worth travelling for, but the United Kingdom also treats foodies right. Lonely Planet has just released the Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist, a ranking of the top 500 destinations and experiences in the UK — including the best experiences for foodies.
[related_articles]75970,75796,73855[/related_articles]From Sunday roasts to quaint pubs and charming markets, there’s no shortage of amazing food in the UK. While Lonely Planet’s full list covers all kinds of unmissable experiences in Britain, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, they’ve also curated an extra-special list of the top 10 foodie experiences.
The list is for travellers who let their tastebuds lead the way, and it uncovers some gems in the heart of London and rural England.
Here are the top 10 foodie experiences in the United Kingdom according to Lonely Planet:
#1 Make a British weekend of it with a Sunday pub roast
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“It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a centuries-old, windowless pub in London or at a large country inn with tables sprawling over a lawn, you’ll be among friends and families laughing, drinking beer and tucking into plates of hot sliced roast beef or pork, Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes and assorted veggies, all slathered in gravy.”
#2 Take a foodie foray through London’s Borough Market
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“There’s nowhere better to browse for homegrown produce, exotic imports and rare breeds. Most visitors make a lunch of it, grazing on everything from Asian stir-fries and wild boar sausages to oysters and pungent cheeses, and sipping single-origin coffee or a cheeky Belgian Trappist ale.”
#3 Mix champers and champions at Wimbledon
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“London’s sports calendar is fast-paced and frenetic, but Wimbledon drops things to a more genteel pace, the occasional racquet-throwing tantrum notwithstanding. Sure, there are grunts and the odd expletive, but how many other sporting events can be enjoyed over champagne and strawberries in the (fingers crossed) English sunshine?”
#4 Start the day with a full English breakfast
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“The canonical full English is fried bacon, fried eggs, fried tomato, fried mushrooms, buttered toast (possibly fried – can you see a pattern?), baked beans and sausages, served with a squirt of brown sauce and a mug of tea. Restaurants do posh versions but if the experience means more to you than the food, go for the greasy spoon.”
#5 Sample Britain’s sweetest crab fresh off the boat in Cromer
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“The bustling Norfolk resort of Cromer is intrinsically bound up with the sea. At Davies Fish Shop, the crab is caught by its own dayboat, then boiled, cracked and dressed on-site – straight from sea to slab. Or head to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s Henry Blogg Museum for tales of daring rescues, then up to Rocket House, an airy cafe with a balcony almost overhanging the sea and a menu packed with Cromer crab.”
#6 Picnic with a view on genteel Primrose Hill
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“The graceful green space climbing behind Regent’s Park has front row seats onto central London, a vantage point enjoyed over the years by locals ranging from Sylvia Plath to Jude Law. It’s perfect picnic territory (though the surrounding pastel-coloured townhouse rows offer great cafes and restaurants if you prefer).”
#7 Spice up your life with a balti in Birmingham
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“Invented by a Pakistani chef in 1970s Birmingham, the balti launched as an east-meets-west dish where Pakistani culinary tradition fused with western tastes. Fire up your taste buds by hitting the restaurant of the chef who created the dish: Adil’s, in Birmingham’s famous Balti Triangle. Much imitated outside the city; rarely replicated.”
[related_articles]73498,69645,75559[/related_articles]#8 Come out of your shell at Whitstable’s famous oyster festival
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“Whitstable’s meaty molluscs are one of the main reasons moneyed Londoners head to this old-world town on the north Kent coast. One of the highlights is the oyster-eating competition, and the whole caboodle is infused with white Downland wine and lots of Kentish ale, both Whitstable-brewed and from nearby Farnham.”
#9 Make the pilgrimage for a pint at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem
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“Established as a stop-off for Holy Land–bound pilgrims, and with Richard the Lionheart supposedly among the former clientele, the building is steeped in legend. But Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem’s coolest feature is the network of caves opening directly off the rear, some used as drinking rooms or cellars.”
#10 Quaff quality craft-ale on Bermondsey Beer Mile
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“The Bermondsey Beer Mile is home to about 10 taprooms, some quite no-frills, plus an ever-expanding collection of craft-beer bars and bottle shops, making it an ideal afternoon ramble for hopheads.”
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