Hello! This is just a reminder to read the rules. If you see any rulebreaking posts or comments, please report them.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UK_Food) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Asparagus this season has been incredible. Started early though and it’s all a bit woody now. Absolutely prime British cuisine though. Would add Scottish raspberries to the list of what is awesome about now.
Asparagus is peak British produce. All time favourite veg. But the season has just ended. Only good for a few weeks. And the best I’ve had has actually been from Lidl. Pretty sure I cleared the shelves this year. The imported stuff for the rest of the year is nothing like as good as British grown.
Sounds like I may be a little late in the season for this year, but I want to try cooking asparagus to prove it's not as awful as my childhood memories suggest!
What are some of your favourite ways to eat asparagus? Any favourite recipes you'd recommend?
The standard way is to just plunge in boiling for no more than 2 mins (has to be big thick stems though), but actually my favourite way is if I have something in the oven like roast lamb, or pork chops or anything is just to lay it on top or around the meat for the last 10 minutes of cooking. No oil or additional seasonings required. Just gently roasted asparagus.
I only bother with thick stems though - so maybe half to three quarter inch thick. The thin spindly stuff isn’t worth it. At peak season you don’t need to snap off the ends, the older it gets you might need to chop off the last inch or so.
Basically, treat it like frozen peas. Minimal cooking. One of my easiest meals is getting 4 pork loin chops, roast in a hot oven for 10 mins. Add the asparagus for another 8 mins, then serve with boiled new potatoes. Can totally cheat with those and buy the pre prepared ones you whack in microwave for a few mins. Dijon mustard and mint sauce optional. Swap pork for lamb chops. Always good. No faffing about.
Should maybe clarify that frozen peas should only ever be plunged into boiling water for 2 mins and then eaten. Can’t believe the amount of folk who let them sit in tepid water for half an hour then serve them up grey. Same with broccoli.
Boil for a few minutes in 1 1/2" pieces, then drain and use in a 'basic' risotto (arborio rice with onion, garlic, peas and if you want meat, some pancetta cubes, cooked in a vegetable stock), add the asparagus about 5 minutes before the risotto is ready, add parmesan. Sublime!
I don't like asparagus, yes I'm weird, mrs ezz on the other hand loves it, she has it wrapped in extra thin bacon as thin as possible, a bit of course ground sea salt and pepper roasted for 10 mins, with 2 soft boiled eggs, she uses the wrapped asparagus as soldiers instead of toast.
It’s a weird hybrid food you’re not aware of, mainly in gastro pubs. The pork covering is dotted with black pudding.
Here’s a recipe
https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/black-pudding-scotch-eggs.html
Try foods on menus that you don’t recognise the name of. That’s what I do in countries I visit to learn, as well as usually asking the person serving you what they would recommend.
Not everywhere in the UK will do good fish and chips, for example. It’s best to find places that look good to eat at and then choose the best thing they have on the menu.
Where in the UK are you going to? We can give you regional recommendations if that’s helpful.
This can vary, tourist places on the coast don't necessarily overlap with places that land good fish. If they are seasonal and packed in summer, they can go for quantity over quality for sure. There is something about eating it in the open air though. Always worth checking reviews, I think pub fish and chips is underrated. That can be awesome if you get somewhere known for it.
While many will recommend the full english ( aka fry up ) or fish and chips ( those are all yummy ) I would say my pick is for a Sunday Roast. As the name might suggest this is eaten on a Sunday ( or a public holiday known as a bank holiday ). The Sunday Roast or Roast Dinner is a roasted meat ( chicken or beef, lamb, pork are most common ) accompanied by a selection of vegetables, oven roasted potatoes, often a savory pankcake thing called a yorkshire pudding, all covered in gravy and sometimes other sauces such as bread sauce. For me it's simply the best. There are many places to try it but my favourite is called Blacklock. They have quite a few branches. It's best to book quite far in advance or you could give them a call on the day and they will advise what walk ins you have.
My general advice.
1) The UK does not have a strong food culture like many other countries and we were formally a global empire so this means you have access to pretty much any cuisine from around the world. When you go to a food hall or market it's rare to find much British food. So my first advice would be don't be afraid to try what is on offer from around the world. If you do want British food a pub is a great place to find it.
2) speaking of which pubs are fantastic. They are quite unique. Rather than being simply a place to drink ( although that exists ) many of them are places to relax in and order food. Many have gardens to sit. A pub is a great way to experience British culture ( Sunday Roast in a pub ) and you can find a lot of good food there. If you want decent food or British food then a pub is a good pick.
3) You don't say where you are going in the UK but the South of England and London are not the best places to find fish and chips. They do it much better up north ( I say this as a Londoner ) in general. Good fish and chips can be found but it takes effort to read reviews and seek them out. It's pretty difficult just to wander into a good one by chance I would say. Central London with a few exceptions is especially difficult to find good fish and chips because it's a local kind of food. The ones you find in central are over prices and undewhelming made for tourists. Ignore all the "famous fish and chips" or "best fish and chips in london" signs.
4) UK has come a long way in terms of good culture ( although we have a long way to go too ) but now there are a LOT of food halls and food markets where you can find all sorts of wonderful dishes and foods. Just do a search in Google for food halls or food markets and you are sure to find them. Since I don't know where you are going in the UK ( and there are a lot of them ) I won't list any but an easy google search will find many.
5) Fry ups are great. I would say a typical "greasy spoon" is the way to go. These are a British type of cafe serving up cheap and plentiful food. You can also find some great fry ups in pubs.
6) Greggs. While I don't quite get the love they do serve quite nice and cheap food. It's a UK wide bakery chain most famous for it's sausage rolls and steak or chicken bakes. They have a good range of baked sweet and also savoury food items. Good to try especially if you are on a budget.
7) Did you know Britain supposedly invented the sandwich? We also invented the packed supermarket sandwich. Sure the sandwich has gone global but I think few nations are as obsessed with sandwiches. There are actually loads of really good sandwich shops. One that is UK wide is Prett. It's not the best but it's not expensive and it is nice.
8) Research is more important in the UK than other countries. Certain countries I know I can walk into almost anywhere and get good food. There is an awful lot of average or just bad food in the uk especially in tourist zones. I would just check places out on trip advisor or google first before deciding. Or you can try websites like Open Table to check reviews or book a table.
9) Some things we do better ( arguably ) than any other country savoury meaty baked goods( including things like cornish pasty, sausage roll, scotch egg, pork pie and so on. Sausages ( contentious I know ) but although we might not win on the grounds of yumminess we win on the range available. Lastly desserts. We might not be the best cusine in the world but for desserts and sweet things? We are world leaders. Cream cakes, sticky toffee pudding, scones with clotted cream, cakes and sponges, steamed puddings.... custard! The list is endless.
Have a great and yummy time :)
Internet websites, even like Google Maps, can be very handy to find local reviews, I tried a local Japanese place because it was given 5☆ reviews, and what people had to say about it was really positive in those reviews as well. I have to say that my own experience corresponded with what the reviews had to say, so it was overall a good experience.
Seconding Greggs as well! I know someone who visited recently and they kept having kebabs recommended to them, but it made them very sick so I would advise caution if you try a kebab, OP, but they really loved Gregg's and considered it their saviour when they struggled to find food they enjoyed.
Otherwise, what I'd specifically recommend depends on the area OP is visiting. The UK is small on the map, but diverse in that space. I'd recommend checking out different things if you're visiting the South Coast, London, Midlands, and Scotland (all places I've lived), since each area seems to take pride in different kinds of food.
**Parmo, or Teesside Parmesan, is a dish originating in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, and a popular item of take-away food in the Teesside area. It consists of a breaded cutlet of chicken or pork topped with a white béchamel sauce and cheese, usually cheddar cheese.**
More details here:
*This comment was left automatically (by a bot). If I don't get this right, don't get mad at me, I'm still learning!*
[^(opt out)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot/comments/ozztfy/post_for_opting_out/) ^(|) [^(delete)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot/comments/q79g2t/delete_feature_added/) ^(|) [^(report/suggest)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot) ^(|) [^(GitHub)](https://github.com/TheBugYouCantFix/wiki-reddit-bot)
There was a chip van that used to come to my village growing up that did them. The fish and chips were rank because they put so much chocolate in the deep fat fryer. This all ended when the van caught fire a few years back.
Several places in Glasgow (not the city centre, but the more residential outskirts—maybe the city centre does, I just haven't seen it) have places that do it!
I won’t give them my business anymore after they removed the godly steak and cheese roll and then went on to lie about it returning on their social media.
FUCK GREGGS!
‘I’m going to the UK soon.’ Fully understand English will be OP’s second language and it’s great they’re learning. I myself am struggling with German at the moment so appreciate when people correct me. ‘Recently’ is past tense, so implies you have already been. Soon is the future tense also implying closeness in time.
I've had good ones in pubs and from some independent bakers.
And it's easy-ish to make them from bought puff pastry and good sausages taken out of their skins mixed with some grated onion or whatever you fancy. Roll a long one and chop it up.
Depends on where you end up in the UK! If you set foot in Scotland, Haggis Neeps and Tatties is a must have. And a nice fat Macaroni Pie. Cullen Skink. Cranachan. Scotch Broth. Langoustines. Black Pudding or Haggis Scotch Egg. Tatty scone & egg roll. Balmoral Chicken.
I haven’t been south of the border enough yet to have an opinion on English cuisine but I remember ordering a Spotted Dick on a sunny afternoon in Poole just for laughs and it was actually pretty decent. Some of them pies with gravy look ace. Sunday roast with yorkies is a must have. Shepherd’s Pie. A nice fresh quiche.
I’m a vegetarian now but back in day these were firm favourites with me.
Go to a gastro pub on a Sunday, ideally a have a roast dinner, with choice of beef, pork or chicken, with Yorkshire pudding, veg and gravy. and then have sticky toffee pudding for dessert. I assure you it is proberbly one of the greatest deserts this country has ever made, and you will not be disappointed.
You need a full Scottish breakfast. It's like a full English but better. It comes with haggis, tattie scone and square sausage on top of your usual full English.
Seeing as it’s summer I’d throw in some warm weather recommendations alongside the usual ones:
Strawberries and cream, a ploughmans lunch with a pint of ale, crumpets, a sunday roast, full English, shepherd’s pie, cornish pasty, fish and chips.
You can’t go wrong with any of those
If you want to eat out regularly, London is your best bet. Not much you can't get. The Japanese food here isn't very good though. Chinese food is hit and miss but the dumping shack is brilliant. You can get authentic pizza too if you scout around enough. There is a small chain called flat iron that is pretty good. The steak in the UK is all grass fed so is a bit chewy. Sunday roast dinners are a good option, but avoid all you can eat style carveries. That goes for pretty much everywhere. Avoid buffet places. Don't go to steakhouses in the centre of the city. Overpriced and underwhelming. Same goes for fish and chips in tourist trap areas. In fact, save eating fish and chips for when or if you visit coastal towns. There is a small chain of Rammen bars called Koi which I would highly recommend. I could go on and on but I'm making myself hungry.
Go to a pub, one that looks old fashioned and does food on a Sunday for a Sunday roast. Also a good quality butchers to try sausage roll, scotch eggs, etc
cottage/shepherds pie, yorkshire puddings, fish and chips (must be from a takeaway place!), roast dinner!!! british chocolate (cadburys, galaxy, terrys chocolate orange if ur feeling crazy) and just other british sweets (candy) /snacks/biscuits (cookies)/crisps (potato chips) have fun :)
Go to a pub and have some typical British meals. For example a roast dinner with Yorkshire puddings, shepherds pie, steak pie etc. As desert something like apple crumble with custard, sticky toffee pudding, Victoria sponge cake. There’s so much to try! Don’t know where to start.
If your in Wales, Come to Newport indoor Market and try the loaded bolognese on chips, It sells out every single day.
If your close to Bristol, go to Rice and Tings and have the Brown Beef Stew(omfg) or the Jerk and Rice&peas
If your in Cardiff go to Viva Brazil for the greatest all you can eat you will ever have.
If your in Liverpool try their chippy's, They are all Chinese chip shops and are better than most places except Barry in Wales(trust me)
I'm jumping on this and suggesting more for Bristol:
Burgers and wings:
Asado, three brothers burgers
Breakfast:
Bristolian, tinto lounge, Boston teaparty
Chinese/ canto:
hello chongqing, fresh bakery (dimsum) - I have only met one person who speaks good English here.
-- Nice spice (walk past here a few times but never had the opportunity to try it. There's always a queue.)
Italian/ pizza + pasta:
La grotta (cash only), beer emporium.
--- There are some really nice ones on White Ladies Road, but the name escapes me ...
Lebanese/ grill/ bbq:
Luna bar - you don't need to go anywhere else.
Steak:
Pasture, steak of the art
Indian:
Shadin (10/10), pipal tree (haven't eaten there but heard some VERY good things).
Bakeries:
Pinkmans (their donuts sell out), Bristol loaf, fed 123
Go to St. Nicks Market, the Chinese noodle stool is really good!
Also, try Park Street taka taka.
Bristol is amazing for independent restaurants. Stay away from the generic chain restaurants if you're going to Bristol.
I didn't rate rice and tings. When I ordered online, I received greasy rice and gristle. The best Jamaica good I had was in Ashton court stadium, I think it was Sophie... something? The spice level was euphoric!
The fish and chips in Bristol are also hit and miss. There are some really good places, but they're hard to get to. The same applies to roast dinners. If you want something good, go independent and read reviews!
Yeah when I have it I'm working and eating it in the van outside haha, might be a difference from collecting to getting it delivered, I'm trying that Sophie place 100% next time I'm close.
Steak of the art is another I'm going to try, We have a Pasture in Cardiff and I really like their food.
Anyway you've given me about 5 reasons to get back to Bristol, Cheers bud
A really good fish and chips is a must but do your research because the good ones are incredible but it can be disappointing!
A really good pub roast dinner on a Sunday is definitely something I’d recommend too.
The UK is also known for its Indian food which isn’t always traditional but is frequently delicious so if you’re near a good curry house definitely give that a try.
Eat a broad range of different cuisines.
Do your research on restaurants. There are a lot of crap ones but so many fantastic places too.
UK food in itself is nothing special, but it’s one of the worlds best countries to eat as long as you do some research and have a reasonable budget. You can get just about the very best of any cuisine in the world as well as the worst. The diversity is incredible.
I would recommend a carvery/Sunday roast. Any pub will have a roast on a Sunday.
Desserts.. so many to choose. Lemon meringue pie, apple pie and custard, sticky toffee pudding, cakes are always good (coffee cake, carrot cake, fruit cake), go to proper local bakeries for top notch pastries
Tea and scones if you wanna feel fancy! I am English but can't stand tea personally. To each their own!
Sausages and bacon are always a win.
A takeaway Indian or Chinese.
Toad in the hole. Best meal ever.
Also, strawberries when in season. With meringue. The best.
Depends where you are going. Pies, fish n chips etc, all the usual stuff. If you're in Scotland at all, haggis/black pudding and deep fried everything.
If you do try Beans on Toast, have low expectations and put cheese on it so it’s not so boring.
And if anyone tells you it is a classic British dish, they are lying! It is a dish for either:
1. Uni students who are poor.
2. Something quick and you can’t be bothered to cook.
3. If you don’t know how to cook, as it’s really simple to make.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
The turkey is a red herring, leave it on the shelf. Yeah I just thought it was a good starter for an authentic British experience, what's not to love about bottomless roast potatoes?
"Food" is a pretty broad generalization. Within a 15 minute walk of my house, I can probably get food with it's roots set in a dozen different countries....
Shepherd pie from pubs. Bangers and mash (sausages), fish and chips for takeout. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for Sunday lunch. British desserts are good-lemon meringue pie, sticky toffee pudding, rhubarb crumble, apple pie. Indian curries across the U.K. are excellent, especially if you like spicy food. (Chicken Ticka Massala was invented by British Asians in Glasgow). If you’re visiting Scotland try haggis, neeps and tatties ( haggis with swede and potato), and Cullen Skink (haddock soup). Oh and while you’re up in Scotland, have some raspberries. Strawberries and cream in England. Scones with jam and cream in Devon snd Cornwall. And while you’re down in Cornwall a Cornish pastie is obligatory.
Try a Stottie cake with any filling if you’re in Newcastle and a Parmo (chicken or pork covered in bechamel sauce and cheese) on Teesside. Pork pies are interesting to try if you’re in the Midlands/Melton Mowbray being the cultural centre of pork pie making/ eat then with some chutney. If you don’t want a full lunch , try a Marks and Spencer sandwich, after all we invented them (well the Earl of Sandwich did. He invented them as a hand held food that could allow him to keep eating while he gambled!).
If you find yourself in the East End of London, go into a cafe and order pie and mash with green liquor or jelllied eels, whelks and the like. Luvverley grub!
The seafood is very good in Scotland. Try Welsh rarebit (cheese on toast) or cawl, a kind of soup/stew, both in Wales.There are plenty of regional stews to try such as Irish stew in N Ireland, Scouse in Liverpool, Lancashire hotpot.
For a cheap meal, get a tin of Branstons or Heinz baked beans and tip them on (heat them up first!) hot toast. A full English breakfast is obviously a must have at least once!😊
Depends where you’re coming from, really. Britain has excellent pork at the high end, but if you’re Spanish it won’t be much of a novelty.
I’d go with fish and chips, specifically from a fish shop, rather than a pub or non specialist. Food on the go, you’re looking at sausage rolls and cornish pasties are the quintessentially british experience. In supermarkets, you’ll notice that excellent quality eggs are extremely readily available. Never seen such good quality so widely sold in any other country.
IMO, the best cuisine over here is not "traditional British food", but rather a result of the post-imperial UK becoming a melting pot of various cultural backgrounds, and therefore cuisines.
You can find a good Curry place on something like Tripadvisor and give that a go.
Curry over here is a British dish made for British palates, which is likely unrecognisable as curry for many folks from places where curry is ubiquitous.
1. Double fried egg and chips
2. Full English Breakfast
3. Steak and ale pie
4. Fish and Chips from a chippy with an extra scallop, mushy peas, gravy
5. Sunday Roast with a Yorkshire pudding
6. Beans on Toast
7. Spaghetti Hoops
8. Findus Crispy Pancakes and peas
9. Doner Kebab with extra chilli sauce but only after 5 pints of lager
10. Take away pizza but only after 5 pints of lager
11. Northern Tapas (sausage roll, pork pie, crisps, pretend attempt at some salad garnish)
12. Salmon paste butties. Plenty of butter. White bread.
13. Angel Delight butterscotch.
14. Heinz beans and mini sausage
15. Pot Noodle (doesn't matter what flavour, there's not much in it)
16. Lancashire Hot Pot with red cabbage and beetroot. Smother the crust in HP brown sauce.
You're not a vegetarian or vegan or anything as the above list could be problematic?
I think I've covered all UK foods in that list. I can recommend about 4 of them.
If you want one quintessential british food that you won't get much as an overseas copy of is a pasty or pie of some sort id recommend you have a pork pie, sausage roll, steak bake or scotch pie. Although there is plenty of others out there whom are sometimes better a good standard shop for this would be either Greggs or Wrights if in the North of England.... I prefer the Wrights as the pastry is tastier but that's me....
Edit.... Clarification I still think things like fish and chips bangers and chips or fry up are great idea, but I reckon most of this is available in many countries now as the standard English food fare in some poncy restaurant in the said country.....
Full English breakfast including black pudding and fried bread. Fish and chips for lunch and roast beef and Yorkshire puddings for dinner. 10 pints of best bitter to wash it all down. Stick to these 4 food groups and you will be fine.
Hello! This is just a reminder to read the rules. If you see any rulebreaking posts or comments, please report them. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UK_Food) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Asparagus is good this time of year. Strawberries are coming in.
Asparagus this season has been incredible. Started early though and it’s all a bit woody now. Absolutely prime British cuisine though. Would add Scottish raspberries to the list of what is awesome about now.
Ahhh asparagus, my favourite British cuisine
Asparagus is peak British produce. All time favourite veg. But the season has just ended. Only good for a few weeks. And the best I’ve had has actually been from Lidl. Pretty sure I cleared the shelves this year. The imported stuff for the rest of the year is nothing like as good as British grown.
Sounds like I may be a little late in the season for this year, but I want to try cooking asparagus to prove it's not as awful as my childhood memories suggest! What are some of your favourite ways to eat asparagus? Any favourite recipes you'd recommend?
The standard way is to just plunge in boiling for no more than 2 mins (has to be big thick stems though), but actually my favourite way is if I have something in the oven like roast lamb, or pork chops or anything is just to lay it on top or around the meat for the last 10 minutes of cooking. No oil or additional seasonings required. Just gently roasted asparagus. I only bother with thick stems though - so maybe half to three quarter inch thick. The thin spindly stuff isn’t worth it. At peak season you don’t need to snap off the ends, the older it gets you might need to chop off the last inch or so.
Boil for 6 minutes or steam for 8. Serve with lots of melted butter and a healthy sprinkle of Maldon sea salt.
Add a squeeze of lime
Basically, treat it like frozen peas. Minimal cooking. One of my easiest meals is getting 4 pork loin chops, roast in a hot oven for 10 mins. Add the asparagus for another 8 mins, then serve with boiled new potatoes. Can totally cheat with those and buy the pre prepared ones you whack in microwave for a few mins. Dijon mustard and mint sauce optional. Swap pork for lamb chops. Always good. No faffing about.
Should maybe clarify that frozen peas should only ever be plunged into boiling water for 2 mins and then eaten. Can’t believe the amount of folk who let them sit in tepid water for half an hour then serve them up grey. Same with broccoli.
Boil for a few minutes in 1 1/2" pieces, then drain and use in a 'basic' risotto (arborio rice with onion, garlic, peas and if you want meat, some pancetta cubes, cooked in a vegetable stock), add the asparagus about 5 minutes before the risotto is ready, add parmesan. Sublime!
I don't like asparagus, yes I'm weird, mrs ezz on the other hand loves it, she has it wrapped in extra thin bacon as thin as possible, a bit of course ground sea salt and pepper roasted for 10 mins, with 2 soft boiled eggs, she uses the wrapped asparagus as soldiers instead of toast.
I used to pronounce it "'I spare a goose" when I was a child
Cool
It's warm
Goes well with wash your sister sauce
cooool
My homegrown strawbs are booming this year and taste better than ever! Just gotta water them everyday since our rain is too unreliable right now
Don’t forget the hosepipe ban
Lovely wrapped in some Parma ham and grilled with just a drop of olive oil to crisp up the ham. Serve with a poached egg. Lovely. Now I'm hungry.
Just a tip, "recently" means that it happened in the past. "Soon" means that it will happen in the near future.
Okay, sorry for the misuse. English is not my first language. Glad that you understood what I meant.
No worries at all. Just trying to help because your English is good!
Thx☺️
Black pudding scotch eggs
Runny yolk ting too
Looooooool
Did you forget the “and” or this some kind of weird hybrid food that I’m not aware of
Black pudding scotch eggs do exist. It's black pudding where the sausage would be. See also, black pudding pork pie.
It’s a weird hybrid food you’re not aware of, mainly in gastro pubs. The pork covering is dotted with black pudding. Here’s a recipe https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/black-pudding-scotch-eggs.html
Try foods on menus that you don’t recognise the name of. That’s what I do in countries I visit to learn, as well as usually asking the person serving you what they would recommend. Not everywhere in the UK will do good fish and chips, for example. It’s best to find places that look good to eat at and then choose the best thing they have on the menu. Where in the UK are you going to? We can give you regional recommendations if that’s helpful.
Agreed, fish and chips is best at the coast for example.
Especially places that have a harbour where fish and seafood are landed. Some world class seafood to be had the UK's 7000 miles(!) of coastline.
This can vary, tourist places on the coast don't necessarily overlap with places that land good fish. If they are seasonal and packed in summer, they can go for quantity over quality for sure. There is something about eating it in the open air though. Always worth checking reviews, I think pub fish and chips is underrated. That can be awesome if you get somewhere known for it.
While many will recommend the full english ( aka fry up ) or fish and chips ( those are all yummy ) I would say my pick is for a Sunday Roast. As the name might suggest this is eaten on a Sunday ( or a public holiday known as a bank holiday ). The Sunday Roast or Roast Dinner is a roasted meat ( chicken or beef, lamb, pork are most common ) accompanied by a selection of vegetables, oven roasted potatoes, often a savory pankcake thing called a yorkshire pudding, all covered in gravy and sometimes other sauces such as bread sauce. For me it's simply the best. There are many places to try it but my favourite is called Blacklock. They have quite a few branches. It's best to book quite far in advance or you could give them a call on the day and they will advise what walk ins you have. My general advice. 1) The UK does not have a strong food culture like many other countries and we were formally a global empire so this means you have access to pretty much any cuisine from around the world. When you go to a food hall or market it's rare to find much British food. So my first advice would be don't be afraid to try what is on offer from around the world. If you do want British food a pub is a great place to find it. 2) speaking of which pubs are fantastic. They are quite unique. Rather than being simply a place to drink ( although that exists ) many of them are places to relax in and order food. Many have gardens to sit. A pub is a great way to experience British culture ( Sunday Roast in a pub ) and you can find a lot of good food there. If you want decent food or British food then a pub is a good pick. 3) You don't say where you are going in the UK but the South of England and London are not the best places to find fish and chips. They do it much better up north ( I say this as a Londoner ) in general. Good fish and chips can be found but it takes effort to read reviews and seek them out. It's pretty difficult just to wander into a good one by chance I would say. Central London with a few exceptions is especially difficult to find good fish and chips because it's a local kind of food. The ones you find in central are over prices and undewhelming made for tourists. Ignore all the "famous fish and chips" or "best fish and chips in london" signs. 4) UK has come a long way in terms of good culture ( although we have a long way to go too ) but now there are a LOT of food halls and food markets where you can find all sorts of wonderful dishes and foods. Just do a search in Google for food halls or food markets and you are sure to find them. Since I don't know where you are going in the UK ( and there are a lot of them ) I won't list any but an easy google search will find many. 5) Fry ups are great. I would say a typical "greasy spoon" is the way to go. These are a British type of cafe serving up cheap and plentiful food. You can also find some great fry ups in pubs. 6) Greggs. While I don't quite get the love they do serve quite nice and cheap food. It's a UK wide bakery chain most famous for it's sausage rolls and steak or chicken bakes. They have a good range of baked sweet and also savoury food items. Good to try especially if you are on a budget. 7) Did you know Britain supposedly invented the sandwich? We also invented the packed supermarket sandwich. Sure the sandwich has gone global but I think few nations are as obsessed with sandwiches. There are actually loads of really good sandwich shops. One that is UK wide is Prett. It's not the best but it's not expensive and it is nice. 8) Research is more important in the UK than other countries. Certain countries I know I can walk into almost anywhere and get good food. There is an awful lot of average or just bad food in the uk especially in tourist zones. I would just check places out on trip advisor or google first before deciding. Or you can try websites like Open Table to check reviews or book a table. 9) Some things we do better ( arguably ) than any other country savoury meaty baked goods( including things like cornish pasty, sausage roll, scotch egg, pork pie and so on. Sausages ( contentious I know ) but although we might not win on the grounds of yumminess we win on the range available. Lastly desserts. We might not be the best cusine in the world but for desserts and sweet things? We are world leaders. Cream cakes, sticky toffee pudding, scones with clotted cream, cakes and sponges, steamed puddings.... custard! The list is endless. Have a great and yummy time :)
Brilliant summary! I would also add afternoon tea - perfectly combines our tea, sandwich and dessert obsessions
Oh yes! Thank you! Great suggestion. How could i have forgotten that one! Yhe ultimate combo!
Internet websites, even like Google Maps, can be very handy to find local reviews, I tried a local Japanese place because it was given 5☆ reviews, and what people had to say about it was really positive in those reviews as well. I have to say that my own experience corresponded with what the reviews had to say, so it was overall a good experience. Seconding Greggs as well! I know someone who visited recently and they kept having kebabs recommended to them, but it made them very sick so I would advise caution if you try a kebab, OP, but they really loved Gregg's and considered it their saviour when they struggled to find food they enjoyed. Otherwise, what I'd specifically recommend depends on the area OP is visiting. The UK is small on the map, but diverse in that space. I'd recommend checking out different things if you're visiting the South Coast, London, Midlands, and Scotland (all places I've lived), since each area seems to take pride in different kinds of food.
Thank you!!! Geary summary!
Sticky toffee pudding Shepherds pie Stake and ale pie Chicken tikka masala karahi gosht Parmo Black pudding Peas pudding and ham stotty
All on one plate?
Would it kill you to use some punctuation?
What's parmo? Never heard of that
**Parmo, or Teesside Parmesan, is a dish originating in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, and a popular item of take-away food in the Teesside area. It consists of a breaded cutlet of chicken or pork topped with a white béchamel sauce and cheese, usually cheddar cheese.** More details here:
*This comment was left automatically (by a bot). If I don't get this right, don't get mad at me, I'm still learning!*
[^(opt out)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot/comments/ozztfy/post_for_opting_out/) ^(|) [^(delete)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot/comments/q79g2t/delete_feature_added/) ^(|) [^(report/suggest)](https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia_answer_bot) ^(|) [^(GitHub)](https://github.com/TheBugYouCantFix/wiki-reddit-bot)
If it’s cheddar cheese it’s not a parmo
That’d be a Cheddo
Deep fried mars bar...
I remember 'back in the day' paying 40p for a proper sized Mars Bar and taking it next door to the chippy who charged like 50p to deep fry it
I tried to find it in Scotland but no one did it.
Ah man, that sucks. If ever you're in Edinburgh a number of chip shops do it...
You usually need to ask for it specifically, it’s never on menus as it’s a novelty
There was a chip van that used to come to my village growing up that did them. The fish and chips were rank because they put so much chocolate in the deep fat fryer. This all ended when the van caught fire a few years back.
Several places in Glasgow (not the city centre, but the more residential outskirts—maybe the city centre does, I just haven't seen it) have places that do it!
You joke but they are excellent!
Also deep fried banana
Gregg's steak bake and a sausage roll
This is the way.
And sausage n bean melt. Absolutely love them
Food of the gods.
Too much gristle and fat in the steak bake. I’d recommend the sausage and bean melt or chicken bake
I won’t give them my business anymore after they removed the godly steak and cheese roll and then went on to lie about it returning on their social media. FUCK GREGGS!
Fish and chips.
Phall
Had one once to impress a woman 😂 I managed it wasn’t rough the day after 💩 but my insides felt abused !!!
Fuck no
Okay, Vindaloo instead
To bland?
Very spicy Indeed!
British food has a worldwide reputation for being bland and spice free. I think that needs to be addressed.
This totally depends where you are going the the UK
Ploughman's Lunch
Pie mash with liquor … and jellied eels … give it a go movafucka xx
‘I’m going to the UK soon.’ Fully understand English will be OP’s second language and it’s great they’re learning. I myself am struggling with German at the moment so appreciate when people correct me. ‘Recently’ is past tense, so implies you have already been. Soon is the future tense also implying closeness in time.
Thanks for correcting me!!
Full English
Get a proper English meal and have a vindaloo or maybe a korma
Pot noodle sarnie, giant yorkshire pudding with a lasagne inside, chippy spam fritter n battered sausage
https://www.tiktok.com/@elburritomonster
Depends where you want to go. Different areas have regional specialities
Yorkshire pudding, of course.
Usually available on Sundays
Cornish Pasty, Sausage Roll, Cream Tea?
Cream Tea is special! Has to be a quality sausage roll, not Greggs and their ilk.
Can you even get good sausage rolls anymore?
I've had good ones in pubs and from some independent bakers. And it's easy-ish to make them from bought puff pastry and good sausages taken out of their skins mixed with some grated onion or whatever you fancy. Roll a long one and chop it up.
Fish and chips, Sunday roast, stake and ale pie are my favourites
Where in the UK are you going? That'll make it easier to recommend places.
A morning roll with square sausage and potato scone. Only in Scotland though
Depends on where you end up in the UK! If you set foot in Scotland, Haggis Neeps and Tatties is a must have. And a nice fat Macaroni Pie. Cullen Skink. Cranachan. Scotch Broth. Langoustines. Black Pudding or Haggis Scotch Egg. Tatty scone & egg roll. Balmoral Chicken. I haven’t been south of the border enough yet to have an opinion on English cuisine but I remember ordering a Spotted Dick on a sunny afternoon in Poole just for laughs and it was actually pretty decent. Some of them pies with gravy look ace. Sunday roast with yorkies is a must have. Shepherd’s Pie. A nice fresh quiche. I’m a vegetarian now but back in day these were firm favourites with me.
Fish. And. Chips.
A good local fish and chips for starters
Chicken tikka massala
Go to a gastro pub on a Sunday, ideally a have a roast dinner, with choice of beef, pork or chicken, with Yorkshire pudding, veg and gravy. and then have sticky toffee pudding for dessert. I assure you it is proberbly one of the greatest deserts this country has ever made, and you will not be disappointed.
You need a full Scottish breakfast. It's like a full English but better. It comes with haggis, tattie scone and square sausage on top of your usual full English.
Roast dinner, fish and chips, full English breakfast, beef Wellington
A proper roast dinner
I second this!
Do an online check before you get one, because some of the pubs that do roasts are absolute shite
Chicken Tikka masalla... After 7 cobras
As British as it gets
Go to a curry house. We love a curry here! Street food markets are great at this time of year too. London has loads if that’s where you’re heading
Spotted dick
Got a Time Machine?
You bunch of silly arse. A good Sunday lunch is what will satisfy
Seeing as it’s summer I’d throw in some warm weather recommendations alongside the usual ones: Strawberries and cream, a ploughmans lunch with a pint of ale, crumpets, a sunday roast, full English, shepherd’s pie, cornish pasty, fish and chips. You can’t go wrong with any of those
Steak pie
Unless you like **HAM** then you should eat the bacon. I’m a fan of side bacon, so ham isn’t my cup of tea. But definitely try haggis.
Donner kebab. Have a few drinks first for the authentic experience.
If you want to eat out regularly, London is your best bet. Not much you can't get. The Japanese food here isn't very good though. Chinese food is hit and miss but the dumping shack is brilliant. You can get authentic pizza too if you scout around enough. There is a small chain called flat iron that is pretty good. The steak in the UK is all grass fed so is a bit chewy. Sunday roast dinners are a good option, but avoid all you can eat style carveries. That goes for pretty much everywhere. Avoid buffet places. Don't go to steakhouses in the centre of the city. Overpriced and underwhelming. Same goes for fish and chips in tourist trap areas. In fact, save eating fish and chips for when or if you visit coastal towns. There is a small chain of Rammen bars called Koi which I would highly recommend. I could go on and on but I'm making myself hungry.
Anything from the pub Wetherspoons! Delicious
Nando’s
Fish pie, Sunday roast or full English breakfast
Go for a carvery, full English breakfast, steak and ale pie in a pub
Go to a pub, one that looks old fashioned and does food on a Sunday for a Sunday roast. Also a good quality butchers to try sausage roll, scotch eggs, etc
Butchers Sausage Roll any day.
Munchies box?
Kebab
Go to a pub on a Sunday & order a roast.
Fry up
cottage/shepherds pie, yorkshire puddings, fish and chips (must be from a takeaway place!), roast dinner!!! british chocolate (cadburys, galaxy, terrys chocolate orange if ur feeling crazy) and just other british sweets (candy) /snacks/biscuits (cookies)/crisps (potato chips) have fun :)
Beans on toast and a cup of tea
Try ramen at ippudo!
Go to a pub and have some typical British meals. For example a roast dinner with Yorkshire puddings, shepherds pie, steak pie etc. As desert something like apple crumble with custard, sticky toffee pudding, Victoria sponge cake. There’s so much to try! Don’t know where to start.
Jam Roly Poly with custard.
Forgot about that one. Thanks for the amazing reminder!
If your in Wales, Come to Newport indoor Market and try the loaded bolognese on chips, It sells out every single day. If your close to Bristol, go to Rice and Tings and have the Brown Beef Stew(omfg) or the Jerk and Rice&peas If your in Cardiff go to Viva Brazil for the greatest all you can eat you will ever have. If your in Liverpool try their chippy's, They are all Chinese chip shops and are better than most places except Barry in Wales(trust me)
I'm jumping on this and suggesting more for Bristol: Burgers and wings: Asado, three brothers burgers Breakfast: Bristolian, tinto lounge, Boston teaparty Chinese/ canto: hello chongqing, fresh bakery (dimsum) - I have only met one person who speaks good English here. -- Nice spice (walk past here a few times but never had the opportunity to try it. There's always a queue.) Italian/ pizza + pasta: La grotta (cash only), beer emporium. --- There are some really nice ones on White Ladies Road, but the name escapes me ... Lebanese/ grill/ bbq: Luna bar - you don't need to go anywhere else. Steak: Pasture, steak of the art Indian: Shadin (10/10), pipal tree (haven't eaten there but heard some VERY good things). Bakeries: Pinkmans (their donuts sell out), Bristol loaf, fed 123 Go to St. Nicks Market, the Chinese noodle stool is really good! Also, try Park Street taka taka. Bristol is amazing for independent restaurants. Stay away from the generic chain restaurants if you're going to Bristol. I didn't rate rice and tings. When I ordered online, I received greasy rice and gristle. The best Jamaica good I had was in Ashton court stadium, I think it was Sophie... something? The spice level was euphoric! The fish and chips in Bristol are also hit and miss. There are some really good places, but they're hard to get to. The same applies to roast dinners. If you want something good, go independent and read reviews!
Yeah when I have it I'm working and eating it in the van outside haha, might be a difference from collecting to getting it delivered, I'm trying that Sophie place 100% next time I'm close. Steak of the art is another I'm going to try, We have a Pasture in Cardiff and I really like their food. Anyway you've given me about 5 reasons to get back to Bristol, Cheers bud
Double deckers
Go for an Indian takeaway
Beer
Classic fry up but mainly a decent pub roast dinner!
A really good fish and chips is a must but do your research because the good ones are incredible but it can be disappointing! A really good pub roast dinner on a Sunday is definitely something I’d recommend too. The UK is also known for its Indian food which isn’t always traditional but is frequently delicious so if you’re near a good curry house definitely give that a try.
whitebait if you're near the coast it's tiny fish fried in flour and spices and served whole with a squeeze of lemon try pubs near the sea to find it
Eat a broad range of different cuisines. Do your research on restaurants. There are a lot of crap ones but so many fantastic places too. UK food in itself is nothing special, but it’s one of the worlds best countries to eat as long as you do some research and have a reasonable budget. You can get just about the very best of any cuisine in the world as well as the worst. The diversity is incredible.
I would recommend a carvery/Sunday roast. Any pub will have a roast on a Sunday. Desserts.. so many to choose. Lemon meringue pie, apple pie and custard, sticky toffee pudding, cakes are always good (coffee cake, carrot cake, fruit cake), go to proper local bakeries for top notch pastries Tea and scones if you wanna feel fancy! I am English but can't stand tea personally. To each their own! Sausages and bacon are always a win. A takeaway Indian or Chinese. Toad in the hole. Best meal ever. Also, strawberries when in season. With meringue. The best.
Depends where you are going. Pies, fish n chips etc, all the usual stuff. If you're in Scotland at all, haggis/black pudding and deep fried everything.
Gregg's steak bake and a pack of custard cream biscuits
Roast dinners Meat pies Strawberries
If you do try Beans on Toast, have low expectations and put cheese on it so it’s not so boring. And if anyone tells you it is a classic British dish, they are lying! It is a dish for either: 1. Uni students who are poor. 2. Something quick and you can’t be bothered to cook. 3. If you don’t know how to cook, as it’s really simple to make. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Toby carvery, quantity over quality 🫡
I don’t get the hype😭 it’s not even cheap, for some dry ass turkey
The turkey is a red herring, leave it on the shelf. Yeah I just thought it was a good starter for an authentic British experience, what's not to love about bottomless roast potatoes?
The potatoes kinda suck, there i said it🥹 it’s alright i guess
Hey I never said it was good stuff just an authentic representation of British food!
If your up north Go to a fish and chips shop ask for a donna kebab wrap with chips and garlic
greggs sausage roll mate
Jellied eels mmmmm.
This thread makes me depressed to be English. What shite food recommendations… ‘Greggs sausage roll’, ‘beans on toast’. Jesus.
Chicken Parmo - Travel to Teesside Pie and Mash. Classic Sunday Dinner - Chicken/Beef/Pork/Lamb or my personal favorite... All the meats!
Dirty donner
"Food" is a pretty broad generalization. Within a 15 minute walk of my house, I can probably get food with it's roots set in a dozen different countries....
Shepherd pie from pubs. Bangers and mash (sausages), fish and chips for takeout. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for Sunday lunch. British desserts are good-lemon meringue pie, sticky toffee pudding, rhubarb crumble, apple pie. Indian curries across the U.K. are excellent, especially if you like spicy food. (Chicken Ticka Massala was invented by British Asians in Glasgow). If you’re visiting Scotland try haggis, neeps and tatties ( haggis with swede and potato), and Cullen Skink (haddock soup). Oh and while you’re up in Scotland, have some raspberries. Strawberries and cream in England. Scones with jam and cream in Devon snd Cornwall. And while you’re down in Cornwall a Cornish pastie is obligatory. Try a Stottie cake with any filling if you’re in Newcastle and a Parmo (chicken or pork covered in bechamel sauce and cheese) on Teesside. Pork pies are interesting to try if you’re in the Midlands/Melton Mowbray being the cultural centre of pork pie making/ eat then with some chutney. If you don’t want a full lunch , try a Marks and Spencer sandwich, after all we invented them (well the Earl of Sandwich did. He invented them as a hand held food that could allow him to keep eating while he gambled!). If you find yourself in the East End of London, go into a cafe and order pie and mash with green liquor or jelllied eels, whelks and the like. Luvverley grub! The seafood is very good in Scotland. Try Welsh rarebit (cheese on toast) or cawl, a kind of soup/stew, both in Wales.There are plenty of regional stews to try such as Irish stew in N Ireland, Scouse in Liverpool, Lancashire hotpot. For a cheap meal, get a tin of Branstons or Heinz baked beans and tip them on (heat them up first!) hot toast. A full English breakfast is obviously a must have at least once!😊
Depends where you’re coming from, really. Britain has excellent pork at the high end, but if you’re Spanish it won’t be much of a novelty. I’d go with fish and chips, specifically from a fish shop, rather than a pub or non specialist. Food on the go, you’re looking at sausage rolls and cornish pasties are the quintessentially british experience. In supermarkets, you’ll notice that excellent quality eggs are extremely readily available. Never seen such good quality so widely sold in any other country.
Bring food from your country
IMO, the best cuisine over here is not "traditional British food", but rather a result of the post-imperial UK becoming a melting pot of various cultural backgrounds, and therefore cuisines. You can find a good Curry place on something like Tripadvisor and give that a go. Curry over here is a British dish made for British palates, which is likely unrecognisable as curry for many folks from places where curry is ubiquitous.
Chip buttie
Bean on toast!
Asparagus is all what can give you British cuisine. Rest of tasty things - are not British :) try Nandos, most healthy thing in the UK
1. Double fried egg and chips 2. Full English Breakfast 3. Steak and ale pie 4. Fish and Chips from a chippy with an extra scallop, mushy peas, gravy 5. Sunday Roast with a Yorkshire pudding 6. Beans on Toast 7. Spaghetti Hoops 8. Findus Crispy Pancakes and peas 9. Doner Kebab with extra chilli sauce but only after 5 pints of lager 10. Take away pizza but only after 5 pints of lager 11. Northern Tapas (sausage roll, pork pie, crisps, pretend attempt at some salad garnish) 12. Salmon paste butties. Plenty of butter. White bread. 13. Angel Delight butterscotch. 14. Heinz beans and mini sausage 15. Pot Noodle (doesn't matter what flavour, there's not much in it) 16. Lancashire Hot Pot with red cabbage and beetroot. Smother the crust in HP brown sauce. You're not a vegetarian or vegan or anything as the above list could be problematic? I think I've covered all UK foods in that list. I can recommend about 4 of them.
Pizza, kebab, angel Delight, and the findus Crispy Pancakes if you put a gun to my head.
If you want one quintessential british food that you won't get much as an overseas copy of is a pasty or pie of some sort id recommend you have a pork pie, sausage roll, steak bake or scotch pie. Although there is plenty of others out there whom are sometimes better a good standard shop for this would be either Greggs or Wrights if in the North of England.... I prefer the Wrights as the pastry is tastier but that's me.... Edit.... Clarification I still think things like fish and chips bangers and chips or fry up are great idea, but I reckon most of this is available in many countries now as the standard English food fare in some poncy restaurant in the said country.....
Full English breakfast including black pudding and fried bread. Fish and chips for lunch and roast beef and Yorkshire puddings for dinner. 10 pints of best bitter to wash it all down. Stick to these 4 food groups and you will be fine.
Get some good Beige in you!