So, I’ve put on a lot of weight since I’ve moved back to the UK and with very good reason. So, here I’m sharing my guide to British food: a cuisine perhaps only appreciated by those who have grown up with it.
Let’s face it, British food is not an internationally beloved cuisine. In most large cities around the world, you may be able to find a decent pizzeria, Chinese takeaway or Irish pub. But, you will never ever find a good chippy or a proper British pub outside the British Isles.
Since being back, I have really appreciated things like Cadbury’s chocolate, fresh baked goods and never being more than a five-minute drive away from a pie. Who ate all the pies? Uh, me. Definitely me. With pleasure.
Here are just a few of my favourite British dishes, shared here to educate the rest of the world about the delicious-ness that is Great British food:
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Breakfast
1. Bacon Butties
While the rest of the world is obsessed with streaky bacon, give me two slices of grilled back bacon between two slices of white bread and a good dollop of ketchup or HP sauce any day.
Important: butties are slang for sandwiches, not small butts.
2. Full English Breakfast
And when we say ‘full’, we mean it: sausage, bacon, mushrooms, a fried tomato, toast, baked beans, eggs and sometimes hash browns and black pudding (also not a pudding).
Beans Means Heinz?
There is a lot of debate about the best brand of baked beans in the UK. Personally, I am team Heinz Baked Beans, but others are firmly in the corner of Branston Baked Beans. Both come in a tin. Feel free to do a taste test yourself.
What is black pudding?
Why it’s a delicious kind of sausage made from pigs blood and fat, which is much tastier when you don’t think too hard about how it’s made.
3. Marmite on Toast
Marmite‘s slogan is, ‘love it or hate it,’ and I love it. Spread a thin layer on heavily buttered toast for the perfect breakfast, snack, or comfort food. Be warned: this sticky, dark brown spread made from yeast extract is definitely an acquired taste.
Lunch and Dinner
Lunch or dinner?
This is a good moment to explain that there is a north/south divide in the UK and within little England too in regards to this very political issue. If you are from the south, you will call your meals breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you’re from the north, you will traditionally call them breakfast, dinner and tea.
I’ve noticed this northern quirk changing slightly I guess as the world becomes more globalised, which leads to even more confusion.
4. Roast Dinner aka Sunday Lunch
While travelling, I meet a lot of people who assume that all the British like to eat is fish and chips. Although we love a good chippy tea (dinner from the fish and chip shop) every now and again, a meal that is much more common—some might even say weekly—is a proper Sunday roast dinner.
Note: the word ‘proper’ must precede the words ‘roast dinner’, just as ‘cheeky’ must precede the word ‘Nando’s’
As the name suggests, roast dinners are usually prepared and eaten on Sundays. They include meat, potatoes (roasted in fat, boiled, mashed or all three), an assortment of vegetables and gravy. And then there’s the matter of cauliflower cheese…
What is a carvery?
The highest tier of roast dinners is a carvery, which is a pub or restaurant where big joints of meat are roasted and carved to serve. Look for a Toby Carvery for a great value version of this concept and you won’t be disappointed.
The meats should be served as follows:
- Beef with Yorkshire pudding
- Turkey with cranberry sauce (the usual for Christmas dinner)
- Chicken with stuffing
- Pork with apple sauce
- Lamb with mint sauce.
However, most families cheat and include all the things with their meat because Yorkshire puddings are too delicious to pass up.
If you want to be really British, then ask for a piece of bread at the end of your meal to soak up the remaining gravy!
Never underestimate the power of gravy.
5. Toad in the Hole
Speaking of Yorkshire puddings (which also aren’t puddings, but rather a crispy batter bowl), we need to talk about Toad in the Hole (a name given to a dish that has nothing to do with toads or holes). Do you know what’s better than sausages? Sausages tucked into a bed of batter. With gravy.
Never underestimate the power of gravy.
6. Fish & Chips
No listicle about British food is complete without mentioning fish and chips. My regular order is a small cod and chips (don’t worry, it’s never small) with mushy peas. For those of you who have yet to enjoy this accompaniment, mushy peas are literally what they say on the tin (see above).
I also like to pinch some curry sauce for chip-dipping and if I’m in the north of the UK, then I ask for scraps (extra bits of batter). Salt and vinegar on the chips go without saying and be sure to keep some bread and butter handy for those chip butties (sandwiches).
However, if you’re new to the fish and chips concept and you prefer your fish less like fish and more like meat, then there’s a huge secret I’m going to let you in on: chippies sell more than just fish and chips! You can order a pie, a battered sausage, fried chicken, or even a doner kebab. You’re welcome.
7. Scampi and Chips
This is a firm pub food staple and not dissimilar to traditional fish and chips. This is a dish of battered prawns (that’s shrimp to some of you) with chips, peas and healthy dose of tartar sauce. Best enjoyed in a cosy pub with a pint.
What is tartar sauce?
This condiment is a mix of mayonnaise, chopped pickles or relish, capers and herbs, such as tarragon and dill.
8. Bangers and Mash
Sausages (the bangers), mash potato and lashings of onion gravy. Never underestimate… you get it.
9. All the Pies
Pies are another staple, usually served with mash, peas and gravy (I’m beginning to see a pattern emerging here). Popular flavours include steak and kidney, beef and ale, and chicken and mushroom or leek. There should always be a generous pie crust to filling ratio.
Confusingly, there are also two pies that aren’t really pies at all. They are a mix of minced meat and vegetables, topped with mashed potato and baked in an oven:
Shepherd’s pie (not to be confused with a shepherd spy) is made with minced lamb, while cottage pie is made with minced beef.
Pork pies also exist, but they are served cold and are eaten as a snack or finger food in a buffet, like sausage rolls, either in mini form or slice form.
10. Chicken Tikka Masala
Yes, you read that correctly. What is the most popular British food? Curry. Chicken Tikka Masala is a hybrid dish created by Indian settlers in the UK and the curry-mad British palette.
Of all the foods I missed from my home country while I lived overseas, British curry (particularly Brummy Curry aka curry from Birmingham) was at the top of the list. Because you certainly can’t get it anywhere else. Not even in India.
11. Jacket Potatoes
This is the dish I cook most when I’m overseas, for myself and others alike. This is simply a baked potato with a crispy jacket (stick it in the oven for an hour, sprinkled with a little oil and salt).
Then you open up the potato, slap on a good wedge of butter and add your toppings, which can be anything. The standard is baked beans and cheese, but other popular toppings include chili con carne, cottage cheese (with pineapple or chives), tuna mayo (sometimes with sweetcorn), curry, and coleslaw.
Although not as prevalent as they used to be, you can sometimes see jacket potato stands on the streets; it’s the perfect sort-of-on-the-go meal.
12. Beans on Toast
Nothing in the cupboards? On a budget this week? Beans on toast it is! Toast the bread, slather on some butter, pour on some baked beans, dump a load of grated cheese, and eat up before the bread gets soggy.
Desserts, puddings and sweets
Side note: the word “pudding” in British English refers to dessert in general… with the exceptions of every use of the word ‘pudding’ in this British food guide so far. Sorry about that.
13. Scones
After all that meat, potatoes, peas, baked beans and general stodge, how about something a little lighter for dessert? Like, I don’t know, freshly baked scones with a huge dollop of clotted cream (ideally from Devon or Cornwall) and jam?
Scone Debates
As you’ve probably gathered from other notes in this British foodie guide, we Brits love a good debate when it comes to our national dishes and scones are no exception. There are two big issues when it comes to this cake:
1. Cream or jam first?
This is hot topic, especially if you’re from the southwest of England. Neighbouring counties Devon and Cornwall have opposing views: the Cornish prefer jam first, while Devonians choose cream. In my opinion, jam makes a lot more sense first (all the more room for extra cream).
2. Scone or scone?
No, you haven’t gone mad. The debate here is the pronunciation. Southerners will say scone with a long ‘o’ as in ‘no’, whereas northerners will say scone with a short ‘o’ as in ‘gone’. As someone from the Midlands, I say both and confuse everyone.
Scones can be eaten solo (sometimes called cream tea), but they are also served at afternoon tea:
What is afternoon tea?
Afternoon tea, also known as high tea, is shared meal of little sandwiches, cakes and a pot of tea (or, these days, more likely bottomless bubbly). Contrary to the opinion of other travellers I have met abroad, this is only something we do for a special occasion, not every afternoon.
Here are a few popular afternoon tea tour options in London:
Heading north of the capital? If you’d like a little guide to the best afternoon tea in York, Tales of a Backpacker has a great one.
14. Banoffee Pie
Bananas and toffee and cream, oh pie!
15. Eton Mess
This has to be the laziest dessert ever invented. Named after the historic Eton College (did I ever tell you the story of when I worked in Italy with an Etonian and cello prodigy?) where it was traditionally eaten after a game of cricket. This pudding includes strawberries, meringue and cream, all whisked up in a mess.
16. Strawberries and Cream
Best served with a round of Wimbledon. Don’t forget to sprinkle sugar on top of your strawberries and cream to really get the most out of one of your five a day.
17. Spotted Dick
I don’t actually care for spotted dick, but I had to include it on this list just to write that very sentence. Despite Yorkshire pudding and black pudding having ‘pudding’ in the name even though they are savoury, apparently the word ‘dick’ was perfectly appropriate for an actual pudding.
This cake consists of suet and dried fruit, such as raisins. Usually served with custard, which many other British desserts are.
18. Battenberg
Pink and yellow sponge in a checked pattern wrapped in marzipan. Why is in checked? Why is the sponge pink? And why is it wrapped in marzipan? Why does it have a German name? Why is Battenberg so delicious? Who knows!
19. Trifle
Beloved by grandmas all over the UK, this dessert is made with fruit, soggy sponge fingers soaked in sherry, custard and whipped cream.
It’s so quintessentially British that a lemon Swiss roll and amaretti variation on the trifle was made the official recipe for the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations (see my attempt at recreation above).
What I love most about this dessert is it’s Italian translation, which you often see at gelaterias: Zuppa Inglese, which means English Soup!
Snacks
20. Scotch Eggs
A hard-boiled egg encased in sausage meat and covered in breadcrumbs. Eaten cold. It sounds horrific, but I have it on good authority from travellers to the UK that this was their favourite foodie find.
21. Cornish Pasties & Sausage Rolls
The story goes that the wives of labourers in Cornwall would stuff meat and vegetables into hard pastry so that the workers could easily transport their lunch to work.
Sausage rolls are pretty self-explanatory. What is important to know is that the best sausage rolls come from Gregg’s, a British bakery chain found only in the north of the country. It’s an institution you must try during your trip.
22. Shortbread
Just like many poorly-named British staples, shortbread is neither short nor bread. Originally from Scotland, shortbread is a hard buttery biscuit that’s so moreish you won’t be able to eat just one stick. Walker’s is the traditional shortbread brand that most people know.
23. Cadbury’s Chocolate
The best thing to come out of Birmingham since the Peaky Blinders, nothing tastes like a Dairy Milk bar back on home turf. Australian Cadbury’s just isn’t the same; it crumbles rather than melts. Also, nothing smells as good as Bourneville, where the original Cadbury’s Factory is, which you can visit (very Willy Wonka):
My favourite Cadbury’s chocolate bar is a Wispa or a Twirl, but if you’re visiting the UK around Easter, then be sure to try Cadbury’s cream eggs, filled with white and orange fondant, as well as mini eggs (both pictured above), which are considered national treasures!
The Best of British Food
Upon reflection, it does seem like we eat rather a lot of sausages, potatoes, pies, gravy, cakes, pastries and cream… maybe that’s why I can’t fit into my jeans anymore.
Need more? Check out this perfectly-titled book:
Anyway, if you’re visiting the UK and reading this British food guide, be sure to try out a few of the discussed dishes and delicacies. If you’re visiting London, I highly recommend the following foodie experiences:
And if you’re a fellow Brit, then I hope the pictures made your mouth water as much as mine did. Now, I have the kind of munchies that only a slice of banoffee pie can fix…
Pin this British food guide for later:
More UK Travel
I was born and raised in the UK, though I’ve spent most of my adulthood living overseas. For more UK travel recommendations, you can read my UK Guide here, filled with lesser-known destinations and local insights.
Travel Essentials
Here are the websites and services I personally use and recommend.
Disclaimer: this box contains affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using this link, but at no cost to you.
FLIGHTS: The best deals can be found on Skyscanner, Google Flights and Kiwi (learn more about Kiwi travel hacking here).
TRAVEL INSURANCE: I recommend World Nomads for travel insurance because you can purchase once you’re already overseas and you can easily extend your policy. For digital nomads, I recommend and personally use Genki (learn more about Genki digital nomad health insurance here).
E-SIM: For travel in Europe, I use an e-sim with GoMobile, which is a provider based in Malta, but you need to be there to set it up.
ACCOMMODATION: I use Booking.com for hotels and Airbnb for apartments. For Colivings, I usually book privately, but Coliving.com is a good place to start.
THINGS TO DO: I use Viator or Get Your Guide for booking day trips, city tours and other activities, though I often check reviews on TripAdvisor too.
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