Traditionally British foods to try on your next trip to the UK

Okay, let me start with this, I love food. Like really really love food. My mother is an excellent cook, specialising in anything from traditional British food, to West African and even Indian. My father had an Italian restaurant when I was growing up, so specialises in everything from Italian to Moroccan – Moroccan being the food of his home country. Put them together and you have one food inspired lady. Through life, I have developed a deep appreciate for food, and in relation to travel love to discover local culture through culinary experiences.

I live in London and was born in London (a rarity – I know!) So thought it might be nice to do a round up of the typically British food/ culinary experiences that you have to try when you are next in the UK.

Full English Breakfast

Quite simply the breakfast of champions! The photo is a breakfast my housemate prepared at home and is missing a few things. But generally the meal comprises: beans, bacon, sausages, eggs, hash browns, tomatoes. This isn’t generally something we eat every day but most definitely on the weekend and even more definitely after a night on the town. But how do you like your eggs in the morning? I’m a fried egg fan myself, but I won’t judge if you like scrambled.

Fish and Chips

Battered fish and chips are a combination synonymous with British culture. You can have this for lunch or dinner and usually you’ll find a ‘chippy’ nearby to your home; it’s as regular to see as a corner shop. I personally don’t like vinegar but it is very usual to drench your chips in salt and vinegar. Although they are everywhere I once had a really good fish and chips from Poppies, a diner style food place in Shoreditch London. I mention this as Shoreditch is a pretty cool area to go – so if you dine here it’s sort of killing two birds with one stone.

Sunday Roast Dinner

But why is it Sunday? Not sure really but this is when you typically have a roast. Having it on another day honestly feels quite weird, but if your trip to the UK doesn’t include a Sunday then I would totally forgo the rules. Roast dinners include: a roast meat (beef, chicken, turkey; or a vegetarian alternative like nut), roast potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire puddings. I had a great Roast Dinner near London Southbank/ Waterloo area which I blogged about and whole heartedly recommend.

Afternoon tea

Oh did you hear that British people love tea? Ha I’m joking, of course you knew. This experience is specifically going to meet someone for tea, that is generally accompanied by finger sandwiches and an assortment of sweet cakes and pastries (scones, Victoria sponge cake, brownies). Fun fact: some Afternoon Tea is also served with Prosecco. Although it usually takes place in the afternoon, you could easily fit this in to a morning if you so pleased. If you don’t have loads of money to spend, I’d recommend heading to Groupon and getting a deal there. I’ve linked to the London based Afternoon Tea experiences here.

Indian Curry

So I know you might be looking at this like: I’m pretty sure this is indian. But no, having a curry is one of the most typical dishes in British culture. A curry and a beer is a regular deal in British pubs and we really do have the taste for Indian curries. Are they as good as the curries from India? Probably not, but you can still get some really tasty dishes made by some truly passionate independent restauranteurs. One of my favourite Indian restaurants is in Forest Gate, East London, called Aromas – it’s a little out the way, but for me it’s unrivalled (and very cheap). Fun fact: they allow you to bring your own alcohol.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but highlights some typical British culinary experiences.  Looking for other things to do in the UK? Here are some of my London recommendations and here is a fun hiking experience in the UK (about an hour away from London). I hope you find it useful, as ever.