• Tucking into Honest British Ingredients: After many lost years of too much boiled cabbage and bread, the English have fallen back in love with farm-fresh ingredients. The gastropub movement, epitomized by its still-potent pioneer, The Eagle, is just the beginning. Delectable English traditional cooking can be found from the oldest establishments (Rules) to neighborhood holes in the wall (Andrew Edmunds; 10 Greek Street).

  • Sinking a Pint in a Traditional Pub: From Tudor coaching inns to riverside taverns, London’s pub culture spans the centuries. Raise a pint where Shakespeare did at The George, raise one with Sir Ian McKellen at his pub The Grapes,  immerse yourself in an ale at Dr. Samuel Johnson’s local Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, and drink in a Victorian jewel box of etched glass at the Princess Louise. Then repeat. 

  • Mining the Stalls at Borough Market: The top weekend port of call for foodies is the market under the railway by London Bridge station—not least for the free samples dished out by vendors keen to market their wares. It’s gourmet heaven. 

  • Enjoying the New English Comfort Food: London’s first Indian restaurant opened in 1810, and Asian food of every origin is now the capital’s most popular genre of cuisine. The dozens of curry houses on Brick Lane pitch for your business at the curb; or take in a traditional meal under the gold silk wallpaper at Covent Garden’s Punjab Restaurant, opened by an Indian wrestler back in 1947.

  • Chowing Down on Farmhouse Cheese: England produces hundreds of artisan cheeses. Check out the West Country cheddars, red Leicester, and goat’s cheeses at such cheesemongers as Neal’s Yard Dairy or eat a gloppy, gooey plate of raclette at Kappacasein (at Borough Market). But get your fill while you’re here: You can’t get it back through Customs.

  • Tasting Britain’s Fading Traditions: As young English diners insist on flashier fare, the older ways of cooking become rarer. Whether it’s jellied eels in the protected interior of M. Manze, the deep-fried goodness at the linoleum-lined “chippie” Fryer’s Delight, or the traditional “caff” of the Regency Café , mid-century Britain is still steaming along—affordably.

 

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.