Explore Britain’s Food & Drink Hotspots

Not so long ago, the state of Britain’s cuisine was the butt of jokes the world over, inviting huge helpings of international mockery. Now, strutting about like a newly-ordained celebrity chef, Britain dines out on its remarkable transformation from small beer to big cheese, a melting pot that blends centuries of culinary tradition, the best of modern global gastronomy… and copious quantities of tea.

On this page you’ll find a sizzling collection of Britain’s gastronomic highlights, plus more foodie-focussed inspiration. Think of it as the perfect aperitif for our Delightfully Stuffed Great British Food & Drink Map.

Cornwall

Clotted cream, Cornish pasties, Stargazy pie, delicious crabs, saffron-enhanced buns brought by the Romans... where to begin with the glorious food of Cornwall? Go for top-end dining at one of Nathan Outlaw's establishments or Rick Stein's place in Padstow, visit Britain's first tea plantation at Tregothnan or sample wine from as far and wide as the Camel valley, the south coast and the Scilly Isles. If it's festivals you're after, try Tom Bawcock's Eve at Mousehole, the Falmouth Oyster Festival or the World Pasty Championships at the Eden Project. And remember, it's jam first, then the clotted cream in these parts.

Abergavenny

Bordering the Brecon Beacons, in the foodie hotspot that is Monmouthshire, the market town of Abergavenny offers glorious scenery, Wales' biggest food festival and a high concentration of top eateries. Enjoy fancy afternoon tea at the Angel Hotel, Michelin-starred food at The Walnut Tree, local cheeses Pantysgawn and Y Fenni, local wines and brews, and the aforementioned Abergavenny Food Festival, which kicks off in September. And there's plenty going on elsewhere in Monmouthshire, including two more Michelin-starred restaurants.

Caerphilly

How should you eat Welsh cheese? Caerphilly, of course! Also known as the Crumblies, Caerphilly is one of Wales' best known and most popular cheeses. In the town where it originated, there is a sculpture of an enormous block of the stuff and a big annual event devoted to it: the Big Cheese Festival is set against the impressive backdrop of Caerphilly Castle (Britain's second largest, don't you know). There's also the annual Caerphilly Food Festival. Great picnic spots abound in the wider county borough of Caerphilly, like Parc Penallta with its spectacular views and enormous 'Sultan the Pit Pony' earth sculpture.

Birmingham 

Home of Bird's custard, Typhoo tea and Cadbury's chocolate, Birmingham also hosts the UK's largest food event, the BBC Good Food Show. It's a top foodie destination in its own right, with a host of Michelin stars and acclaimed restaurants rubbing shoulders with the famed Balti Triangle. Cooked rapidly at high heat in steel 'balti' dishes, the popular curry dish originated here in the 1970s, and it's still hot, hot, hot. Elsewhere, fill up at one of Digbeth Dining Club's street food stalls or celebrate the city’s industrial history by eating on a canal boat by candlelight.

Bray

The mini-hub of haute cuisine in Britain. Edward Lear knew what was coming when he wrote about that old person of Bray who sang "to his ducks and his pigs, whom he fed upon figs". Feast on figs, pigs and more at one of Bray's three Michelin-starred restaurants, two of which hold the highest accolade (3 stars), Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck and the Roux family's Waterside Inn, which was the first restaurant outside France to hold its stars for more than 25 years. Outside Bray, only three other restuarants in Britain hold 3 stars (all in London). Bring on the snail porridge!

Edinburgh

Positively dripping in food history, high-quality culinary variety and probably more picnic spots with great views than any other city in Britain, the Scottish capital is truly the Empress of the North. Edinburgh has more than its share of fine dining, great food markets (including Leith, Pitt, Stockbridge, Tram Stop and the farmers’ market), distilleries and breweries. Leith also has two Michelin star restaurants, the Kitchin and Restaurant Martin Wishart, the latter a cookery school too. Top picnic spots include Arthur’s Seat, Calton Hill, Princes Street Gardens and the Meadows.

Orkney

For a small place, Orkney’s producers are certainly the cream of the crop. Orkney beers win national awards, its gin and whisky wins prizes, and its pies, cheese, ice cream, fudge, mutton and smoked salmon are renowned. Hitch up there straight away for Britain's most northerly winery and the brewery visitor centre, and make sure you stop for seaweed, bere bannocks and more. As if that's not enough, Orkney's Cheddar is so good it's officially protected.

Outer Hebrides

Known for black pudding (from the main town of Stornoway), the Outer Hebrides are a great food and drink destination for many reasons: fresh produce, island culture and sublime scenery chief among them. Follow the Eat Drink Hebrides Trail around the islands for the very best of what's on offer, from venison and smoked fish to mustard and whisky. The Temple Cafe on Harris, and Uig Lodge and the Scallop Shack on Lewis are perfectly located for stunning views to accompany the great food, and the place for a drink is Am Politician on Eriskay, near where the good ship Politician sank in 1941 with 20,000 cases of whisky on board.

Sussex

Home to a large proportion of Britain's vineyards, Sussex uses its topographical similarities with Champagne to great effect, and since 2016 English sparkling wine has beaten French fizz in several taste tests. Santé! Local treats include Sussex's many apple varieties, most famously the Granny Smith, traditional puddings and even some modern ones: the Banoffee pie was first created in Sussex in the 1970s. And the cherry on the icing: there's a great mix of fine restaurants, wonderful pubs and grand picnic spots, perfect for enjoying the glorious South Downs.

Somerset

Let's go scrumpin'! Somerset is cider country: up to 400 different varieties of cider apple are grown in the county, and both cider and its grown-up relative cider brandy are easy to find and enjoy here. Visit one of the cider producers for a tour, indulge in a cheese-fest (loads of varieties other than Cheddar!) or head to Bath to get your fix of buns or enjoy a drink in one of its tiny pubs like the Old Green Tree. In Barwick, there's a folly dedicated to Jack the Treacle Eater, a forward-thinking runner who carried messages to London in the early 1800s, gulping down treacle as an old-school energy drink. Sweet.

Speyside

Over half the distilleries in Scotland, and two of the best selling single malt whiskies in the world, The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich, make Speyside a must-visit for anyone who loves a dram. The annual Spirit of Speyside festival is the hot ticket, including tours of distilleries you otherwise can't visit. To soak it all up, try the Bothy bistro in Burghead or The Copper Dog at Craigellachie. One of Britain's oldest and largest kitchen gardens, Gordon Castle Walled Garden, operates a "plant, pick, plate" policy. Pleasingly.

Soho

Influenced by French Huguenots, Greeks, Italians and others who made Soho home, the epicentre of London's restaurant scene has always been cosmopolitan and there is a bewildering cornucopia of places to eat here. On the list of essential Soho eating experiences are... a trip to Chinatown for dim-sum, coffee at Bar Italia, eating at one of the many Michelin-starred establishments like Yauatcha Soho or Barrafina, and a visit to Berwick Street market, that's been going strong since 1778.

ROOOOOOOAD TRIP!

Hit the road on a British food & drink themed adventure, fill your boots on the finest scenery in the land as you go. Here you can download a map of Britain’s top 50 food & drink locations, all of them connected by a rather ambitious road trip…

Get The Map

Britain’s sizzlingly stupendous food and drink locations (including the 12 on this page) are the subject of the Delightfully Stuffed Great British Food & Drink Map. Available in 3 formats (fold-out, flat or framed) from £14.99. If you’ve got the map and have any feedback or suggestions for the next edition, we’d love to hear from you - email us at hello@marvellousmaps.com.