One factor that possible springs to thoughts when visiting London is to strive a number of the native British foods and drinks on supply. However apart from fish and chips and a pint of beer, you could be questioning what else try to be making an attempt, and the place you need to go to get the perfect of what’s on supply.
Properly, one of many choices that we advocate is to take a meals tour in London.
Laurence truly lived in London for a few years, and ate an entire number of meals at completely different areas throughout town. However even he enjoys taking meals excursions in England’s capital as there’s at all times one thing new to find.
Meals excursions fluctuate vastly in size, the quantity of meals included, and value. We’ve executed a lot of meals excursions in London, and wished to share what we predict are the perfect choices out there on your go to. Earlier than we do although, let’s reply a few questions on meals excursions in London.
Why Take a Meals Tour in London?
A meals tour is a superb solution to strive a curated vary of scrumptious dishes. Excursions will allow you to strive the perfect of what’s on supply, protecting most of the highlights of British delicacies, at a number of the greatest spots within the metropolis for every dish.
Meals tour corporations typically have a particular association with the meals vendor, chef, or restaurant that they go to on the tour.
As a part of an organized tour, you’ll typically have the benefit of visiting locations exterior of regular hours (or at the least throughout quieter hours). You’ll keep away from ready in traces to order, and be given smaller parts than you’d be capable of order by yourself. This enables for a simpler tour the place you’ll be able to strive extra issues than you’d be capable of do by yourself.
You’ll additionally usually get an knowledgeable information that will help you alongside the best way, so you’ll be able to perceive a number of the historical past of the meals you are attempting. tour information will assist provide you with some background concerning the meals you’re tasting, the world of London you’re visiting, and likewise be a superb useful resource for answering questions and offering suggestions.
In case you are visiting London for a couple of days, then a meals tour can be a great way to be taught what’s good to eat and the place. Ask your information about what different locations which can be good for X, Y, or Z, their favourite pub, or their favourite takeout spot.
Relying on what you want, they need to be capable of level you to some good spots for each conventional dishes and historic venues in addition to up to date dishes and classy new hotspots.
Now most meals excursions will deal with extra conventional British meals which might be what most guests are going to take pleasure in most.
In case you are searching for a tour that focuses on conventional British classics then we’d advocate a strolling tour equivalent to this one or this one.
Or should you desire yet another targeted on pub foods and drinks then we’d advocate a tour like this one.
However you probably have already tried a number of the British classics, you may want a meals tour that focuses extra on one thing like Indian curries, beer, cocktails, afternoon tea, Caribbean meals, or native cheeses.
Or possibly you wish to discover ways to prepare dinner a British dish or bake one thing like scones. We’ll be offering suggestions for all types of choices later on this submit.
Regardless of Laurence having grown up within the UK and Jess dwelling there for 7 years, we have now actually loved the assorted meals excursions, afternoon teas, and meals workshops we’ve executed in London. We’re at all times discovering new variations of traditional British meals (and new locations to strive them) and studying extra concerning the historical past of British delicacies.
Taking a meals tour is one in every of our advisable methods to start out your meals journey in London, however we positively encourage you to make use of it as a beginning place and a springboard to proceed exploring the meals scene within the metropolis by yourself.
Varieties of Meals to strive in London?
Earlier than you select a meals tour of London, you need to in all probability have an concept of what kinds of meals the capital is understood for and what sorts of meals you want to strive.
London is a cultural hub, which suggests there’s an enormous vary of flavors to strive, from conventional pub meals by to worldwide cuisines equivalent to curries. You’ll find conventional British meals in every single place from road market stalls to high-quality eating eating places.
Most meals are usually not distinctive to London however are eaten all through the UK with a number of regional variations. Many conventional British dishes may be arduous to search out exterior the British Isles.
As a normal concept although, we predict most individuals would take pleasure in making an attempt at the least a number of the following widespread British meals and drinks (all of which we’ve tried):
- Meat dishes like meat pies (e.g., steak & kidney pie, pork pie), Sunday roasts, British lamb, gammon, Beef Wellington, hearty stews, and bangers and mash
- Seafood like oysters, salmon, mussels, cockles, kippers, white fish (cod, haddock, whiting, and hake are widespread ones), mackerel, potted shrimp, and naturally fish and chips (the fish is commonly haddock or cod)
- Breakfast favorites like bacon sarnies, kippers, black pudding, Marmite on toast, sausage rolls, and naturally the Full English breakfast
- Lunchtime meals like jacket potatoes, cheese and pickle sandwiches, Cornish pasties, and Coronation hen sandwiches
- Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Indian curries – hen tikka masala is a British favourite and was invented in the UK
- Desserts like sticky toffee pudding, Eton mess, bread and butter pudding, treacle tart, fruitcake, Scottish shortbread, Welsh desserts, and noticed dick
- Pub snacks like Scotch eggs, fried fish bites, and packets of British crisps
- Different typical British meals embody Yorkshire pudding (typically part of the Sunday roast meal), chips (fries), mincemeat pies, black pudding, British cheeses (there are over 700 varieties, together with cheddar, Cheshire, and Stilton), scones, Welsh desserts, and chocolate digestives (all typically eaten with tea), spag bol (nickname for British model of spaghetti bolognese sometimes made at residence), and beans on toast
- A number of the widespread regionally grown vegetables and fruit within the UK embody cabbage, onions, potatoes, carrots, leeks, turnips, peas, beetroot, broccoli, tomatoes, runner beans, swedes, Brussel sprouts, radishes, apples, pears, strawberries, raspberries, loganberries, and plums.
- Tea – in all probability no drink is extra related to the British than black tea – you’ll be able to take pleasure in an English breakfast tea at breakfast, have a cream tea (tea, scones, clotted cream, and jam), or splurge for a full fancy afternoon tea in London
- Alcoholic drinks like beer (notably ales), Scotch whisky, London dry gin, English cider, and British cocktails such because the Pimm’s Cup, Vesper martini, and Tom Collins
The above is only a quick record of typical meals eaten within the UK and focuses extra on conventional British meals. It will after all be not possible to strive all this stuff in a single journey but it surely ought to provide you with a good suggestion of what most individuals consider as British meals (and doubtless some you’ve by no means heard of).
If the above is extra overwhelming than useful, then here’s a shortlist of a number of the hottest meals that vacationers inform us they wish to have in London:
- Fish and chips
- A full English breakfast
- Sausage roll and/or bacon sandwich
- Rooster tikka masala
- Sticky toffee pudding
Standard drinks guests wish to strive embody actual ale, English cider, and a cream tea.
The Greatest Meals Excursions in London
There are literally a lot of several types of meals excursions and experiences in London, so we have now divided this information into a number of the major choices we predict you need to think about.
These fluctuate from extra conventional meals strolling excursions by to excursions that focus extra on beer, excursions and experiences that cowl afternoon tea, excursions that happen on a automobile of some type, and cooking courses that have you ever studying the right way to make iconic dishes.
We predict that between all the assorted choices you’re positive to search out one thing you’ll take pleasure in!
Meals Strolling Excursions
A meals strolling tour is certainly probably the most widespread kinds of meals tour you are able to do in London. Such a tour usually has you exploring part of town and making an attempt a lot of completely different meals at varied areas.
The tour must also embody a educated information who can let you know about each the meals you are attempting and one thing concerning the historical past of the world you’re visiting.
There are a couple of completely different meals strolling excursions in London. One in all our favourites is this Borough Market and Southwark Tour with Take Walks / Devour Tours.
As a fast notice, we’ve taken many strolling excursions with Take Walks and their sister meals strolling tour Devour Excursions. They run excursions everywhere in the world, with a deal with small teams and nice guides. We’ve at all times had a superb time and are blissful to advocate their excursions.
The Borough Market and Southwark tour they provide focuses on the Southwark space of London, which is the a part of town to the south of London Bridge the place you will see sights equivalent to The Shard and Southwark Cathedral.
Southwark can be residence to the world-famous Borough Market, the place you will see an enormous vary of eateries and meals stalls. So, it is sensible for a meals tour to deal with this space!
After we took this tour it included seven meals tastings and a drink cease, together with widespread classics equivalent to fish and chips from arguably the perfect fish and chip store in London, in addition to oysters, a bacon and egg sandwich, sausage rolls, and sticky toffee pudding. And people are only a few of the dishes we tried.
All of the meals was scrumptious, and as this tour largely revolved round Borough Market there wasn’t an enormous quantity of strolling concerned. There have been additionally some stops that included sitting.
General, we actually loved this tour and may advocate it if you wish to strive a number of completely different meals in a small group setting. In case you just like the sound of this tour, you’ll be able to book it here.
In fact, there are a selection of different excursions that included Borough Market and this space, together with this popular option which may be booked on GetYourGuide here, and as a personal tour on Viator here. There’s additionally this tour which focuses on the meals of Borough Market.
There are additionally a lot of different strolling meals excursions in London you may think about. Under we record all those we advocate you think about, which we’ve divided into extra conventional meals excursions and people which deal with different widespread kinds of meals.
Conventional English Meals Strolling Excursions
Particular Meals Strolling Excursions
As you’ll be able to see, there are many choices to select from!
Pub and Drink Excursions
One factor we actually love about London are the exceptional historic pubs, a lot of which have been serving conventional drinks and meals for actually tons of of years. You can also eat and drink in locations the place London’s historic figures partook of their victuals, typically by a comfy actual fireplace besides.
As there are such a lot of good pubs to expertise, we wished to share a collection of excursions the place pubs and drinks are as a lot of a spotlight because the meals. So, while these excursions often embody meals, additionally they embody a wide selection of drinks as properly.
One in all our favourite excursions of this sort that we have now taken in London is the Tastes, Tales & Traditional Ales: Food Tour of London’s Historic Pubs with Devour Excursions.
This tour had us visiting 4 of London’s oldest and most conventional pubs, discovered across the Fleet Road space which was well-known for being the house of journalism in London. At every cease we tried a scrumptious conventional drink (primarily beers).
We additionally tried a spread of conventional pub meals together with fish & chips, a do-it-yourself Scotch egg, whitebait, and extra. Jess doesn’t usually like Scotch eggs, however she truly actually loved the freshly made model on this tour.
Probably the most enjoyable components of the tour was on the finish once we performed a standard and historic pub recreation, made widespread by Henry VIII!
General, we actually loved this pub tour, which is an efficient possibility if you wish to go to some really iconic London pubs and revel in combination of conventional meals and drinks. You may test availability and pricing and book this tour here.
There are additionally another meals excursions in London which mix foods and drinks which you may wish to think about. We’ve included all our advisable excursions beneath:
Afternoon Tea in London
Popularized within the UK within the mid-Nineteenth century, afternoon tea is a scrumptious custom that’s properly value experiencing within the metropolis it grew to become widespread in.
A day tea is historically served within the afternoon (though you’ll be able to typically guide one for a late morning). Usually, it features a course of savory objects together with sandwiches, adopted by scones after which candy treats.
In fact, that is all accompanied by sizzling tea, though some institutions will provide you with the choice to have espresso or one other drink.
We’ve had afternoon throughout London, together with at the Berkley and the Ritz. It’s at all times been an pleasing expertise. Our one tip can be to come back hungry, as a result of a day tea entails a number of meals!
There are a variety of choices for having a day tea in London, together with strolling excursions which have a day tea element.
You can too after all guide a day tea immediately together with your most popular location should you’d fairly simply deal with the afternoon tea and skip the stroll half.
Under, we’ll share some choices to contemplate that embody afternoon tea.
Boat & Bus Meals Excursions
In case you like the thought of sightseeing round London, consuming, and doing these issues while sitting down, then you need to think about taking a ship or bus meals tour.
There are a variety of choices to select from. For the boat excursions, these clearly are restricted to the River Thames. Nonetheless, as this goes proper by the guts of London and passes by a lot of main landmarks like Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, London Eye and Homes of Parliament, you’ll nonetheless get spectacular views.
For the bus excursions, the routes fluctuate relying on the tour you select, however will usually cowl London’s main landmarks such because the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, Homes of Parliament and so forth.
If there are particular landmarks you wish to see it’s a good suggestion to test with the operator earlier than reserving to see what is roofed, though bear in mind that routes can after all change relying on issues like highway works.
When it comes to choices, there are a selection to select from. These supply completely different menus and routes. Some solutions to contemplate are as follows.
- This tour has you boarding a luxurious coach for a gourmand six course meal as you go a few of London’s iconic sights
- In case you like the thought of afternoon tea however would additionally wish to take a bus tour, then this tour has you lined. You’ll see London’s main sights while having fun with a full afternoon tea
- There are a variety of youngsters’s themed afternoon tea bus rides as properly, together with this Peppa Pig afternoon tea bus ride and this Paddington Bear afternoon tea bus ride
- To the river now, and this river cruise which features a 2-course lunch and tea or espresso as you cruise down the River Thames
- This is another river cruise, which takes place within the night and features a 4 course meal, reside music and the chance to bop. A beautiful solution to spend a night in London
Meals Workshops in London
In case you’d like to discover ways to truly make a traditional London dish, then you definitely we’d counsel you look into taking a meals workshop or class throughout your go to to London.
Now, in contrast to somewhere like Rome for instance, London doesn’t have an ideal many meals courses to select from. Nonetheless, there are positively some choices on the market. We’ve chosen some choices which spotlight the extra conventional meals and drinks you may wish to discover ways to make in London.
- This tour has you visiting Borough Market to take a look at regionally out there produce and substances, earlier than getting ready a multi-course gourmand meal with drinks
- You may’t have afternoon tea with out scones! This cooking class will train you the right way to make this traditional merchandise, plus you’ll be capable of take residence your scones when you find yourself executed
- A pork pie is a scrumptious British deal with, and this workshop will stroll you thru the method of constructing your individual pork pie from begin to end.
- When you’ve got a candy tooth you may like to go out to Notting Hill and discover ways to make your individual scrumptious chocolate on this tour
Suggestions for Selecting a Meals Tour in London
Earlier than you guide your meals expertise in London, we wished to share some suggestions to assist guarantee you’ve an ideal expertise, and guide the appropriate tour for you.
Examine What’s Included / Excluded
If you end up evaluating completely different excursions, you need to test to see what’s included and excluded. Excursions ought to record intimately what you truly get on your cash.
Usually, try to be instructed if meals or drink is included, and if that’s the case, how a lot. Most foods and drinks strolling excursions do embody foods and drinks, however not all of them, so it’s at all times good to test!
Excursions can even record another inclusions or exclusions. For instance, some excursions may go to sights and have the attraction charge included. Others might embody comfortable drinks.
Suggestions are usually not included on most excursions, though they’re after all at all times appreciated.
When evaluating excursions by value, you’ll at all times wish to examine what’s included. A tour might value much less, but when it’s a must to pay for lots of foods and drinks, then the ultimate value may find yourself fairly completely different.
Verify Dietary Necessities and Meals Allergen Data in Advance
This one could appear apparent, particularly you probably have dietary necessities, however it is very important notice.
When you’ve got any dietary necessities or meals allergy symptoms, you positively wish to talk these with the tour organizer prematurely to make sure your wants may be met on the tour you wish to do.
Examine Restroom Availability
The vast majority of strolling excursions happen over a couple of hours, and there’s at all times an opportunity that you simply may want a restroom break as a part of your tour.
Just about all of the meals excursions we’ve ever taken have had ample restroom stops. Nonetheless, a number of the excursions we’ve listed happen on classic buses for instance, the place a restroom just isn’t out there throughout the tour.
That is positively one thing to remember do you have to really feel it could be a difficulty for you.
Verify Strolling Distance
In our expertise, the vast majority of meals strolling excursions happen in a reasonably small space, and don’t require an excessive amount of strolling. Nonetheless, this isn’t at all times the case.
Relying in your mobility and the way comfy you’re strolling, you may wish to test with the tour organiser earlier than you guide to see how far you’ll truly be required to stroll as a part of your tour, to make sure it will likely be a snug expertise for you. Studying current tour opinions also can assist with understanding if there’s a number of strolling concerned.
Verify Any Accessibility Necessities
When you’ve got any accessibility wants, you’ll want to talk together with your tour organizer prematurely of reserving your tour to make sure they can meet these necessities.
Some excursions will record as as to if or not they’re accessible for wheelchair customers for instance, however the listings don’t usually cowl each accessible want.
As such, we extremely advocate reaching out to make sure you will have expertise previous to reserving and keep away from any difficult conditions on the tour itself.
Deliver Applicable Apparel
It’s essential to deliver and put on apparel that’s applicable to the expertise you guide. For London, the climate is rarely assured, and rain or solar are potential 12 months spherical.
As such, we at all times advocate packing one thing like an umbrella or rain coat simply in case. You will get extra packing suggestions in our information to what to pack for London here.
When it comes to a costume code, while most meals excursions gained’t have a costume code, if you’re visiting a high-end resort for afternoon tea then you need to positively test to see if they’ve any costume code necessities. You may see an instance costume code for the Ritz Lodge’s afternoon tea here.
Additional Studying on your Go to to London
That’s it for our information to meals strolling excursions and experiences in London. Earlier than you head off, we wished to share some extra content material and sources we’ve put collectively that will help you plan your time in London. We hope you discover it helpful!
- We’ve detailed itineraries for 1 day in London, 2 days in London, 3 days in London and 6 days in London
- We’ve an entire information to where to stay in London, which covers all of the neighborhoods and an entire vary of value factors
- In case you plan on doing a lot sightseeing within the metropolis, you’ll possible get monetary savings with a London Cross. See our full London Pass review here to see if this may prevent cash on sightseeing.
- We’ve a information to getting around London, and a information to using the Oyster card in London.
- In case you’re flying into one in every of London’s six airports, see our information to getting to London from the airport.
- We’ve an in depth information to what to pack for London, that will help you put together on your journey to London.
- We put collectively some recommendations on discovering the best Photography Locations in London
- For the Harry Potter followers amongst you, check out our information to discovering Harry Potter in London
- We’ve solutions for Things to Do in Kensington, in case you wished to focus extra on a particular area of town
- In case you take pleasure in army museums, check out our information to London’s best military museums and memorial. Additionally see our Winston Churchill in London guide.
- We’ve detailed guides to visiting the Tower of London and the London Eye which incorporates info on planning your go to and the way to economize on these widespread sights
- Ideas on visiting Stonehenge from London as a day trip
- Different good day journeys from London embody Oxford and Cambridge. See our information to Oxford in a day in addition to things to do in Cambridge for concepts.
- Rick Steve’s London information, the #1 bestseller on Amazon for UK journey guides, and at all times a superb supply of related info
- Excited about heading to Paris from London? We’ve an in depth information to the best way to get from London to Paris that will help you plan
And that’s it! We hope you discovered our information to meals excursions in London helpful, and as at all times, you probably have any questions, simply pop them within the feedback and we’ll reply them as quickly as we will!