15 British Food Items You Need To Try

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As a Brit living in Canada I keep thinking about food I miss. While British food isn’t known as being world class cuisine, it is comfort food for me. What’s more comforting than finishing an entire box of Jaffa Cakes in one sitting, right? The British have some interesting food. Some really bad food too, but there are stand out dishes I would genuinely recommend. As I’ve been in Canada, unable to get back to the UK, it’s made me think more about all the food I’ll be having when I finally return. So to inspire you, or just to make you hungry too, I’m sharing some of the best British food to try. Because this isn’t fun unless I’m dragging everyone else down with me. Buckle up, it’s going to be a roller-coaster of flavors here.

The Best of British food

Most of this food you can get pretty much anywhere in the UK. Some regional dishes are still popular enough to be found in a lot of big cities, especially if your trip takes you to London. That said, I recommend getting out of London and visiting one of the UK’s many other amazing areas during your trip.

British food often includes a lot of meat and potatoes and is generally hearty carb-loaded food. It will keep you full for most of the day. While I’m covering the more traditional food here, there is still a lot of international cuisine in the UK and you’ll always find something you like. But while you’re visiting don’t be afraid to try something new.

Full English Breakfast

If you know what’s what you’ll start your day off right with a Full English Breakfast. It’s a meal that will keep you full until way past lunch. It’s basically just a plate of fried food that doubles as the perfect hangover cure. To answer the obvious question: no, we don’t eat this every day. But it’s so classically British that you will find it as an option in most restaurants and cafes that serve breakfast. Most hotels and Bed & Breakfasts will offer the Full English too. In most places there are vegetarian options too. A traditional Full English consists of: fried eggs, back bacon, sausage, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, baked beans (if you’re lucky), black pudding (if you’re not…it’s blood sausage) and fried bread or toast.

Fish and Chips

The original British fast food. Maybe not, but I remember when my parents didn’t feel like cooking we’d get to go to the chip shop for some fish and chips. Or in my case, just the chips. The “Chippy” is a British institution. While you can get fish and chips at any fancy restaurant, I think everyone will agree that eating it out of the paper in the car park of some seaside town because it’s raining outside is possibly the best childhood memory you have. Not a fan of fish? Try a battered sausage, some mushy peas and maybe a battered Mars Bar for dessert. Either way douse everything in copious amounts of salt and vinegar for a true British experience.

Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire pudding might be one of my favorite things in the world. No, it’s not a dessert. It’s actually a savory food item made from a batter that you cook in the oven. To get the perfect Yorkshire pudding (meaning, to make it rise) you need super hot oil in the baking pan first. Best to get it as part of a Sunday Roast dinner in a local restaurant so you get the real thing. Favorite childhood activity: building Yorkshire pudding sandwiches at the dinner table on a Sunday. Essentially just putting my dinner into the Yorkshire pudding and eating it like that. I actually found places in the UK on my last visit that do a sandwich wrap using the Yorkshire Pudding instead of bread.

Haggis

This Scottish delicacy cannot be missed to get the full British experience on your trip. It might sound weird but Haggis, neeps and tatties (that’s Haggis, turnips and potatoes to you) is a classic dish. A good Haggis is made up of sheep offal, meat, onion, oatmeal, suet and spices. Then it’s boiled in a sheep’s stomach casing. Sounds gross right? But nowadays you can get it served in a way that it just looks like minced meat with the veggies on the side. You’d never know what it was. Best to try it first without thinking about it too much.

Cornish Pasty

The proper working class dish of the southern UK county of Cornwall. The Cornish Pasty is pastry pocket filled with various meats and vegetables. The pastry if filled and folded over, then sealed with a very thick crust. The idea was that the Cornish men who worked in the mine would be able to eat it for their lunch and hold the crust only (because they weren’t able to wash their hands). Instead of just one or two fillings now you can basically put anything you want in the Cornish Pasty. That includes fruit if you prefer the dessert version. The traditional filling is beef, potato, turnip and onion.

Crumpets

Crumpets are one of the best things ever. It’s hard to describe what they are, because they often get classed alongside bread products. But they aren’t really bread-like at all. They’re made with a lot of the same ingredients but are more of a batter base than dough. When they are cooked they get all these little air holes through them that make them perfect for slathering with butter. There’s nothing better than a hot buttery crumpet. Perfect for breakfast, or a snack. I always put a couple of packs in my bag when I leave the UK as the ones in Canada are just not good. They’re way too thin and definitely not as light and spongy as English crumpets.

I did actually find a place in Seattle that does good ones and they make them with a variety of incredible toppings. I had the maple butter and cream cheese with walnuts and it was fantastic.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

In this case pudding is really a pudding (or dessert), not like the Yorkshires. We Brits love our hot puddings after a meal. And while there are apple pies and crumbles, or chocolate puddings, I prefer a sticky toffee pudding. With custard. Because we prefer custard for dessert than ice cream too. Nothing better on a cold winter day or after a lovely pub dinner. Sticky Toffee Pudding is a moist cake covered in a toffee sauce and is about as sweet and sickly as it sounds. You’ll find some of them have fruit in like dates which I’m not a fan of, but they can easily be ignored or removed if you don’t like them.

A proper British Pint

Not really a food, but there are some pints of beer that are filling enough to feel like a meal in a glass. Pubs are our thing. We love a good cozy, traditional pub with a roaring fireplace and plenty of cold beer. But instead of ordering a European lager try some of the local British ales. Better still, how about a pint of Boddingtons bitter ale? It’s a malty beer with a creamy finish so thick that the old commercials used to joke it was like ice cream.

Shepherd’s Pie

This one I’m sure everyone’s heard of. I see it on a lot of menus here in North America. What really bugs me though is that they always seem to make it using beef. A traditional English Shepherd’s Pie is made using lamb. The clue’s in the name…shepherd’s keep lambs, not cows. A Shepherd’s Pie is minced lamb, carrots and peas in a rich gravy, topped with a fluffy mashed potato and baked in the oven. The very definition of a classic British meat and potatoes dish.

Finger sandwiches

Finger sandwiches are the staple of any afternoon tea. But don’t worry there aren’t any fingers in them (sorry not sorry for the Dad joke). They are actually dainty sandwiches cut into long strips (or small triangles) with the crusts cut off. They’re like kid sandwiches for adults. Your typical English tea sandwiches are filled with things like cucumber, smoked salmon, Coronation chicken, ham, or practically anything else you might like.

Clotted cream

Clotted cream is a gift from the dairy Gods. This thick cream made in a way I don’t really understand (nor care about) is best served heaped onto scones fresh from the oven with jam. The thing all afternoon teas are centered around. Because let’s face it, we’re all just eating the sandwiches so we can feel like we’ve earned the scone with clotted cream. I remember family holidays in Devon and Cornwall where every afternoon you get to enjoy a “cream tea”. That is a cup of tea with a scone and clotted cream on the side.

Indian curry

I know what you’re thinking. This isn’t British. But you ask anyone what the best British dish is and I think they’ll throw a chicken Tikka Masala curry towards the top of the list. We love our curries in the UK since we have a large Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi population. Some of the curries have been adapted for the less spice loving British palate, but there are some who will go for the super hot Vindaloo curry. Even if they might regret it later.

Beans on toast

This one is a little divisive. I feel like no-one outside of the UK understands why anyone would eat canned baked beans on toasted bread. But this was the childhood dinner of dreams and is even a popular breakfast dish for those who don’t want to commit to the Full English. It’s exactly as it sounds. Canned baked beans, heated up and poured over buttered toast. I like to spice mine up a bit by either putting some cheese on the toast and letting the beans melt it, or mixing in some hot sauce in the beans. Forget chicken noodle soup, this is my go-to food when I’m sick.

Eton mess

This classic English dessert is named after the fancy boarding school, Eton College. A number of the country’s most famous upper class are former pupils including the Prince of Wales and both Prince William and Harry. The dessert is actually rather simple, made up of strawberries, whipped cream and pieces of meringue. Meringue is very messy to eat so this dessert just crushes it up to start and mixes all the strawberry and cream goodness with it.

Pimm’s

Another drink for the list, and the perfect accompaniment to the Eton Mess. This summertime drink is a fruity gin based liqueur often served with lemonade and summer fruits. It’s enjoyed in the way that the Spanish would enjoy a Sangria as a summer afternoon patio drink, and is really popular in the UK. It’s fruity and sweet, what’s not to like?

Missing British Food in Canada

While Canada has gotten very good at the importing of international grocery items, there’s still no substitute for a good British pub meal. Most of the British food I’ve listed above can be done in other countries but it’s never fully the same. The bacon in the English Breakfast isn’t quite right. The crumpets are not fluffy enough. And don’t even get me started on the chips!

I’m lucky to be able to find the junk food I like in grocery stores here. So when I’m having a bad day I can eat my weight in the superior Cadbury chocolate bars or work my way through 2 bags of Monster Munch. If you know what they are, you’ll know what I mean. Living in another country can be difficult when you can’t get the food that was a big part of your childhood. Food will always be the best thing about traveling for me, and going home is no different.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. What British food do you like or miss from the UK? Do you miss food from your country when traveling?