If you’re planning a visit to London you’re most likely hoping to strive a few of the native British foods and drinks. However apart from fish and chips and a pint of beer, you is likely to be questioning what else you have to be making an attempt, and the place you need to go to get the most effective of what’s on provide.
Nicely, one of many choices that we advocate is to take a meals tour in London. This can provide help to pattern a whole lot of British meals in a enjoyable, informative, and environment friendly manner.
Laurence really lived in London for a few years, and ate an entire number of meals at totally different areas throughout town. However even he enjoys taking meals excursions in England’s capital as there’s all the time one thing new to find.
Meals excursions range enormously in size, the quantity of meals included, and worth. We’ve finished a lot of meals excursions in London, and wished to share what we predict are the most effective choices out there on your go to. If you’re in search of a meals tour or cooking workshop in London, we’ll provide help to select the most effective one for you.
Earlier than we do although, let’s reply a few questions on meals excursions in London and likewise offer you an excellent listing of British meals you may need to pattern.
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 most effective of what’s on provide, masking lots of the highlights of British delicacies, at a few of the finest spots within the metropolis for every dish.
Meals tour firms typically have a particular association with the meals distributors, cooks, and eating places 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 a minimum of throughout quieter hours). You’ll keep away from ready in strains to order, and be given smaller parts than you’d be capable of order by yourself. This permits for a simpler tour the place you may strive extra issues than you’d be capable of do by yourself.
You’ll additionally usually get an professional information that can assist you alongside the way in which, so you may perceive a few of the historical past of the meals you are attempting. A superb tour information will assist offer you some background in regards to the meals you’re tasting, the realm of London you’re visiting, and likewise be a wonderful useful resource for answering questions and offering suggestions.
If you’re 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 are 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 modern dishes and stylish new hotspots.
Now most meals excursions will concentrate on extra conventional British meals which might be what most guests are going to take pleasure in most. If you’re in search of a tour that focuses on conventional British classics then we’d advocate a strolling tour corresponding to this one or this one.
Or in the event you choose yet one more targeted on pub foods and drinks then we’d advocate a tour like this one which pairs beers and ciders with basic pub meals and snacks.
However you probably have already tried a whole lot 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 need to learn to cook 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 residing there for 7 years, we’ve actually loved the varied meals excursions, afternoon teas, and meals workshops we’ve finished in London. We’re all the time discovering new variations of basic British meals (and new locations to strive them) and studying extra in regards to the historical past of British delicacies.
Taking a meals tour is certainly one of our advisable methods to begin your meals journey in London, however we undoubtedly 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 most likely have an concept of what sorts of meals the capital is thought for and what sorts of meals you want to strive.
London is a cultural hub, which implies there’s an enormous vary of flavors to strive, from conventional pub meals by to worldwide cuisines corresponding to curries. You’ll find conventional British meals all over the place from road market stalls to tremendous eating eating places.
Most meals usually are not distinctive to London however are eaten all through the UK with a number of regional variations. Many conventional British dishes could be exhausting to search out exterior the British Isles.
As a normal concept although, we predict most individuals would take pleasure in making an attempt a minimum of a few of the following in style 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 rooster sandwiches
- Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Indian curries – rooster tikka masala is a British favourite and was invented within the UK
- Desserts (or puddings as we wish to name them within the UK) like sticky toffee pudding, Eton mess, bread and butter pudding, treacle tart, fruitcake, Scottish shortbread, Welsh desserts, Victoria sponge, and noticed dick
- Pub snacks like Scotch eggs, fried fish bites, and packets of British crisps
- Different typical British meals embrace Yorkshire pudding (typically part of the Sunday roast meal), chips (fries), mincemeat pies, black pudding, British cheeses (there are over 700 sorts, 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 usually made at residence), and beans on toast
- A few of the widespread domestically grown vegetables and fruit within the UK embrace cabbage, onions, potatoes, carrots, leeks, turnips, peas, beetroot, broccoli, tomatoes, runner beans, swedes, Brussel sprouts, radishes, apples, pears, strawberries, raspberries, loganberries, and plums.
- Tea – most likely no drink is extra related to the British than black tea – you may 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 brief listing of typical meals eaten within the UK and focuses extra on conventional British meals. It might after all be inconceivable to strive all this stuff in a single journey nevertheless it ought to offer you 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 few of the hottest meals that vacationers inform us they need to have in London:
- Fish and chips
- Full English breakfast
- Sausage roll and/or bacon sandwich
- Hen tikka masala
- Sticky toffee pudding
- A pint of actual ale and/or English cider
- Cream tea (tea and scones)
Lots of the above are in style dishes on London meals excursions targeted on British meals.
The Finest Meals Excursions in London
There are literally a lot of various kinds of meals excursions and experiences in London, so we’ve divided this information into a few of the most important choices we predict you need to contemplate.
These range 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 car of some form, and cooking lessons that have you ever studying how you can make iconic dishes.
We predict that between all the varied choices you’re positive to search out one thing you’ll take pleasure in!
Meals Strolling Excursions
A meals strolling tour is certainly one of the crucial in style sorts of meals tour you are able to do in London. This sort of tour usually has you exploring part of town and making an attempt a lot of totally different meals at varied areas.
The tour also needs to embrace a educated information who can inform you about each the meals you are attempting and one thing in regards to the historical past of the realm you’re visiting.
There are a couple of totally different meals strolling excursions in London. One among our favourites is this Borough Market and Southwark Tour with Take Walks / Devour Excursions.
As a fast be aware, 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 concentrate on small teams and nice guides. We’ve all the time had a wonderful time and are comfortable 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 one can find sights corresponding to The Shard and Southwark Cathedral.
Southwark can be residence to the world-famous Borough Market, the place one can find an enormous vary of eateries and meals stalls. So, it is smart for a meals tour to concentrate on this space!
After we took this tour it included seven meals tastings and a drink cease, together with in style classics corresponding to fish and chips from arguably the most effective 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.
Total, we actually loved this tour and may advocate it if you wish to strive a whole lot of totally different meals in a small group setting. Should you just like the sound of this tour, you may e-book it right here.
After all, there are a variety of different excursions that included Borough Market and this space, together with this in style possibility which could be booked on GetYourGuide right here, and as a personal tour on Viator right 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 contemplate. Under we listing all those we advocate you contemplate, which we’ve divided into extra conventional meals excursions and people which concentrate on different in style sorts of meals.
Conventional English Meals Strolling Excursions
Different Meals Strolling Excursions
As you may see, there are many choices to select from!
Pub and Drink Excursions
One factor we actually love about London are the outstanding historic pubs, lots of which have been serving conventional drinks and meals for actually a whole bunch 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 in addition.
As there are such a lot of good pubs to expertise, we wished to share a choice of excursions the place pubs and drinks are as a lot of a spotlight because the meals. So, while these excursions normally embrace meals, additionally they embrace a wide selection of drinks as effectively.
One among our favourite excursions of this kind that we’ve taken in London is the Tastes, Tales & Conventional Ales: Meals 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 variety 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 really actually loved the freshly made model on this tour.
One of the crucial enjoyable components of the tour was on the finish once we performed a standard and historic pub recreation, made in style by Henry VIII!
Total, we actually loved this pub tour, which is an efficient possibility if you wish to go to some actually iconic London pubs and revel in an excellent combination of conventional meals and drinks. You may test availability and pricing and e-book this tour right here.
There are additionally another meals excursions in London which mix foods and drinks which you may need to contemplate. We’ve included all our advisable excursions beneath:
- The historic pubs tour with Devour Excursions. That is the one we’ve finished and actually liked.
- If you wish to know extra in regards to the course of of making beer, try this brewery tour and tasting in Hackney
- Should you’d like to go to a lot of pubs however don’t need to drink quite a bit, this nice worth tour of pubs visits a few of the oldest pubs in London however solely features a half pint. So you may decide to drink or not, as you would like. Be aware this one doesn’t embrace any meals, however the pubs do serve meals.
- One among London’s hottest central nightlight spots is SoHo. This tour has you ingesting and eating your manner across the SoHo space within the night. That is one other in style night SoHo foods and drinks tour to think about.
- Should you’d wish to check out a lot of totally different craft beers throughout London, check out this three hour craft beer tour of London.
- Lastly, in the event you plan to purchase a London Cross (a sightseeing low cost cross), then we’d additionally advocate contemplating this pub tour which is included with the cross (you’ll want to reserve your spot). It’s a guided strolling tour of 4 historic pubs however you do want to decide on and purchase your individual drinks.
Afternoon Tea in London
Popularized within the UK within the mid-Nineteenth century, afternoon tea is a scrumptious custom that’s effectively price experiencing within the metropolis it grew to become in style in.
A day tea is historically served within the afternoon (though you may typically e-book one for a late morning). Usually, it features a course of savory gadgets together with sandwiches, adopted by scones after which candy treats.
After all, that is all accompanied by scorching tea, though some institutions gives you the choice to have espresso or one other drink.
We now have had afternoon throughout London, together with on the Berkley and the Ritz. It’s all the time been an pleasurable expertise. Our one tip can be to come back hungry, as a result of a day tea includes a whole lot of meals!
There are a variety of choices for having a day tea in London, together with strolling excursions which have a day tea part.
You may as well after all e-book a day tea straight together with your most well-liked location in the event you’d somewhat simply concentrate on the afternoon tea and skip the stroll half.
Under, we’ll share some choices to think about that embrace afternoon tea.
Boat & Bus Meals Excursions
Should you like the concept of sightseeing round London, consuming, and doing these issues while sitting down, then you need to contemplate 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. Nevertheless, as this goes proper by the center 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 range 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 need to see it’s a good suggestion to test with the operator earlier than reserving to see what is roofed, though remember that routes can after all change relying on issues like highway works.
By way of choices, there are a variety to select from. These provide totally different menus and routes. Some options to think about are as follows.
- This tour has you boarding a luxurious coach for a gourmand six course meal as you cross a few of London’s iconic sights
- Should you like the concept 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 effectively, together with this Peppa Pig afternoon tea bus experience and this Paddington Bear afternoon tea bus experience
- 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
- That is one other 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
Should you’d like to learn to really make a basic London dish, you then we’d counsel you look into taking a meals workshop or class throughout your go to to London.
Now, in contrast to someplace like Rome for instance, London doesn’t have an awesome many meals lessons to select from. Nevertheless, there are undoubtedly some choices on the market. We’ve chosen some choices which spotlight the extra conventional meals and drinks you may need to learn to make in London.
- This 5 hour tour and cooking class has you visiting Borough Market to take a look at domestically out there produce and substances earlier than making ready a multi-course gourmand meal with drinks within the chef’s residence. Wine is included.
- You may’t have afternoon tea with out scones! This cooking class will train you how you can make this basic merchandise, plus you’ll be capable of take residence your scones when you find yourself finished
- 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 move out to Notting Hill and learn to make your individual scrumptious chocolate on this tour
Suggestions for Selecting a Meals Tour in London
Earlier than you e-book your meals expertise in London, we wished to share some suggestions to assist guarantee you’ve got an awesome expertise, and e-book the precise tour for you.
Test What’s Included / Excluded
If you end up evaluating totally different excursions, you need to test to see what’s included and excluded. Excursions ought to listing intimately what you really get on your cash.
Usually, you have to be advised if meals or drink is included, and in that case, how a lot. Most foods and drinks strolling excursions do embrace foods and drinks, however not all of them, so it’s all the time good to test!
Excursions may even listing every other inclusions or exclusions. For instance, some excursions may go to points of interest and have the attraction charge included. Others could embrace smooth drinks.
Suggestions are typically not included on most excursions, though they’re after all all the time appreciated.
When evaluating excursions by worth, you’ll all the time need to evaluate what’s included. A tour could value much less, but when you need to pay for lots of foods and drinks, then the ultimate value may find yourself fairly totally different.
Affirm Dietary Necessities and Meals Allergen Info in Advance
This one could appear apparent, particularly you probably have dietary necessities, however you will need to be aware.
When you’ve got any dietary necessities or meals allergy symptoms, you undoubtedly need to talk these with the tour organizer prematurely to make sure your wants could be met on the tour you need to do.
Test Restroom Availability
Nearly all of strolling excursions happen over a couple of hours, and there’s all the time an opportunity that you just 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. Nevertheless, a few of the excursions we’ve listed happen on classic buses for instance, the place a restroom shouldn’t be out there all through the tour.
That is undoubtedly one thing to bear in mind must you really feel it is likely to be a problem for you.
Affirm Strolling Distance
In our expertise, the vast majority of meals strolling excursions happen in a reasonably small space, and don’t require quite a lot of strolling. Nevertheless, this isn’t all the time the case.
Relying in your mobility and the way comfy you’re strolling, you may need to test with the tour organiser earlier than you e-book to see how far you’ll really be required to stroll as a part of your tour, to make sure will probably be a snug expertise for you. Studying latest tour critiques may assist with understanding if there’s a whole lot of strolling concerned.
Affirm 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 listing as as to whether or not they’re accessible for wheelchair customers for instance, however the listings don’t typically cowl each accessible want.
As such, we extremely advocate reaching out to make sure you’ll have an excellent expertise previous to reserving and keep away from any difficult conditions on the tour itself.
Carry Acceptable Apparel
It’s vital to convey and put on apparel that’s acceptable to the expertise you e-book. For London, the climate is rarely assured, and rain or solar are attainable 12 months spherical.
As such, we all the time 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 right here.
By way of a gown code, while most meals excursions gained’t have a gown code, in case you are visiting a high-end resort for afternoon tea then you need to undoubtedly test to see if they’ve any gown code necessities. You may see an instance gown code for the Ritz Lodge’s afternoon tea right 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 assets we’ve put collectively that can assist you plan your time in London. We hope you discover it helpful!
- We now have detailed itineraries for 1 day in London, 2 days in London, 3 days in London and 6 days in London
- We now have an entire information to the place to remain in London, which covers all of the neighborhoods and an entire vary of worth factors
- Should you plan on doing a lot sightseeing within the metropolis, you’ll probably get monetary savings with a London Cross. See our full London Cross evaluate right here to see if this may prevent cash on sightseeing.
- We now have a information to getting round London, and a information to utilizing the Oyster card in London.
- Should you’re flying into certainly one of London’s six airports, see our information to attending to London from the airport.
- We now have an in depth information to what to pack for London, that can assist you put together on your journey to London.
- We put collectively some recommendations on discovering the finest Images Places in London
- For the Harry Potter followers amongst you, check out our information to discovering Harry Potter in London
- We now have options for Issues to Do in Kensington, in case you wished to focus extra on a selected area of town
- Should you take pleasure in army museums, check out our information to London’s finest army museums and memorial. Additionally see our Winston Churchill in London information.
- We now have 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 in style points of interest
- Ideas on visiting Stonehenge from London as a day journey
- Different good day journeys from London embrace Oxford and Cambridge. See our information to Oxford in a day in addition to issues to do in Cambridge for concepts.
- Rick Steve’s London information, the #1 bestseller on Amazon for UK journey guides, and all the time a wonderful supply of related info
- Eager about heading to Paris from London? We now have an in depth information to the finest solution to get from London to Paris that can assist you plan
And that’s it! We hope you discovered our information to meals excursions in London helpful, and as all the time, you probably have any questions, simply pop them within the feedback and we’ll reply them as quickly as we are able to!
