In case you are planning a visit to London you’re most likely hoping to attempt among the native British food and drinks. However aside from fish and chips and a pint of beer, you is perhaps questioning what else you have to be attempting, and the place you must go to get the perfect of what’s on provide.
Nicely, one of many choices that we suggest is to take a meals tour in London. This can assist you pattern loads of British meals in a enjoyable, informative, and environment friendly approach.
Laurence truly lived in London for a few years, and ate an entire number of meals at totally different places throughout the 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 differ enormously in size, the quantity of meals included, and value. We’ve performed quite a few meals excursions in London, and needed to share what we predict are the perfect choices out there to your go to. In case you are searching for a meals tour or cooking workshop in London, we’ll assist you select the perfect one for you.
Earlier than we do although, let’s reply a few questions on meals excursions in London and likewise provide you with a great record of British meals you would possibly wish to pattern.
Why Take a Meals Tour in London?
A meals tour is a superb option to attempt a curated vary of scrumptious dishes. Excursions will allow you to attempt the perfect of what’s on provide, masking most of the highlights of British delicacies, at among the greatest spots within the metropolis for every dish.
Meals tour corporations 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 no less than throughout quieter hours). You’ll keep away from ready in strains to order, and be given smaller parts than you’d be capable to order by yourself. This permits for a simpler tour the place you may attempt extra issues than you’d be capable to do by yourself.
You’ll additionally usually get an knowledgeable information that can assist you alongside the best way, so you may perceive among the historical past of the meals you are attempting. A superb tour information will assist provide you with some background in regards to 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 number of days, then a meals tour may also be a great way to study 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 to 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 deal with extra conventional British meals which might be what most guests are going to get pleasure from most. In case you are searching for a tour that focuses on conventional British classics then we’d suggest a strolling tour corresponding to this one or this one.
Or should you favor yet one more targeted on pub food and drinks then we’d suggest a tour like this one which pairs beers and ciders with basic pub meals and snacks.
However when you’ve got already tried loads 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 perhaps you wish to learn to cook dinner a British dish or bake one thing like scones. We’ll be offering suggestions for every kind of choices later on this submit.
Regardless of Laurence having grown up within the UK and Jess residing there for 7 years, now we have actually loved the assorted meals excursions, afternoon teas, and meals workshops we’ve performed in London. We’re all the time discovering new variations of basic British meals (and new locations to attempt them) and studying extra in regards to the historical past of British delicacies.
Taking a meals tour is one in all our really useful 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.
Kinds of Meals to attempt in London?
Earlier than you select a meals tour of London, you must most likely have an thought of what varieties of meals the capital is thought for and what sorts of meals you want to attempt.
London is a cultural hub, which implies there’s an enormous vary of flavors to attempt, from conventional pub meals by way of to worldwide cuisines corresponding to curries. You could find conventional British meals all over the 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 numerous regional variations. Many conventional British dishes will be arduous to seek out exterior the British Isles.
As a basic thought although, we predict most individuals would get pleasure from attempting no less than among the following well-liked 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 frequent ones), mackerel, potted shrimp, and naturally fish and chips (the fish is usually 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 prefer 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 frequent regionally grown fruit and veggies 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 get pleasure from 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 could after all be unattainable to attempt all these items in a single journey but it surely ought to provide you with a good suggestion of what most individuals consider as British meals (and possibly some you’ve by no means heard of).
If the above is extra overwhelming than useful, then here’s a shortlist of among the hottest meals that vacationers inform us they wish to have in London:
- Fish and chips
- Full English breakfast
- Sausage roll and/or bacon sandwich
- Rooster tikka masala
- Sticky toffee pudding
- A pint of actual ale and/or English cider
- Cream tea (tea and scones)
Lots of the above are well-liked dishes on London meals excursions targeted on British meals.
The Finest Meals Excursions in London
There are literally quite a few various kinds of meals excursions and experiences in London, so now we have divided this information into among the foremost choices we predict you must take into account.
These differ from extra conventional meals strolling excursions by way of to excursions that focus extra on beer, excursions and experiences that cowl afternoon tea, excursions that happen on a car of some variety, and cooking courses that have you ever studying the right way to make iconic dishes.
We expect that between all the assorted choices you’re positive to seek out one thing you’ll get pleasure from!
Meals Strolling Excursions
A meals strolling tour is unquestionably some of the well-liked varieties of meals tour you are able to do in London. Any such tour usually has you exploring part of the town and attempting quite a few totally different meals at numerous places.
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 world you’re visiting.
There are a number of totally different meals strolling excursions in London. One in every of our favourites is this Borough Market and Southwark Tour with Take Walks / Devour Excursions.
As a fast observe, we’ve taken many strolling excursions with Take Walks and their sister meals strolling tour Devour Excursions. They run excursions all around the world, with a deal with small teams and nice guides. We’ve all the time had a superb time and are completely happy to suggest their excursions.
The Borough Market and Southwark tour they provide focuses on the Southwark space of London, which is the a part of the town to the south of London Bridge the place you can see sights corresponding to The Shard and Southwark Cathedral.
Southwark can also be residence to the world-famous Borough Market, the place you can see an enormous vary of eateries and meals stalls. So, it is sensible for a meals tour to deal with this space!
Once we took this tour it included seven meals tastings and a drink cease, together with well-liked classics corresponding 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 just some 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 might suggest it if you wish to attempt loads of totally different meals in a small group setting. When you just like the sound of this tour, you may ebook it right here.
In fact, there are a selection of different excursions that included Borough Market and this space, together with this well-liked possibility which will be booked on GetYourGuide right here, and as a non-public tour on Viator right here. There’s additionally this tour which focuses on the meals of Borough Market.
There are additionally quite a few different strolling meals excursions in London you would possibly take into account. Beneath we record all those we suggest you take into account, which we’ve divided into extra conventional meals excursions and people which deal with different well-liked varieties 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, generally by a comfy actual hearth in addition.
As there are such a lot of good pubs to expertise, we needed to share a number 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 variety of drinks as properly.
One in every of our favourite excursions of this kind that now we have 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 Avenue 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 selfmade Scotch egg, whitebait, and extra. Jess doesn’t usually like Scotch eggs, however she truly actually loved the freshly made model on this tour.
One of the enjoyable components of the tour was on the finish after we performed a standard and historic pub recreation, made well-liked 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 luxuriate in a great combination of conventional meals and drinks. You may examine availability and pricing and ebook this tour right here.
There are additionally another meals excursions in London which mix food and drinks which you would possibly wish to take into account. We’ve included all our really useful excursions beneath:
- The historic pubs tour with Devour Excursions. That is the one we’ve performed and actually cherished.
- If you wish to know extra in regards to the course of of making beer, try this brewery tour and tasting in Hackney
- When you’d like to go to quite a few pubs however don’t wish to drink loads, this nice worth tour of pubs visits among the oldest pubs in London however solely features a half pint. So you may decide to drink or not, as you want. Observe this one doesn’t embrace any meals, however the pubs do serve meals.
- One in every of London’s hottest central nightlight spots is SoHo. This tour has you consuming and eating your approach across the SoHo space within the night. That is one other well-liked night SoHo food and drinks tour to think about.
- When you’d prefer to check out quite a few totally different craft beers throughout London, check out this three hour craft beer tour of London.
- Lastly, should you plan to purchase a London Cross (a sightseeing low cost go), then we’d additionally suggest contemplating this pub tour which is included with the go (make sure to reserve your spot). It’s a guided strolling tour of 4 historic pubs however you do want to decide on and purchase your personal drinks.
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 well-liked in.
A day tea is historically served within the afternoon (though you may typically ebook one for a late morning). Usually, it features a course of savory gadgets together with sandwiches, adopted by scones after which candy treats.
In fact, that is all accompanied by scorching tea, though some institutions gives you the choice to have espresso or one other drink.
We have now had afternoon throughout London, together with on the Berkley and the Ritz. It’s all the time been an pleasurable expertise. Our one tip could be to come back hungry, as a result of a day tea entails loads 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 may as well after all ebook a day tea straight along with your most popular location should you’d somewhat simply deal with the afternoon tea and skip the stroll half.
Beneath, we’ll share some choices to think about that embrace afternoon tea.
Boat & Bus Meals Excursions
When you like the concept of sightseeing round London, consuming, and doing these issues while sitting down, then you must take into account 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 way of the guts of London and passes by quite a few 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 differ 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 examine with the operator earlier than reserving to see what is roofed, though remember that routes can after all change relying on issues like street works.
When it comes to choices, there are a selection to select from. These provide totally different menus and routes. Some strategies to think about 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
- When you like the concept of afternoon tea however would additionally prefer 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 trip and this Paddington Bear afternoon tea bus trip
- 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, stay music and the chance to bop. A beautiful option to spend a night in London
Meals Workshops in London
When you’d like to learn to truly make a basic London dish, then you definitely we’d recommend 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 courses 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 would possibly wish to learn to make in London.
- This 5 hour tour and cooking class has you visiting Borough Market to take a look at regionally 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 educate you the right way to make this basic merchandise, plus you’ll be capable to take residence your scones when you find yourself performed
- A pork pie is a scrumptious British deal with, and this workshop will stroll you thru the method of creating your personal pork pie from begin to end.
- When you have a candy tooth you would possibly like to move out to Notting Hill and learn to make your personal scrumptious chocolate on this tour
Suggestions for Selecting a Meals Tour in London
Earlier than you ebook your meals expertise in London, we needed to share some ideas to assist guarantee you could have an awesome expertise, and ebook the best tour for you.
Test What’s Included / Excluded
When you find yourself evaluating totally different excursions, you must examine to see what’s included and excluded. Excursions ought to record intimately what you truly get to your cash.
Usually, you have to be instructed if meals or drink is included, and in that case, how a lot. Most food and drinks strolling excursions do embrace food and drinks, however not all of them, so it’s all the time good to examine!
Excursions may also record some other inclusions or exclusions. For instance, some excursions would possibly go to sights and have the attraction price included. Others could embrace gentle drinks.
Suggestions are usually not included on most excursions, though they’re after all all the time appreciated.
When evaluating excursions by value, you’ll all the time wish to evaluate what’s included. A tour could value much less, but when you must pay for lots of food and drinks, then the ultimate value would possibly find yourself fairly totally different.
Verify Dietary Necessities and Meals Allergen Info in Advance
This one could seem apparent, particularly when you’ve got dietary necessities, however you will need to observe.
When you have any dietary necessities or meals allergy symptoms, you undoubtedly wish to talk these with the tour organizer upfront to make sure your wants will be met on the tour you wish to do.
Test Restroom Availability
Nearly all of strolling excursions happen over a number of hours, and there’s all the time an opportunity that you just would possibly 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, among 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 undoubtedly one thing to bear in mind do you have to really feel it is perhaps a difficulty for you.
Verify Strolling Distance
In our expertise, nearly all of meals strolling excursions happen in a reasonably small space, and don’t require a substantial amount of strolling. Nevertheless, this isn’t all the time the case.
Relying in your mobility and the way snug you’re strolling, you would possibly wish to examine with the tour organiser earlier than you ebook to see how far you’ll truly be required to stroll as a part of your tour, to make sure it is going to be a cushty expertise for you. Studying current tour critiques may also assist with understanding if there’s loads of strolling concerned.
Verify Any Accessibility Necessities
When you have any accessibility wants, it would be best to talk along with your tour organizer upfront of reserving your tour to make sure they’re able to meet these necessities.
Some excursions will record as as to whether or not they’re accessible for wheelchair customers for instance, however the listings don’t usually cowl each accessible want.
As such, we extremely suggest reaching out to make sure you’ll have a great expertise previous to reserving and keep away from any difficult conditions on the tour itself.
Convey Acceptable Apparel
It’s necessary to deliver and put on apparel that’s applicable to the expertise you ebook. For London, the climate isn’t assured, and rain or solar are doable yr spherical.
As such, we all the time suggest packing one thing like an umbrella or rain coat simply in case. You will get extra packing ideas in our information to what to pack for London right here.
When it comes to a costume code, while most meals excursions gained’t have a costume code, in case you are visiting a high-end resort for afternoon tea then you must undoubtedly examine to see if they’ve any costume code necessities. You may see an instance costume code for the Ritz Lodge’s afternoon tea right here.
Additional Studying to 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 needed 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 have now detailed itineraries for 1 day in London, 2 days in London, 3 days in London and 6 days in London
- We have now an entire information to the place to remain in London, which covers all of the neighborhoods and an entire vary of value factors
- When 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 overview right here to see if this would possibly prevent cash on sightseeing.
- We have now a information to getting round London, and a information to utilizing the Oyster card in London.
- When you’re flying into one in all London’s six airports, see our information to attending to London from the airport.
- We have now an in depth information to what to pack for London, that can assist you put together to your journey to London.
- We put collectively some recommendations on discovering the greatest Images Areas in London
- For the Harry Potter followers amongst you, check out our information to discovering Harry Potter in London
- We have now strategies for Issues to Do in Kensington, in case you needed to focus extra on a selected area of the town
- When you get pleasure from navy museums, check out our information to London’s greatest navy museums and memorial. Additionally see our Winston Churchill in London information.
- We have now detailed guides to visiting the Tower of London and the London Eye which incorporates info on planning your go to and the way to save cash on these well-liked sights
- 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 superb supply of related info
- Interested by heading to Paris from London? We have now an in depth information to the greatest option 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, when you’ve got any questions, simply pop them within the feedback and we’ll reply them as quickly as we will!
