For all its global flavours, London remains the best place on earth to explore the canon of traditional British cuisine. These dishes – from the hearty to the delicate – are cornerstones of a national identity, served everywhere from local pubs to polished dining rooms. Many didn’t originate in the capital, and a few borrow from far older global influences, but each one has been absorbed into the fabric of British food culture and can be found in London’s dining scene. To understand what Britain tastes like, start here.
1. A Full English, the Heartiest of Breakfasts
It seems appropriate to start our run-down of British classics at the beginning of the day. A ‘Full English’ has been the fuel of many a Brit for centuries. Where other countries may opt for pastry or a piece of fruit, our breakfasts are a decidedly heavier affair. The Wolseley, a perennially popular morning spot, does things properly, with the obligatory sausage, bacon, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes joined – as they should be – by baked beans and black pudding. For a fishier alternative, go for the kedgeree, an anglicised version of a dish from colonial India.
2. Omelette Arnold Bennett, the Savoy Classic
Simply put, this is a smoked haddock and cheese omelette, named after British author Arnold Bennett and originally created at legendary hotel The Savoy. You can still get versions of it there today, either on the breakfast menu at The River Restaurant or in soufflé form at The Savoy Grill. Alternatively, head to Mount St. for a delightful version of the dish accompanied by the restaurant's renowned art collection. The dining room is decorated with works ranging from Lucian Freud to Andy Warhol, making it the finest (and most expensive) collection of any London restaurant.
3. Eggs Drumkilbo, the Royal Favourite
There aren't too many places you'll find this decadent seafood cocktail these days. But that's okay, as The Dining Room at The Goring is easily the must-visit choice anyway. Its specific version of the dish was a favourite of the late Queen Mother, and the hotel as a whole has had many a Royal walk its hallways over the years. While recipes vary slightly from place to place, the main part of The Goring's take is delicious white crab meat bound up in a rich mayonnaise, joined by a well-balanced combination of cucumber, roasted tomato, caviar and a nugget of top-notch native lobster. To finish, a quality quail’s egg with a runny golden yolk.
4. Scotch Egg, the King of Snacks
The last in our trio of egg-based dishes is the one that could best be described as a guilty pleasure. With the recipe's origins tracing back centuries, the egg itself is wrapped in sausage meat, before being coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried until golden. It’s a potentially delicious concoction, which in recent years has sadly been reduced to the realms of service station snacks. Thankfully, you can find a proper restaurant version at the appropriately named Pig and Butcher, a terrific London pub serving in-house butchered meats.
5. Cheese Toastie, the Perfect Comfort Food
Consistently delicious and so easy to make it's a staple in households across the country, this is the ultimate soul-warming snack. For an extra-special version, head to The Wigmore, where we might be doing it a disservice just to call this a ‘cheese toastie’. According to the menu, it is in fact an ‘XXL stovetop three cheese and mustard toastie’, boasting a crisp crust and a soft, yielding centre, with cornichons and red onion added to the mix to bring some acidity and sweetness respectively. It’s easily big enough to share, but is so ridiculously moreish that you and your dining partner may end up coming to blows.
6. Mince on Toast
British food at its best often has an unerring simplicity to it and dishes don’t come much simpler than the does-what-it-says-on-the-tin mince on toast. Whilst it may sound simple, getting it right can be tricky, as so much rides on the quality and the seasoning of the meat. At The Pelican, a smartly refurbished Notting Hill pub, it’s found on the ‘Bar Snacks’ menu and the chefs get it spot-on: an unfussy, well-judged and downright tasty treat. It is a dish that’s typical of the place, which very much adopts the St. JOHN approach to British cuisine, with a lack of frippery and a focus on less glamorous cuts of meat.Love all things MICHELIN?
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7. Fish & Chips, the Ultimate British Icon
So, here we have it, the most famous creation in British culinary history: battered fish, usually haddock or cod, with thick, fluffy chips, preferably doused in salt and vinegar. Finding good fish & chips in London is a tricky topic; some people believe eating it anywhere that’s not on the coast is blasphemy in itself, while simply getting a paper-wrapped takeaway from a proper chippy is always hard to beat. But, if you want a sit-down meal version of a ‘chippy tea’, then The Bull & Last has you covered. It comes with the traditional accompaniments of mushy peas and tartare sauce, plus you can add a ‘wally’ (pickled gherkin) if you’re in the mood.
8. Sunday Roast, the Family Tradition
Possibly the UK’s most cherished culinary tradition, the Sunday roast is far more than a plate of roasted meat and vegetables. It’s a time for people to come together; for friends to share stories and nurse sore heads from the night before; for teenagers to put down their phones in the hope mum might give them an extra roast potato. You’ll find a proper Sunday roast at virtually all of London’s many great dining pubs, but the version at the MICHELIN-Starred Harwood Arms takes some beating, with the kitchen specialising in robustly flavoured dishes based around quality meats.
9. Beef Wellington, the Decadent Choice
Consisting of beef fillet wrapped in puff pastry with a layer of mushroom duxelles sandwiched in between, this has always been a luxurious dish – so it makes sense to eat it somewhere luxurious. You'll find strong options around the city, but it's hard to beat The Ritz. It's ironic that a restaurant with so many French influences, from its cooking to its Louis XVI décor, should serve a beef Wellington as one of its signatures. It was, after all, created for the Duke of Wellington after his victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. But the team nevertheless offer a mouthwatering sharing-sized portion, served tableside for a theatrical touch.
10. Steak and Kidney Pudding, the Old-School Option
Firstly, despite involving the word 'pudding', this is not to be mistaken for a dessert. Nor is it to be confused with steak and kidney pie. The correct version of this hearty classic is a rich, gravy soaked combination of steak and kidneys encased in a dome-shaped suet pastry, all slowly steamed to perfection. As with most traditional British dishes, you'll find it on the menu at Rules, officially London’s oldest restaurant. Be sure to stick around here for dessert too, where you can sample British icons like sticky toffee pudding and apple crumble.
11. Tipsy Cake, the Forgotten Gem
Tipsy cake may not be one of the most famous dishes on this list – and is pretty much exclusively found at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – but it deserves its place in this list for its history alone. On the one hand, Heston Blumenthal – the true maverick of British chefs – is the last person you’d associate with anything traditional, yet on the other, he has based the entire menu at Dinner on British recipes of old. With origins dating back to 1858, Heston’s modern version of the tipsy cake is one of his signatures, a booze-laden brioche pudding accompanied by spit-roasted pineapple.
12. Eton Mess, the Indulgent Dessert
It may be a bit chaotic in appearance at times, but there are few desserts more satisfying than an Eton Mess. This creamy meringue and berry concoction will often come and go on menus seasonally, but one of the best places to look out for it is St. JOHN. Any discussion of traditional British food wouldn't be complete without mentioning this restaurant, which has exerted one of the greatest influences over the country’s cooking in the last three decades, thanks to its pioneering nose-to-tail ethos and pared-back focus on flavour. If there's no Eton Mess on the menu, there's a good chance other British classics such as blackberry trifle or gooseberry fool will be there instead.Related Articles:
Hero Image: Sunday Roast at The Harwood Arms, a great example of traditional British food. © Lateef
