What to eat when in the United Kingdom - 18 Must Eats - travel and eat (2024)

What to eat when in the United Kingdom - 18 Must Eats - travel and eat (1)

The Classics

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1. Fish and Chips

Probably one of the most famous dishes of British cuisine Fish and Chips. Fish deliciously coated in batter, deep fried, and served with french fries. Try it with malted vinegar!

What to eat when in the United Kingdom - 18 Must Eats - travel and eat (3)

What to eat when in the United Kingdom - 18 Must Eats - travel and eat (4)

2. Sunday Roast

Sunday Roast is a traditional British dish usually served on Sunday (as the name suggests). It consists of roasted meat, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, gravy and mint sauce.

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3. Steak Pies

I can’t remember why I found the concept of meat in a pie strange when I first heard of it years ago. But I tried one in Scotland and it was absolutely delicious.

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4. Bacon Butties

Did I add this to the list because of the name? Maybe. But it’s still a simple yet tasty treat. You can’t go much wrong with bacon and bread.

What to eat when in the United Kingdom - 18 Must Eats - travel and eat (7)

What to eat when in the United Kingdom - 18 Must Eats - travel and eat (8)

5. Stews and Soups

If you’re in the mood for a hearty soup, the British have you covered. Some of the most popular are Irish stew, Welsh chawl and Cullen skink.

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6. Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s pie is also called Cottage Pie and is ground red meat cooked in a gravy and topped with mashed potatoes.

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7. Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington is typically a steak coated with pâte and a mushroom mixture, wrapped in puff pastry and baked in the oven.

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What to eat when in the United Kingdom - 18 Must Eats - travel and eat (12)

8. Full English/Scottish Breakfast

Definitely one of my favorites. I love starting an eventful day with a Full English Breakfast. During my trip, I met a lovely American woman in Edinburgh who thought that baked beans were not part of breakfast, but part of lunch. I find it very interesting to see how one’s cultural background forms the perspective of new ones.

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What to eat when in the United Kingdom - 18 Must Eats - travel and eat (14)

9. Bangers and Mash

The british really have it with their names. This one is a simple dish consisting of sausages (bangers), mashed potatoes and gravy.

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10. Scotch Egg

You can probably find Scotch Eggs in every Tesco if you want to try it. It’s a whole boiled egg, wrapped in sausage meat and coated in breadcrumbs. I think it’s a nice afternoon snack. I’m not going to lie, I had some of those as a student in England when I was too lazy to cook.

Something Sweet

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11. Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky toffee pudding is a moist sponge cake prepared with finely chopped dates, covered with a toffee sauce. It is often served with vanilla pudding or vanilla ice cream.

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12. Shortbread

You probably see Shortbread in every other UK themed souvenir shop. It’s a traditional Scottish co*kie mainly consisting of sugar, butter and flour.

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13. Millionaire's Shortbread

My favorite kind of Shortbread is Millionaire’s Shortbread where the cookie has a caramel and chocolate layer on top. I still dream about them.

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What to eat when in the United Kingdom - 18 Must Eats - travel and eat (21)

14. Cream Tea

Cream tea is a form of afternoon tea. It is usually tea served with scones, clotted cream and sometimes butter. If you want something different with your tea, you can try Spotted Dick (steamed pudding). I already said that they have their thing with their names….

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15. Trifle

Trifle is a layered dessert commonly made with fruit, sponge fingers and custard.

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16. Easy DIY

Here I would like to mention Apple Crumble and Bread and Butter Pudding. They don’t have that much in common except that they are super easy to make yourself. So you don’t have to wait for your Great Britain trip to try them.

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Something Unusual

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17. Black and White Pudding

Sometimes I get the feeling that you can’t trust the word ‘pudding’ in English. In this case black pudding, also known as blood pudding, is a type of blood sausage. White pudding is similar to black pudding but without the blood.

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“Haggis” by Bernt Rostad is licensed under CC BY 2.0

18. Haggis

Haggis is also a savory pudding that contains sheep’s pluck. I tried it. It was really not bad, actually quite tasty. But I couldn’t eat it again. I just can’t get out of my head what’s in it.

Side note: I didn’t include the eel in jelly because I can’t see the photos of it without feeling some kind of way. And since it is no longer really popular in England, I think it is also no longer a must eat.

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