Gone are the days when a foodie holiday in the UK would have meant a succession of fry-ups in a diner on an A-road or mooching around a pick-your-own-fruit farm in the rain. Nowadays, Great Britain and Northern Ireland have a premium food market rich enough to rival any European destination, including more than 70 protected food names: an assurance that, like France’s appellation d’origine controlée, designates a unique way of producing regional delicacies that defies imitation.
If a pasty, smokie or stilton warms the cockles, then have a look at some of the UK food and drinks makers bringing unexpected bounty to the table. Beyond Cheddar Gorge and Melton Mowbray there are hundreds of unusual destinations waiting to be discovered this summer.
Visit Scotland’s gin distilleries
Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo
Scotland’s rich history of whisky making has bred an expertise for distilling. Craft gin distilleries north of the border have boomed in the past five years, so much so that the UK’s Wine and Spirits Trade Association has published a map of more than a dozen stops on a gin trail that stretches all the way to Shetland. Edinburgh’s a great destination for lovers of mother’s ruin, counting three distilleries in town. Whizz around the distillery on Rutland Street to find out why Scotland’s seen such a gin craze, before heading to the distillery’s Heads and Tales bar at the Rutland Hotel to try a Tom Collins made with spirits from its stills. Price is £25, cocktails from £7.50.
Forage wild mushrooms in Wales
Wild-food expert Daniel Butler has spent nearly 20 years learning to identify about 50 edible species of mushroom in the Elan valley in mid Wales, sometimes spotting 30 varieties in one morning. In the summer months, chanterelles, parasols and porcini proliferate, as do the eccentrically named chicken of the woods and wood hedgehog. It’s not just fungi Daniel points out, either, but wild garlic, burdock and raspberries. Walk the woods with him, learn a forager’s tricks, and take your skills home with you to practise all year round.
Taste the RMS Titanic’s fine dining in Belfast
At the turn of the 20th century, the shipyards of the city were the pride of Northern Ireland, no less so after the voyage of the RMS Titanic. Now, a local guesthouse, Rayanne House, is offering guests a taste of ocean-liner dining with a nine-course meal re-created from the RMS Titanic’s first-class dining-room menu. The meticulously researched affair (featuring canapés à l’amiral, roast squab, poached salmon and filet mignon) makes a great finale following a visit to the Titanic Belfast visitor attraction, and is even served in a room that overlooks Belfast Lough from which the world-famous liner sailed.
Tour Yorkshire’s vineyards
The south coast of England has dominated the British winemaking business, but now North Yorkshire is getting in on the act. Ryedale Vineyards is a 10-year-old commercial grower that runs tours, food-matching and a B&B. Discover the success story behind England’s most northerly winemakers, and sample local cheeses on the tour to get a feel for how local flavours work together. Sounds like the Tour de Yorkshire has started something quite continental in Les Wolds.
Enjoy oysters in Northern Ireland
Now in its 24th year, the Hillsborough international oyster festival revolves around the delicious bivalves caught off Northern Ireland’s coastline. The event spans everything from fine-dining popups to music, golf tournaments, children’s games and a supercar day. However, it’s probably most famous for local competitive eater Colin Shirlow, who broke a world record in 2005 by eating 233 oysters in three minutes. Plan a visit to this year’s event, taking place on 30 August-4 September, as a day trip from Belfast, just 12 miles away, or as part of a bigger road trip.
Walk to Cornwall’s best pubs
Discover some of the UK’s most glorious coastline just six hours from London by train. Take a room at the Gurnard’s Head – a foodie, family-friendly pub near St Ives – and after a leisurely breakfast, walk the footpath towards the coast where you’ll pass disused tin mines. Head inland to Zennor, a village loved by novelist DH Lawrence, and enjoy lunch at the 13th-century Tinners Arms. Return via the small village museum, the ancient church and across farmland in time for dinner at the Gurnard’s Head where you’ll find a brilliant menu of seasonal local dishes, with everything from foraged herbs and whitebait to ray and lobster.
Go to www.homeofamazing.com for further holiday inspiration
