Regional Food and Drink

Virtually every corner of the British Isles yields superb food and drink.

There is considerable variety from region to region and county to county. The advent of the supermarket has made some of these traditional products rare but producers of many fine foods and drinks still exist and can increasingly be found at Farmer's Markets and specialist outlets. Scotland's food is a reflection of the hardy and resilient land and people. Some have become famous in other parts of the world such as whisky, Haggis, Scottish Salmon, Arbroath Smokies and shortbread. Ireland retains its own culinary traditions, which have emerged intact after centuries of English provincial domination. In Wales, traditional foods, like the Welsh language itself, have been guarded and passed down by word of mouth. Try lavabread or Bara Brith. In England cheeses, pork pies and other fare became popular as a sustaining food while hunting, and in Cornwall, the humble pasty was the workers' lunch, easily carried down the damp tin mines. Certain localities are inextricably linked with certain foods such as the famous Northumbrian smoked Kippers and oysters, Stilton cheese from Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, cream teas from Devon. Some have been adopted nationally, such as Yorkshire pudding, Cheddar cheese and Cornish Pasties, but others remain very much tied to a single area, indeed to a single village. For example, Banbury cakes and Staffordshire Oatcakes are not widely available outside their own localities.

Cheeses (as great as any in the world)
Since the Norman Conquest in 1066 cheese has played an important role in the British economy and diet. Most regions developed their own cheeses, from Scotland to Somerset, but unlike the rest of Europe, the majority of these traditional cheeses were almost exclusively hard or blue. In the last 15 years, there has been an enormous interest in cheese making, resulting in a significant number and diversity of British cheeses. Old recipes have been revived and new ones developed using old methods, milk from rare breeds of animals and recipes from Europe, creating a rich diversity of over 450 unique Modern and Traditional British cheeses. Roughly speaking, our cheeses can be divided into three types, hard cheeses such as Cheddar, blue cheeses such as Stilton and fresh cheeses - these include cottage cheese.

Sausages
There are a great variety of sausages available from independent butchers and supermarkets today. In fact, there are over 400 varieties of sausage currently made in Britain - so there's one to suit every taste and pocket. This is because for centuries sausages were made locally, so there are now recipes from all over the country including the Cotwolds, Yorkshire, London as well as the more well known varieties, Lincolnshire and Cumberland. Ingredients range from Pork and beef to venison and game, with and without a variety of herbs and spices.

Wine
The Romans may have first brought grapes for wine production to Britain and there are records of 38 vineyards during that time. There are now 350 vineyards spread across Britain, as far north as Leeds. While for years, mainly enthusiastic amateurs produced British wine; it is now part of an industry run by committed professional firms. Many British wines are now ranked highly in top wine circles - even picking up international prizes. Typically, English still wine is white, aromatic, delicate and fruity but increasingly, red wines, rose and champagne type wines are being produced to a very high standard. A popular and growing market is the fine range of hedgerow wines and cordials, made to traditional country recipes.

Sweets & cakes
Kendal Mint Cake from the Lake District of Cumbria has sustained generations of climbers, campers and walkers. Pontefract in Yorkshire is rightly famous for its licorice Devon for cream fudge and clotted cream with home made jams served on scones. There are a growing number of specialist Chocolatiers making some of the finest chocolate in the World. Baking has its regional products such as Bakewell pudding and Banbury cakes. Try the Welsh lavabread, made from a prized seaweed or Bara Brith, a rich fruity bread, for breakfast.

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