Foodie breaks in Britain

Getting away from it all has long been associated with sampling local produce, in far flung and exotic. But with fresh produce and locally made food becoming more and more popular in the UK you needn’t go far to find your foodie fix.

Durham

Durham has some excellent meat producers but also plenty if you like things sweet. Loopy Lisa's Fudge near Bishop Auckland comes in around 50 varieties, all hand made to a WI recipe.  At Archers Ice Cream at Walworth you can see the cows which produce the milk for the ice creams.  Have some in the little parlour or take a cool bag and stock up with the brilliant Christmas Pudding flavoured ice cream.

 

 

Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire has sea on three sidesand is very good for fish.  Try trout from Vicar's Mill, Llandissilio and shellfish from Claws at Llandstadwell, where they catch crab, lobsters and oysters out of Neyland Marina For a wide range of wines and liqueurs, including apple, elderflower and honeysuckle wine, head to the Cwm Deri vineyard in Martletwy.  Haverfordwest has an award winning farmers' market twice a month on Fridays.

 

 

 

Derbyshire

Bakewell Tart or Bakewell Pudding?   If you're in Derbyshire you'll just have to try them both.  The Bakewell Pudding Parlour, the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop or the Bakwell Tart Café are the best places to go to in Bakewell.  Just the thing when you've been walking in the Peaks.  Meanwhile over at Chatsworth House, the stately home has set the standard for farm shops.

 

 

Yorkshire

At the Bettys cafes in Ilkley, Harrogate, York and Northallerton, white pinnied waitresses will bring you endless varieties of tea and coffee and the most delicious cakes and pastries. Rosemary Robinson was a farmer's wife making proper puddings in her kitchen. Now her business, Just Puds, produces wonderful mouth-watering puddings -  sticky toffee, apple and blackberry, cherry and kirsch, lemon drizzle.

 

 

Dorset

Dorset is best known for apple cakes, cheese and Dorset knobs - a cross between a bread bun and a biscuit.  Dorset Blue, or Blue Vinny, is a wonderful local cheese and is the basis of a number of great soups made by the Dorset Blue Soup Company based in Sturminster. Dorset is also the olive capital of England, thanks to Olives et al - who sell a great range of olives and other snacks from their shops in Sturminster and Poundbury.  Finish up with the chocolate from Chococo in Swanage.

 

 

Lancashire

The Forest of Bowland has a host of meat producers and farm shops.  Goosnargh, near Preston is famous for its duck, and Johnson and Swarbrick are its best producers with home reared geese and chicken.  Head to Morecambe Bay and Southport for potted shrimps. Bury Market is held every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and was recently voted the best food market in Britain.

 

 

Cornwall

You're spoilt for choice with Rick Stein in Padstow - a restaurant, bistro, café and fish and chip shop, plus three shops in which to buy a whole range of Rick's carefully chosen local products to take home. Further along the coast at Newlyn, the pilchards from the Pilchard Works are good, but the tins they come in are works of art, literally - based on the paintings of artists known as the Newlyn School. At Healey's Cornish Cyder Farm in Penhallow, they make a wide range of ciders, from sparkling to scrumpy and some extra special award winners. They also make country wines, juices, chutneys and jams. You can visit, take a tour, have a taste and stock up at the farm shop.

 

 

Hebrides

The Hebrides is a fish lover's heaven - so much salmon, so many smokeries.  There seems to be one in every corner of the islands. If it's Oysters you're after head to Eriskay and buy straight from the fishermen. The Stag Bakery in Stornaway does great oatcakes and Charles Macleod in Stornoway, sells black pudding, haggis and lamb.  For the sweet toothed, there's Scottish tablet (toffee) form Castle Bay on the Isle of Barra.

 

 

East Anglia

Norfolk is famous for turkeys and if you're after poultry head to The Marsh Larder on the Earl of Leicester's estate at Holkham Hall where you can buy duck, ham and pheasant.  Meanwhile on the Blickling Hall Estate, Samphire sells all sorts of local produce including delicious sausages and pies, which you can wash down with local cider.  Samphire, incidentally is a sort of sea asparagus available locally in late spring.

 

 

Leicestershire

Leicestershire is the home  of Stilton and Red Leicester, and also the Melton Mowbray pork pie.  At Brocklebys Farm Shop, in Asfordby Hill, they not only sell the famous pies but you can watch them being made.  Just the thing for supper with local chutney and salad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feature by author Sharon Griffiths, whose latest novel, The Lost Guide to Life and Love, is about a food writer.

 

 

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