The UK is home to a considerable diversity of high-quality restaurants, bars, and street-food marketplaces. If you’re looking to enjoy the best food available, to explore new textures and tastes, and generally broaden your gastronomic horizons, then there are a number of places worth visiting.
If you’d like to sample as much food as possible, from a wide range of restaurants and producers, then it might be worth planning a road trip just for the purpose. You might make a list of restaurants you’ve always wanted to visit, and then drive between them over the course of a week or so. Getting the best from this kind of experience often means making sure that the car is ready for it. Temporary car insurance is a convenient way of getting on the right side of the law before you set out.
London: A Melting Pot of Flavours
Of course, it’s difficult to beat the capital when it comes to quality food. Competition among restauranteurs is fierce, and standards are high. New restaurants and other eateries are constantly emerging. 2024 saw Agora and Oma, in Borough Market, open their doors. Then there’s Café François, also in Borough Market, which provides contemporary French Cuisine for around £40 per head.
Manchester: A Culinary Renaissance
If London is the frontrunner when it comes to restaurants, then Manchester is a close competitor. The city boasts a rich music scene, as well as plenty of amazing food. There’s just one Michelin-starred restaurant, in the form of Mana, but there are countless other quality establishments that provide excellent food for a reasonable price.
Aberdeen: An Emerging Foodie Destination
Historically, Aberdeen has been a city that you’d more readily associate with oil extraction than food. But that’s changing, as the city seeks to diversify. There are a number of excellent restaurants that might be considered by visitors, including the vegan-friendly La Tiendita del Sabor, which is a family-run restaurant offering quality Venezuelan cuisine.
There’s also the newly-refurbished Union Terrace Gardens Park, along with new establishments like the SugarBird wine bar, to consider. At the latter, you can pick up three flutes of fizz, along with complementary macarons – just make sure that you book early.
Evesham: Celebrating Local Produce
This small Worcestershire town has considerable food heritage, thanks to its seasonal asparagus output. In late spring, there’s an annual Asparagus Festival, at which you’ll be able to enjoy demonstrations, tours, and (of course) the chance to buy local produce directly from the producers themselves. If you’re planning a visit to the town in August, on the other hand, you might instead consider a visit to the town’s annual Battle of Evesham Medieval Festival – which provides, among other things, a sample of period-appropriate food.