Author Topic: Best food in Britain  (Read 8630 times)

Best food in Britain
« on: 11 September, 2010, 11:05:32 pm »
Where do you think?

We'll split this into two categories. Best value for money meal, according to taste rather than quantity. If I want quantity, I'll cook myslef a FO pasta meal.

Secondly, money no object, best and tastiest meal ever eaten. Is it really worth paying that much extra and how much did it cost?


I remember having what was one of the tastiest meals I've ever eaten at Fiddlers in Drumnodrochit on the north bank of Loch Ness. Everything fortified with whisky, and I mean absolutely everything. It is a premiere whisky bar and had more whiskies than I knew existed, not that I'm any whisky expert.
It cost me about £30 for a 3 course meal and was worth every penny.
However, I've never been one for spending a great deal on a meal. I reckon I'd put Fiddlers in the value for money category because allthough I would consider it a bit expensive, compared to other meals I've eaten which have been very good, it still seems very reasonalble considering how much I enjoyed it. It'd cost me about £12 in Whetherspoons for a 3 course meal and allthough I'd enjoy it, it doesn't come anywhere near what I had in Fiddlers.


But I wonder, is there better?
How much better?
Would it cost much more for better and if so, how much.

It seems like a good theme for a tour, allbeit a potentially very expensive one. Cycle around the country and eat meals that come highly reccommended. After all, we need a control for this experiment and I volunteer to undertake this honorous task in the name of research.

So, any reccommendations?

It doesn't have to be a restaurant or complete meal either. We can go for pasties and pies, ice cream and suchlike. Anything nommy will do, but only the best.

Regulator

  • That's Councillor Regulator to you...
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #1 on: 11 September, 2010, 11:40:01 pm »
One of the best meals I've had in the UK was the breakfast at a hotel in Glasgow (I kid you not).

It was the 'Full Scottish' buffet and included the tastiest haggis and white pudding I've ever nommed.

Quote from: clarion
I completely agree with Reg.

Green Party Councillor

Oaky

  • ACME Fire Safety Officer
  • Audax Club Mid-Essex
    • MEMWNS Map
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #2 on: 11 September, 2010, 11:42:59 pm »
...the tastiest haggis and white pudding...

is that a euphemism?
You are in a maze of twisty flat droves, all alike.

85.4 miles from Marsh Gibbon

Audax Club Mid-Essex Fire Safety Officer
http://acme.bike

CrinklyLion

  • The one with devious, cake-pushing ways....
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #3 on: 11 September, 2010, 11:51:07 pm »
Biggest surprise good value very tasty meal I had was in the Magpie in Whitby.  We went there because we had some foody friends visiting, and I thought that the fish-eater would appreciate it, and I didn't expect much for me as a veggie.  I mean, it's a fish and chip cafe - veggies shouldn't expect a lot!

What I got was possibly the nicest vegetarian cottage pie I've ever eaten.  And, although the prices are possibly a quid or two more than some other cafes nearby, it's really not that expensive to eat there - I think I paid a bit under a tenner for a main course, and a fiver for a kid's meal and the portions were huge.  It's also the only place in the universe that I've ever tried mushy peas and actually liked them.

(apparently the fish and chips were bloody good too)

Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #4 on: 11 September, 2010, 11:51:57 pm »
Well I was a totally carp cook until I bought the jamie Oliver iphone app ... I cooked a prawn linguini for dinner tonight and it was teh awesomeness  8)

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #5 on: 12 September, 2010, 07:41:48 am »
For VFM, it is really really difficult to beat the Bridge at Stapleton (Welcome) fantastic food, HUGE portions, but the service leaves a little to be desired.

FWIW both times I have been I have had the Posh Grill, which consists of Pheasant, venison, duck, plus more...

It is very difficult to come out of there hungry :)
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

Clandy

Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #6 on: 12 September, 2010, 08:10:54 am »
For fish and chips The New Celtic restaurant by Aberaeron harbour is pretty much unbeatable. I've eaten there every year since 1968, and the quality has always been outstanding. Prices are pretty average.

Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #7 on: 12 September, 2010, 09:47:23 am »
One of the best meals I've had in the UK was the breakfast at a hotel in Glasgow (I kid you not).

It was the 'Full Scottish' buffet and included the tastiest haggis and white pudding I've ever nommed.



Hmm? I don't know about the Hotel industry, so I'm not sure about the turnover of chefs, so they may be running their own eaterie now if it was some time ago. Any ideas what the Hotel was called?

Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #8 on: 12 September, 2010, 09:50:16 am »
My other half really likes her food, so she'll pore over reviews and talk to her friends about 'must do' restaurants, I'm more about portion size, than nuances in cookings, but from the ones I've been to, these are my favourites.

Fat Duck, Bray.
The best restaurant in the country? Seeing as it's consistently rated as the best restaurant in the country, no 2 in the world etc. We had to try it. It is pretty much obscene prices. The only thing you can order is the tasting menu, it's currently £160 per head, so with service it's £180, so even if you drink water, and only have 1 coffee, you're going to be lucky to get away with £200 a head. We saved for a year (every £2 coin we got went in a jar) and went for an anniversary meal. We had to book 2 months in advance over the phone, calling at 10 AM exactly 2 months before we wanted to go, so it's a total pain in the arse, but I think they're getting a better system now.
For some reason I was expecting a larger restaurant, it's tiny. Service was awesome. Dishes ranged from 'awesome' to 'interesting'. However there was one dish that totally blew me away. The sound of the sea. It's like a freakin' sculpture that you eat.  



Immaculate table cloths, custom plates for each dish etc. Amazing staff who pamper you non stop for 4hrs. It's 50% magic show, 50% restaurant. Someone on the next table switched their Wine Gum dessert for bacon and egg ice cream, and the waiter wheeled out a trolley and 'cooked' it at their table. It was total theatre, as pretty much every surrounding table stopped eating to watch the waiter cook. We didn't even get to taste the damn thing, but watching it was spellbinding.

Thanks to a mistake in the bill, I didn't to get charged for the £15 optional cheese board. Would I go again? Maybe, but not for another 10 years at least. You don't go to the restaurant to get full, you go there to taste. I had to fill up on the non stop supply of bread between courses :). I'm glad I went, as the Sound of the sea is the single most memorable dish I've ever eaten.

Galvin@Windows, 28th floor Park Lane Hilton London. Bar/restaurant. It costs £4.50 for a cup of tea in the bar, but you get awesome views over London. You can literally see directly into the Queens back garden. I really rate the service there, we took my dad to the restaurant there for his birthday, and they wrote a birthday message in chocolate on his plate for him in Chinese. For that alone I will rave about the place until I die. Food's not bad, but it's the views that are the thing, just go for a cup of tea (they even include a couple of biscuits) and go look at the view.



Company shed, Mersea. If you like seafood, you have to go. It's awesome. It's a shed. You can't book, you may have a long wait, you have to share tables, they just sell sea food. You have to provide your own drink, salad and bread, but they can lend you glasses. We went there, I didn't talk to my gf for a couple of hours, I just ate.



Orchard, Granchester, Cambs. I haven't been for years, but afternoon cream teas in the summer in the Orchard are awesome. Sometimes you get bothered by wasps, but it's the location and weather that makes it so good.




Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #9 on: 12 September, 2010, 09:57:01 am »
Biggest surprise good value very tasty meal I had was in the Magpie in Whitby.  

I've heard that there is a very good chip shop in Whitby, I wonder if that is THE one?


I must say, it's very kind of some of you to invite me round to your homes so that you'll cook nice meals for me. But I was thinking more along the lines of going to eateries and paying for meals.
So, if you want to boast about how wonderfull a cook you are, sod off and start you're own bloomin' thread. I allready know that cooking it yourself is best value for money :P Unless you really are offering me some free food that is. In that case, PM me the address and I'll get there ASAP ;D

Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #10 on: 12 September, 2010, 10:15:35 am »
Some good ideas coming through. :thumbsup:
Aberaeron has to be worth a punt because there's some great cycling to be done around there.

tiermat seems to know what I like ;D

Three very good suggestions from geraldc but if I want a cup of tea with a good view, I'll brew up in the mountains when I go mountain biking. Those Welsh mountains have much better views than cities IMO.
This is all about the food, I'd go for the £4.50 cup of tea if it was a very special tea and tasted ultra delicious. Nomminess FTW on this thread please.
The first very expensive suggestion is a good one. I know what you mean, it's more about the experience than filling your guts up with grub. I think I should try something like that at least once in my lifetime, just to see for myself. An expensive experiment. Better start saving my pennies though.
The fish place sounds interesting too and the Orchard at Granchester isn't very far away, so has to be a goer.

Regulator

  • That's Councillor Regulator to you...
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #11 on: 12 September, 2010, 10:23:09 am »
One of the best meals I've had in the UK was the breakfast at a hotel in Glasgow (I kid you not).

It was the 'Full Scottish' buffet and included the tastiest haggis and white pudding I've ever nommed.



Hmm? I don't know about the Hotel industry, so I'm not sure about the turnover of chefs, so they may be running their own eaterie now if it was some time ago. Any ideas what the Hotel was called?

I know it was part of the Happy Hotel chain, which I think is now defunct.
Quote from: clarion
I completely agree with Reg.

Green Party Councillor

Regulator

  • That's Councillor Regulator to you...
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #12 on: 12 September, 2010, 10:26:32 am »

Company shed, Mersea. If you like seafood, you have to go. It's awesome. It's a shed. You can't book, you may have a long wait, you have to share tables, they just sell sea food. You have to provide your own drink, salad and bread, but they can lend you glasses. We went there, I didn't talk to my gf for a couple of hours, I just ate.



The Company Shed's OK - but for even better seafood, try Cookies Crab House in Salthouse, Norfolk.

Quote
Orchard, Granchester, Cambs. I haven't been for years, but afternoon cream teas in the summer in the Orchard are awesome. Sometimes you get bothered by wasps, but it's the location and weather that makes it so good.


We live just down the road from the Orchard but have never been in.  I may suggest a trip out this afternoon to Mr R.   :thumbsup:
Quote from: clarion
I completely agree with Reg.

Green Party Councillor

Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #13 on: 12 September, 2010, 10:35:39 am »
One of the best meals I've had in the UK was the breakfast at a hotel in Glasgow (I kid you not).

It was the 'Full Scottish' buffet and included the tastiest haggis and white pudding I've ever nommed.



Hmm? I don't know about the Hotel industry, so I'm not sure about the turnover of chefs, so they may be running their own eaterie now if it was some time ago. Any ideas what the Hotel was called?

I know it was part of the Happy Hotel chain, which I think is now defunct.

So you wanted me to cycle all the way to Glasgow from Milton Keynes, for nothing!
Norfolk seems like the obvious choice for fresh sea food. I've often thought that I should stop for a fresh sea food meal when I've cycled along the Norfolk coast road.

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #14 on: 12 September, 2010, 11:37:49 am »
The Bear, Todmorden.

Run by a bunch of hippies, but it's in an old Co-op, has a great atmosphere, the food (vegetarian) is varied & tasty, and the range of cakes is great.

It's just a few doors away from a great antiquarian bookshop, it's round the corner from Singletrack Magazine HQ, there's fantastic riding (on or off-road) in any direction, so long as you're not allergic to gradients, and it has a view of, um, the library.  Which, tbf, was set up by the co-op as IIRC the first public library in the country.

So, to sum up.  No fancy food.  No fancy prices.  No fancy venue.  No posh waiters.  Just great food in a great place.
Getting there...

Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #15 on: 12 September, 2010, 11:56:16 am »
Biggest surprise good value very tasty meal I had was in the Magpie in Whitby.  
I've heard that there is a very good chip shop in Whitby, I wonder if that is THE one?

It will be. It's the best fish and chip shop I have ever been to. In summer you might have to queue outside to get a table though. It's a traditional old fish and chip restaurant where you get a pot of tea and sliced bread with your fish and chips and there are table cloths on the tables etc. It's like something from the 1950s. If you live within striking distance it's a must visit. There are several other good chippies in Whitby as you might imagine but The Magpie is an institution.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #16 on: 12 September, 2010, 12:04:28 pm »
I can nominate two at the moment in the not fancy line.

Blacksmiths Arms, Westow, North Yorkshire 2 miles off the A64 through Kirkam Abby.

This is my local pub and they do meals as well. Has had five years as a gastro pub but now is back to being a proper local. The meals are generally pretty good pub food all cooked on site using local ingredients wherever possible. The outstanding offering though is their steaks. The head cook is the wife of a local farmer and the pub uses the beef from their far,. I can honestly say they are the best steaks I have had in several years. Either the sirloin or the T-bone are great. Get there early or book ahead though as they often run out of them.

The Wolds Inn Huggate, East Yorkshire

Best Sunday lunch in a pub I have had. Huge portions done really well. Their Barnsley Chops are highly recommended. 

Both the above are in great cycling country too.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

CrinklyLion

  • The one with devious, cake-pushing ways....
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #17 on: 12 September, 2010, 06:28:37 pm »
I must say, it's very kind of some of you to invite me round to your homes so that you'll cook nice meals for me. But I was thinking more along the lines of going to eateries and paying for meals.
So, if you want to boast about how wonderfull a cook you are, sod off and start you're own bloomin' thread. I allready know that cooking it yourself is best value for money :P Unless you really are offering me some free food that is. In that case, PM me the address and I'll get there ASAP ;D

I may have previously wandered out with loaded panniers to meet and feed a hungry audaxer... 

...asparagus soup, vegetable soup, homemade bread, cheese, chocolate cake, strawberries and cream.  Next time you're passing within 15-ish miles of York, let me know!

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #18 on: 12 September, 2010, 09:14:07 pm »
The best food I eat is conjured up by mrs. jogler & I kid you not :thumbsup:

eck

  • Gonna ride my bike until I get home...
    • Angus Bike Chain CC
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #19 on: 12 September, 2010, 09:16:33 pm »
The best food I eat is conjured up by mrs. jogler & I kid you not :thumbsup:
:( well, Mr jogler, I have to say I'm disappointed. I thought you would have voted for Cameron's finest steak bridies.  ;)

But I'm sure Mrs j is a fine cook.  :thumbsup:

It's a bit weird, but actually quite wonderful.

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #20 on: 12 September, 2010, 09:18:56 pm »
They are a close second Eck,very close :)

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #21 on: 12 September, 2010, 09:27:48 pm »
The best pub Sunday lunch I've had, without any doubt at all, was at the pub in Slad, near Stroud - Laurie Lee's local.

Other than that, it's hard to compare, say, a madras curry with a dish of ice cream. I think that Rossi's ice cream, in Southend, produces the best basic vanilla ice cream I've tasted. We have some pretty decent Indian restaurants round here and I do like a good curry.

Probably the best first course of all is Mrs. Wow's steak & kidney pie. Followed by my suet pudding and syrup. It's my mum's recipe for suet puding (well, pretty much what it says on the Atora box, scaled up) but my mum used to immerse her pudding in boiling water. I stand mine on a trivet and steam it. I think mine's better.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

FatBloke

  • I come from a land up over!
Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #22 on: 12 September, 2010, 09:46:47 pm »
A few months ago some of my friends treated me and the missus to a meal at La Gavroche to celebrate my 50th birthday.

This is what we ate:-




It was sensational. the food was amazing. The service impeccable.
Price per head - about £170, but that did include all the wine!   :o

I have to say the the cheese board was out of this world!!   A choice of probably 50 cheeses!  Nom! Nom! Nom!
This isn't just a thousand to one shot. This is a professional blood sport. It can happen to you. And it can happen again.

Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #23 on: 12 September, 2010, 10:02:56 pm »
The quality of the pork pies in Earby is exceptional, I alternate between Jamie Pitt's Butchers and DDs Delicatessen on my occasional visits, as both are handy the newsagents on Victoria Street where I pick up a copy of the Guardian. They cost 85p and that's excluding Dandelion and Burdock.
Google Maps

Re: Best food in Britain
« Reply #24 on: 13 September, 2010, 09:54:28 pm »
The best pub Sunday lunch I've had, without any doubt at all, was at the pub in Slad, near Stroud - Laurie Lee's local.


I know Slad. Very nice cycling around there. Your pus is similar to Regulator's hotel, in that they tend to change hands frequently, so I could g to the same pub and it's be very diferent.
Definitely worth keeping in mind though. I think you are used to eating tasty food, so something that stands out to you has to be worth a try.
I can still remember the breakfast in The White Horse, I think it was on the WARTY camping weekend. That was one fantastic breakfast.



Quote
Other than that, it's hard to compare, say, a madras curry with a dish of ice cream. I think that Rossi's ice cream, in Southend, produces the best basic vanilla ice cream I've tasted. We have some pretty decent Indian restaurants round here and I do like a good curry.


Yes, but I'd argue that they are different courses of the same meal. Also, that's partly the point of this thread. We all have our favourites, so I'm hoping to pick the most memorable food from different people who all have their own preferances. I don't really bother with pork pies, but now I have a suggestion from someone who does and these are his favourites. Now I can taste a pork pie eater's favourite and really know, not just take a wild guess and assume that all pork pies are that way or perhaps try many many pork pies before I find the perfect pork pie.

Your pub in Slad is your valid answer. It's something that stuck in your memory, so must have something to merit it.
milton Keynes has Indians too. Three of them stand above the rest in reputation. Having eaten in two out of the three, I have a definite favourite of those two and I don't think I've ever eaten a better Indian. The one I've never tried is supposed to be the best in Milton Keynes and I believe is supposed to be one of the best in the country.
My favourite is the Moghull Palace in Stony Stratford if you're interested. The other one I've been to is next to the train Station and has rickshaws outside. The highly rated one I've never been to is The Jaipur.
I'm not a big fan of Indian myself, but if I go to Moghull Palace, I always enjoy everything I'm given. Other times with Indian food, it's usualy OK, tolerable or quite nice for me.

Rossi's Ice cream could well be good and I expect that it is, but I'm only interested in the best. ;D There are quite a few dairies around the country who make ice cream and I expect that they are all very nice. But I'm after the best, or at least, what some consider to be the best. Hence the title of this thread. :)