Food from the UK is totally unique as we all know, and nothing quite demonstrates this fact better than a list of traditional British delicacies.
Plenty of foods can be considered a delicacy in Britain, including our classic dishes like the Full English Breakfast and Fish & Chips, not to mention loads of other distinctive culinary treats, many from specific regions of the UK.
Believe it or not, there’s just so much incredible food to eat in Britain that we don’t really know where to start. So, we’ll just start with a list of traditional delicacies, before guiding you to some of the best places to eat in Blighty.
Without further ado, here’s a list of 25 great British delicacies:
Savoury British Delicacies
Bacon Sandwich
Also known as the bacon butty, nothing beats a few smoked pig rashers between two chunky slabs of bread, otherwise known as the delicacy that is the British bacon sarnie.
Scotch Egg
Usually eaten as a snack or part of a Ploughman’s Lunch, a Scotch egg is a deep fried, sausage-meat-wrapped boiled egg, a popular picnic food and yes, a delicacy, from Blighty.
Cornish Pasty
The Cornish Pasty is a traditional and regional British delicacy from Cornwall, consisting of beef, turnip, potato, onion and plenty of pepper, all within a D-shaped pastry casing.
Welsh Rarebit
Welsh Rarebit is one of the most famous and traditional foods from Wales, but also a British delicacy that no one really knows the difference from cheese on toast!
Black Pudding
Despite a somewhat unappetising name and appearance, Black Pudding really is a British breakfast delicacy worth trying. Some are put off by this being a blood sausage (pork), but there’s nothing to fear, black pudding tastes great.
Beans on Toast
Beans on toast is without doubt, a British food staple. A delicacy might be a stretch, but whether you go for a posh version or the classic option of using Heinz baked beans, not much beats beans on toast.
Chip Butty
Not everything British food can be as sophisticated as Afternoon Tea, but there’s few things more delicious than the delicacy that is the chip butty. In other words, a French fries sandwich, with ‘butty’ being another one of those weird British food names.
Pork Pie
The famous Pork Pie is one of the most well known regional British delicacies, being from a place called Melton Mowbray in the north of England. The Pork Pie is another picnic favourite, being sausage meat surrounded by jelly, all encased in buttery crumbly pastry.
Laverbread
Laverbread is a seaweed delicacy (not bread) found off the coast of Wales, the seaweed being combined with oatmeal before frying, to give one of the most unique British dishes. Traditionally served as part of a Welsh breakfast with eggs, bacon and cockles.
Sausage Roll
Maybe one of the most loved British delicacies in other parts of the world, the sausage roll really is a crowd pleaser. British sausage meat surrounded by flaky puff pastry: all sorts of magical.
Bubble and Squeak
Bubble and Squeak is a potato and cabbage based delicacy usually eaten as part of the famous Full English Breakfast. Also commonly made and eaten on Boxing Day in Britain, cooked from leftover roast potatoes and Brussels sprouts.
Bedfordshire Clanger
Similar to the sausage roll, a Bedfordshire Clanger is a pastry encased British delicacy but filled with meat, potatoes and onions. While ‘clangers’ are typically embarrassing, there’s no shame in eating one from the county of Bedfordshire.
Yorkshire Pudding
Yorkshire pudding is a taste sensation, not just a British delicacy. From a special region in the north of England, no roast dinner deserves to be without one.
Jellied Eels
Jellied eels definitely deserve a special mention on our British delicacies list, considering their history and tradition, originating in the East End of London. If only there were a place telling you where to eat the best jellied eels…
Stargazy Pie
Stargazy Pie practically defines the word ‘delicacy’: peculiarly distinctive. If you’re a seafood fan, this pilchard pie from Cornwall is well worth a try, despite the strange presentation.
Haggis
Haggis is a Scottish delicacy to be precise: a delicious mix of sheep heart, liver and lung cooked with onion, oatmeal and spices. One of Britain’s national dishes; and definitely a must-try food when in Scotland.
Rumbledethumps
Rumbledethumps is another classic Scottish food, very similar to Bubble and Squeak, but with the addition of onion and melted cheese. Need we say more?!
Pease Pudding
Pease Pudding is a savoury British dish consisting of yellow split peas, cooked with spices into a hummus type consistency (traditionally served with boiled ham or gammon). Despite the name, it’s not a dessert, so on behalf of the nation, we once again apologise for the confusion that weird British food names cause.
Sweet British Delicacies
Moving onto the sweet stuff…
Bakewell Tart
The Bakewell Tart is a naughty little cherry and almond flavoured treat. It just so happens to be one of the tastiest classic British desserts.
Scones
Scones. Strawberry jam. Clotted cream. Afternoon Tea. That’s some seriously quintessential British food right there. Such a famous British food and tastes so good, how you pronounce it doesn’t really matter. Sweet versions with currants are most popular, but savoury is also a valid option.
Victoria Sponge
Also known as the Victoria Sandwich, the Victoria Sponge is a strawberry jam and cream filled cake; a delight that was enjoyed something rotten by Queen Victoria back in the day.
Deep Fried Mars Bar
Originating in Scotland, the idea to batter the famous British chocolate (candy) bar that is the Mars, and deep fry it, was nothing short of visionary.
Maids of Honour Tart
The Maids of Honour tart is a classic English baked dish, with a filling of cheese curds surrounded by puff pastry, also flavoured with jam and almond. Pure British sophistication.
Parkin
Parkin is an incredible cake made of gingerbread and black treacle, from northern England. You have to hand it to the northerners, they’re responsible for loads of the best British delicacies.
Cranachan
Cream. Raspberries. Oats. Whisky. Four simple ingredients, one incredible dessert. Cranachan is just a single part of traditional Scottish cuisine, but one of our faves.
Must-Eat British Delicacies…
Among the must-eat British delicacies when you visit London or anywhere else in the UK are the scotch egg, pork pie, Haggis, jellied eels, black pudding and bubble & squeak. There’s also few excuses to not try a deep fried Mars bar, let’s face it.
Also a must (and again, there’s really no excuse) is to take a look at our maps of Britain guiding you to great places to eat across the UK…
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