Dorset UK

Wealthy and with a cosmopolitan air, Dorset has so much to offer beyond the epic cliffs of the Jurassic Coast and the dreamy downs that inspired Thomas Hardy. Its food scene is characterised by innovative interpretations of age-old traditions and reflects the diversity of its landscape, from the 40 species of fish that cruise the coast to the clover-filled pastures cropped by docile Friesian cows.

BOOK A SEAT
River Cottage Canteen and Deli, Axminster, is everything you’d expect from a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall establishment. Charming and earthy, the menu is a sophisticated celebration of local produce such as Lyme Bay pollock and Portland crab, with a side of chips and rosemary sea salt. 01297 631 715, rivercottage.net.

Hix Oyster and Fish House, Lyme Regis, serves an accomplished seafood menu alongside panoramic views of the Jurassic Coast. Try local rock oysters with salty Trealy Farm chorizo and grilled Lyme Bay squid. 01297 446 910, hixrestaurants.co.uk.

The Pig on the Beach, Studland, creates beautifully fresh plates which reflect the micro-seasons and are inspired by the coast. All ingredients are either grown in their own garden or meticulously sourced from a 25-mile radius. 0345 225 9494, thepighotel.com.

RAISE A GLASS
Acorn Inn was made famous by Thomas Hardy in his novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles, this old watering hole is absurdly bucolic with oak panelling and an open fire (acorninn.co.uk). Dorset Nectar, Bridport, is one of several artisan cider producers that have cropped up in the last decade, including Lulworth Skipper and Purbeck Cider Company. It sells 14 varieties of cider, from the Live Enzyme to the Organic Gourmet (dorsetnectar.co.uk).

LOCAL EATS
Leakers Bakery, Bridport, makes traditional Dorset apple cake to a recipe passed down from the owner’s grandmother. The secret is fruit from Elwell Farm and a pinch of cinnamon (leakersbakery.co.uk).

Woodbridge Farm, Sturminster Newton, has played a pivotal role in the story of Blue Vinny cheese. When farmer Mike Davies resurrected the 300-year-old recipe in 1980 he was the only producer; now it’s a local institution. Try it in pea soup from his spin off venture, The Dorset Blue Soup Company. dorsetblue.com
Pear Tree Deli in sleepy Sherbourne serves velvety local pâté with crunchy Moores’ Dorset Knob (biscuits.peartreedeli.co.uk). The Dorset Fishwife in Weymouth is a door-to-door wet-fish delivery service that has built up a loyal following over its 30 years. Choose from locally caught haddock, place and pollock and have them filleted to your liking. Currently only delivers in west Dorset. Craig’s Farm Dairy, Osmington, is a verdent dairy farm on the Jurrasic Coast. The cows eat a natural diet of lush grass and clover except in winter, yielding wonderfully thick cream and ice cream. Pick up a tub of Honeyombe, Melon & Ginger and Toffee Fudge among other flavours at the farm shop, craigsfarmdairy.co.uk

MARKETS AND FESTIVALS
Christchurch Food and Wine Festival, 7-8 May, features a host of professional chefs and a trader’s market (christchurchfoodfest.co.uk). Shaftesbury Farmers’ Market, held on the first Saturday of the month, 9am-1pm in the Town Hall (visitdorset.com). Weymouth’s Pommery Dorset Seafood Festival, 9 and 10 July sees the toast of the south-west gather to celebrate champagne and seafood on Weymouth’s sunny harbour-side, where the lobster pot boats vie for space with gleaming white yachts (dorsetseafood.co.uk).

Kent UK

This genteel county is a land of moderate hills, gentle bays and quaint villages with beamed buildings and ivy-covered inns. Known as the Garden of England, its cultivated country estates are patchworks of fragrant orchards and fertile fields. The east-Kent triangle of Faversham, Whitstable and Canterbury is peppered with worldy restaurants and producers of an exceptionally high quality.

BOOK A SEAT
The West House in Biddenden is a Michelin-starred restaurant housed in a quaint, 16th-century weavers’ cottage. Head chef Graham Garrett is ruthless in his pursuit of seasonal produce. 01580 291 341, thewesthouserestaurant.co.uk.
The Sportsman, Seasalter, is revered throughout the UK and rightly so. Its tasting menu is a wonderful ode to local ingredients such as salt marsh lamb, while all vegetables are grown on site in polytunnels. 01227 273 370, thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk.
The Royal Native Oyster Stores rears oysters on its own freehold beds and they are among the most succulent we’ve come across. Exposed brickwork and gingham table clothes create a stylish, rustic vibe. 01227 276 856, whitstableoystercompany.

RAISE A GLASS
Anchor & Hope, Ash, is a dog-friendly, 16th-century coaching inn with a range of beers that always has at least three locally brewed ales on tap. They rotate regularly but can include Foundry Man’s Gold and Old Dairy Sun Top. anchorandhopeash.com Champagne Taittinger, Chilham, is in the process of becoming the first champagne house to produce English sparkling wine after buying 69ha near Chilham. Kent’s chalky soil composition and sunny, south-facing slopes are perfect for viticulture, and there are several other notable wine producers in the vicinity, including Chapel Down and Biddendun, taittinger.com.

LOCAL EATS
Macknade Fine Food, Faversham has produce grown in polytunnels, and a barn that houses a farmers’ market on Saturdays, but the real draw is the deli counter that has a mouthwatering spread of charcuterie (macknade.com). Brogdale Market Place at Brogdale Farm is a collection of independent shops and cafes on the site of the National Fruit Collection, an Edenic tapestry of orchards that you can explore on a guided tour, themarketplaceatbrogdale.co.uk.
West Whelks Whitstable Native Oyster Store, delivers fresh whelks, cockles and oysters throughout the UK. Whitstable Native Oysters flourish in the shallow flats where the fresh water of the Thames Estuary mingles with the crisp salt of the Atlantic (whitstablenativeoysters.com).
The Goods Shed in Canterbury is a daily farmer’s market in an airy barn conversion. Stalls include The Veg Stall, which collects produce fresh every morning, Enzo’s Bakery, and the chic 15-seat Wild Goose cocktail bar (thegoodsshed.co.uk).

MARKETS AND FESTIVALS
Maidstone Kent County Show, 8-10 July (kentshowground.co.uk). Whitstable Oyster Festival, 23 July (whitstableoysterfestival.co.uk). Tonbridge Farmers’ Market (tonbridgefarmersmarket.co.uk).

Mull UK

Beautiful, remote and lashed by the emerald sea, Mull feels like another world. Its food scene tells the story of the landscape, from the fallow deer that feed on its herb-filled grasslands to the shellfish that’s plucked year round from the surrounding icy waters.

BOOK A SEAT
Ninth Wave in Fionnphort is housed in a 200-year-old crofter’s bothy, all ingredients are grown in the kitchen garden, fished by co-owner John Lamont on his boat, The Sonsie, or foraged by head chef Carla Lamont. Menus change daily but include hand-dived scallops, lobster, crab, sea urchins and organic strawberries. 01681 700 757, ninthwaverestaurant.com. Café Fish, Tobermory, takes advantage of the firm, flavoursome scallops that grow where the chill Atlantic waves mingle with the warmth of the Gulf Stream, serving them in the shell with a squeeze of lime and lashings of ginger butter (01688 301 253, thecafefish.com). Sheallach-Na-Mara Restaurant, Craignure boasts a six-course tasting menu of food from all corners of the island, including Mull Highland beef and langoustines (01680 812 544, crerarhotels.com).

RAISE A GLASS
Craignure Inn is an 18th-century pub with many original features, including open fires and exposed beams, and a broad selection of malt whiskies (craignureinn.co.uk).
Tobermory Distillery, Ledaig distills unchill-filtered whiskies that result in well-rounded characters. Tobermory 15 is very complex thanks to the 15-year aging process, which includes 12 months in Gonzalez Byass Oloroso sherry butts (tobermorydistillery.com).

LOCAL EATS
Sgriob-ruadh Farm in Tobermory is the only dairy farm on the island and produces a tongue-tingling cheddar. It also has a café in the airy, plant-filled Garden Barn, where you can taste the cheese as part of a Ploughman’s lunch (isleofmullcheese.co.uk).
The Crofter’s Kitchen, Kintra, sells loganberries and herbs such as purslane, fertilised by seaweed and manure rather than by artificial means, and grown on a fourth-generation family farm (ecocroft.co.uk). The Fish & Chip Van, Tobermory, is a permanent feature on the colourful harbour-side. Order freshly seared king scallops but keep one eye on the horizon – there’s a good chance of spotting whales and dolphins (tobermoryfishandchipvan.co.uk).
Island Bakery Organics, Tobermory, produces organic biscuits in a bakery entirely powered by wind and water. Buy them locally at Tobermory Bakery, although they’re also stocked at Planet Organic and Whole Foods’ through out the UK (islandbakery.co.uk). Inverlussa Mussel Farm, Loch Spelve, supplies top restaurants, but you can try mussels fresh from the crystal water by helping yourself to the coolbox positioned outside the grading shed, leaving cash in the honesty box (inverlussa.com).

MARKETS AND FESTIVALS
Tobermory’s Taste of Mull & Iona Food Festival, September, this annual festival promotes local produce and restaurants. mict.co.uk Dervaig Producer’s Market, every second Sunday of summer, 2.30pm-4pm (informationbritain.co.uk).
Craignure Producer’s Market, monthly on a Sunday, 2pm-4pm, see website for latest dates (craignurevillagehall.org).

Pembrokeshire UK

Warmed by the Gulf Stream and nourished by gentle rain, Pembrokeshire is one of the most lush counties in Britain. Wander the All Wales Coast Path and marvel at its vast golden beaches or hike up into the misty Preseli Mountains, where the air is thick with tales from local folklore and legends.

BOOK A SEAT
Coast in Saundersfoot is a newcomer to the Pembrokeshire food scene, but has already garnered quite a reputation. Overseen by head chef Will Holland, it serves excellent seafood such as Caldey Island lobster in chic surroundings set back from the golden sands of Coppet Hall beach. 01834 810 800, coastsaundersfoot.co.uk Llys Meddyg, Newport, serves the cream of local produce in an informal dining room. It is also situated in the staggeringly beautiful Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, ideal for pre-lunch hikes. 01239 820 008, llysmeddyg.com
The Grove, Narbeth, is a fine-dining restaurant nestled at the foot of the Preseli Hills. Lunch specials include gnocchi with baby cabbages from their own garden, served with a smoked Pwll Mawr cheese sauce. 01834 860 915, thegrovenarberth.co.uk.

RAISE A GLASS
The Sloop Inn, Porthgain, overlooks the village green and is decorated with curios salvaged from shipwrecks. sloop.co.uk
The Gwaun Valley Brewery is a family run micro-brewery overlooking the Preseli Hills. Malted barley is steeped in spring water from the farm before being boiled with local hops. We rate Golden Bitter Ale (4% abv) for its crisp finish. Also visit the brewery pigs, fed on used malted barley (gwaunvalleybrewery.co.uk).

LOCAL EATS
Ultracomida in Narberth is a well-stocked deli with an interesting mix of Spanish and local flavours. The chorizo cooked in Welsh cider is something that must be sampled (ultracomida.co.uk). Gwaun Valley Meats, Letterston, is an award-winning butcher that stocks rare heathland beef – minced, diced and boned. North Pembrokeshire’s lush heathland gives the beef its rich flavour and colour. Gwaun also offer delivery boxes (gwaunvalleymeats.co.uk). Nash Farm Shop in Cosheston is packed with home-grown produce and the cozy Corn Hill Café serves breakfasts big enough to satisfy the hungriest of farmers, nashfarm.co.
Cwm Deri, Martletwy, has 3,000 vines on its 25 acres. Sample wines alongside fresh produce at its restaurant, or fill your basket with local specialities such as Laverbread at the farm shop. We took home a bottle of Pembrokeshire Punch which was a fruity explosion of red grapes, damsons and blackberries (cwmderi.co.uk).
Wright’s Food Emporium in Llanarthne is a beautiful shop and café painted in cool, pastel colours. It stocks Pembrokeshire Earlies from Trehill farm, one of the last independent growers. These delicate potatoes have a sweet, earthy taste and come into season at the end of May (wrightsfood.co.uk).

MARKETS AND FESTIVALS
Castlemartin, The Pembrokeshire Beach Company holds a seashore picnic and forage, 7 May (beachfood.co.uk).
St Davids Really Wild Food and Countryside Festival, held on the bank holiday weekend of 28-29 May.

Shropshire UK

With its viridescent hills and faraway setting on the lip of England and Wales, Shropshire has always appealed to those drawn to peace, solitude and bohemianism. Just over a decade ago it had more Michelin stars than anywhere in the country outside London. Now that generation of destination restaurants has closed, a host of lesser known chefs and producers are reinterpreting the county’s colourful traditions and burgeoning larder.

BOOK A SEAT
Basil’s Restaurant, Upton Magna is an intimate setting tucked in the candle-filled attic of a loft conversation. Seating just 16 covers, it feels like a supper club thanks to the monthly changing set menu. Head chef Martin Board handles local ingredients such as oxtail (served in a pithivier) whimsically, but without pretention. 01743 709 918, thehaughmond.co.uk. Old Downton Lodge, Ludlow, offers a daily changing menu in a Norman banqueting hall. Head chef Karl Martin is a relatively new addition but is taking the restaurant from strength-to-strength thanks to his astute knowledge of local markets and the best foraging spots. 01568 771 826, olddowntonlodge.com.
Ludlow Kitchen, Bromfield, showcases ingredients from the Earl of Plymouth’s 8,000 acre estate. Order the fidget pie, Shropshire’s best-known regional dish. Originally created as a portable lunch for field hands, it’s a mouth-watering mix of ham, pork and apple in crispy pastry. 01584 856 020, ludlowkitchen.co.uk.

RAISE A GLASS
The Royal Oak, Cardington, is nestled among the Shropshire hills. It is wonderfully atmospheric thanks to its inglenook fireplace, original timbers, and red and green tapestry seats (attheoak.com). The Three Tuns Brewery, Bishops Castle, was founded in 1642 and is one of the oldest brewerys in the UK. Try the XXX pale ale which has a simple, malty sweetness, threetunsbrewery.co.uk.

LOCAL EATS
Market Hall, Shrewsbury, is a covered market with a vibrant mix of organic food, antiques and crafts such as silverwork. Look out for quinoa from the British Quinoa Company at Snapdragon Wholefoods on the second floor (markethallshrewsbury.com). Hungersheath Farm, Ashley, has three acres to pick-your-own. Fill your boots with blueberries, asparagus and blackcurrants before demolishing a good portion of cake in the gloriously traditional tearoom (hungersheathfarm.co.uk). DW Wall & Son, Ludlow, is a family butcher that specialises in rare breeds of pork including flavoursome British saddleback, and British Lop, one of the rarest of native pigs (wallsbutchers.co.uk). Image on Food Market, Drayton has been selling gingerbread biscuits for more than 25 years. They deliver across the UK, or buy them locally at Fordhall Farm shop (fordhallfarm.com) Price & Sons, Ludlow, has baked slow bread since 1943. It takes 12 hours to bake a loaf because of the long fermentation process and the dough being left to prove over night; the result is white bread with golden crusts and cloudlike centres (pricesthebakers.co.uk).

MARKETS AND FESTIVALS
Oswestry Food and Drink Festival, 9-10 July. Showcasing the best of local food and drink producers (oswestryfoodfestival.co.uk). Ludlow Food Festival, 9-11 September (foodfestival.co.uk).

Yorkshire UK

The melancholic beauty of the moors and haunting ruins of Whitby Abbey have inspired countless romantics, yet it’s the residents’ shrewd pragmatism that people associate most with God’s Own Country. Now the most Michelin-star spangled place in the UK outside of London with six restaurants being recognised, the food scene has retained an honesty that stays true to its natural larder.

BOOK A SEAT
The Box Tree in Ilkley was once a farmhouse. With its eccentric ornaments and patterned curtains it retains a charmingly shambolic air, but don’t be fooled. It has held a Michelin star for more than a decade and was the alma mater of Marco Pierre White. Try the slow roasted Yorkshire lamb shoulder. 01943 608 484, theboxtree.co.uk. The Star Inn, Harome, teeters on the edge of the wild North Yorkshire Moors and its menu is firmly based on local ingredients from the area. Popular dishes include the reimagined versions of classic dishes, such as grilled black pudding with pan-fried foie gras. 01439 770 397, thestaratharome.co.uk
The Black Swan in Olstead has been transformed from struggling pub to Michelin-starred restaurant by the Banks, who have farmed the area for four generations. Look out for exquisite heritage vegetables from the kitchen gardens, blackswanoldstead.co.uk.

RAISE A GLASS
The Falcon Inn, Arncliffe, is a traditional Dales pub which has been owned by the Miller family for four generations. With mullioned bay windows, stone walls thick with ivy and locals who were born and raised in the village, it’s entirely without modern gimmicks, except for the credit card machine. http://thefalconinn.com. Timothy Taylor, Keighley, is a Yorkshire institution. At the Falcon Inn, pints of Boltmaker beer are still served from barrel to pint glass via a porcelain jug, timothytaylor.co.uk.
The Reliance Leeds is a contemporary watering hole that showcases beers from local micro-breweries.

LOCAL EATS
White Rabbit Chocolatiers in Beverley is named after a 14th-century carving in the town’s St Mary’s Church that inspired Lewis Caroll’s character in Alice in Wonderland. They craft fanciful, small-batch, artisan sweets, whiterabbitchocolatiers.co.uk.
Lewis & Cooper, Northallerton, is a fine food emporium bursting with cheeses, cured meats, cakes and pickles. lewisandcooper.co.uk. E Oldroyd & Sons Ltd, Wakefield, is in the heart of ‘The Rhubarb Triangle’, the nine square-mile area between Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell which have become famous for forced rhubarb. Tour the farm and see the delicate ruby stems growing by candlelight, and don’t forget to buy some to take home (yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk). Bettys Cafe Tea Room Harrogate is the original site of this Yorkshire heroine that has expanded into six locations throughout the county. Sip a strong brew and tuck into a feast of local delicacies including Yorkshire-ham finger sandwiches and Fat Rascal cakes served with local cream (bettys.co.uk)

MARKETS AND FESTIVALS
Malton, Food Lovers Festival, 28-29 May (visitmalton.com). Richmond, Saturday Market, every Saturday. richmond.org Leyburn, The Dales Festival of Food & Drink, 18-19 June, held in the town’s Market Square (dalesfestivaloffood.org).