Food of United Kingdom

British food is comforting and rooted in good local produce: roast meats, pies, fish from the coasts, root vegetables, dairy and a strong baking tradition. Each nation has its own specialties, from Scottish oats and haggis to Welsh cakes, Northern Irish soda farls and English cooked breakfasts. Tea, with a scone or a biscuit, anchors the day, and curries from South Asian communities are also everyday favorites.

National dish

Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding

Staples

  • potatoes
  • beef
  • lamb
  • oats
  • butter
  • cheddar
  • wheat flour

Signature flavors

  • mustard
  • mint
  • malt vinegar
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • horseradish
  • thyme
  • black pepper

Main dishes

Fish and chips
Fish and chips

Battered white fish and thick chips with salt and vinegar.

Key ingredients: cod or haddock, potatoes, flour, oilFull guide →
Sunday roast
Sunday roast

Roast meat with potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy.

Key ingredients: beef or chicken, potatoes, parsnips, gravyFull guide →
Shepherd's pie
Shepherd's pie

Minced lamb stew topped with mashed potato.

Key ingredients: ground lamb, onion, carrot, potatoesFull guide →
Haggis
Haggis

A spiced oat and meat pudding from Scotland, served with neeps and tatties.

Key ingredients: lamb, oats, onion, spicesFull guide →
Chicken tikka masala
Chicken tikka masala

Grilled chicken in a creamy tomato curry, a British favorite.

Key ingredients: chicken, yogurt, tomato, cream, garam masalaFull guide →
Cottage pie
Cottage pie

Beef mince and vegetables under creamy mashed potato.

Key ingredients: ground beef, onion, carrot, potatoes
Steak and kidney pie
Steak and kidney pie

A pastry-topped pie of beef and kidney in thick gravy.

Key ingredients: beef, kidney, onion, puff pastry
Bangers and mash
Bangers and mash

Pork sausages on creamy mashed potatoes with onion gravy.

Key ingredients: pork sausages, potatoes, onion, gravy
Toad in the hole
Toad in the hole

Sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter.

Key ingredients: sausages, eggs, flour, milk
Lancashire hotpot
Lancashire hotpot

Slow-baked lamb stew topped with sliced potatoes.

Key ingredients: lamb, onions, potatoes, stock
Scotch egg
Scotch egg

A boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, breaded and fried.

Key ingredients: egg, sausage meat, breadcrumbs
Ploughman's lunch
Ploughman's lunch

Cheese, pickle, bread and salad, a cold pub meal.

Key ingredients: cheddar, pickle, crusty bread, apple, salad
Cullen skink
Cullen skink

Scottish smoked haddock chowder with potato and onion.

Key ingredients: smoked haddock, potatoes, onion, milk

Breakfast

Full breakfast
Full breakfast

Eggs, bacon, sausages, tomato, mushrooms, beans and toast.

Key ingredients: eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, toastFull guide →
Porridge
Porridge

Creamy oats cooked in milk or water, with honey or salt.

Key ingredients: oats, milk, honey
Kippers
Kippers

Smoked herring served with buttered toast.

Key ingredients: smoked herring, butter, toast
Crumpets
Crumpets

Soft griddle cakes with holes that soak up butter.

Key ingredients: flour, yeast, milk, butter

Street food

Cornish pasty
Cornish pasty

A crimped pastry parcel of beef, potato, swede and onion.

Key ingredients: beef, potato, swede, onion, pastryFull guide →
Sausage roll
Sausage roll

Seasoned sausage meat baked in flaky pastry.

Key ingredients: sausage meat, puff pastry, egg wash
Chip butty
Chip butty

Hot chips in a buttered bread roll.

Key ingredients: chips, bread roll, butter
Bacon sandwich
Bacon sandwich

Crisp bacon in soft white bread with brown sauce.

Key ingredients: bacon, bread, butter, brown sauce
Jacket potato
Jacket potato

A baked potato with fillings like beans and cheese.

Key ingredients: potato, butter, cheddar, beans

Soups

Scotch broth
Scotch broth

A thick barley and vegetable broth with lamb.

Key ingredients: barley, lamb, carrots, turnip, leeks
Leek and potato soup
Leek and potato soup

A smooth, creamy soup of leeks and potatoes.

Key ingredients: leeks, potatoes, stock, cream

Salads

Coronation chicken
Coronation chicken

Cold chicken in a mild curry-mayonnaise dressing.

Key ingredients: chicken, mayonnaise, mild curry, apricots
Prawn cocktail
Prawn cocktail

Prawns in pink sauce on shredded lettuce.

Key ingredients: prawns, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup

Breads

Scone
Scone

A tender quick bread served with jam and cream.

Key ingredients: flour, butter, milk, sugarFull guide →
Bara brith
Bara brith

Welsh tea-soaked fruit loaf.

Key ingredients: dried fruit, tea, flour, sugar
Soda farl
Soda farl

A griddle-cooked quick bread from Northern Ireland.

Key ingredients: flour, buttermilk, baking soda

Desserts and sweets

Sticky toffee pudding
Sticky toffee pudding

Date sponge drowned in warm toffee sauce.

Key ingredients: dates, brown sugar, butter, creamFull guide →
Banoffee pie
Banoffee pie

Banana and toffee on a biscuit base with cream.

Key ingredients: bananas, toffee, biscuits, creamFull guide →
Apple crumble
Apple crumble

Stewed apples under a buttery crumb topping, served with custard.

Key ingredients: apples, flour, butter, sugar
Trifle

Layers of sponge, fruit, custard and cream.

Key ingredients: sponge, fruit, custard, cream
Eton mess
Eton mess

Crushed meringue, strawberries and whipped cream.

Key ingredients: meringue, strawberries, cream
Victoria sponge
Victoria sponge

A light jam-and-cream sandwich cake.

Key ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, flour, jam
Bread and butter pudding
Bread and butter pudding

Custard-baked layers of buttered bread and raisins.

Key ingredients: bread, butter, milk, eggs, raisins
Cranachan
Cranachan

Scottish dessert of oats, cream, raspberries and honey.

Key ingredients: toasted oats, cream, raspberries, honey
Welsh cakes
Welsh cakes

Griddled, lightly spiced currant cakes.

Key ingredients: flour, currants, butter, sugar
Shortbread
Shortbread

Buttery Scottish biscuits.

Key ingredients: butter, flour, sugar

Drinks

Tea with milk
Tea with milk

The national drink: strong black tea with a splash of milk.

Key ingredients: black tea, milk, sugar
Squash
Squash

Fruit cordial diluted with cold water.

Key ingredients: orange cordial, water
Hot Ribena
Hot Ribena

Blackcurrant drink served hot or cold.

Key ingredients: blackcurrant cordial, water
Ginger soda
Ginger soda

A zingy ginger soda.

Key ingredients: ginger, sugar, lemon, sparkling water
Irn-Bru
Irn-Bru

A bright orange Scottish soda.

Key ingredients: carbonated water, sugar

Fruits and produce

Apples
Apples

Bramley and Cox apples for baking and eating.

Key ingredients: pie, crumble, sauce
Strawberries
Strawberries

Summer strawberries from Kent.

Key ingredients: cream, jam, Eton mess
Blackcurrants
Blackcurrants

Tart dark berries made into cordial and jam.

Key ingredients: cordial, jam, crumble
Gooseberries
Gooseberries

Tart green berries cooked in fools and pies.

Key ingredients: fool, pie, jam
Rhubarb
Rhubarb

Forced Yorkshire rhubarb baked in crumbles.

Key ingredients: crumble, fool, compote
Damsons
Damsons

Small tart plums used in jams.

Key ingredients: jam, pie, chutney

Dish guides from United Kingdom

Explore United Kingdom on Geographical EffectMaps, capital and cities, population, climate, landscapes and landmarks.

More cuisines of Northern Europe

About this page

Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.

Photo credits
  • Fish and chips blackpool: Matthias Meckel, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Sunday roast lamb Cock Inn Henham Essex England 01: Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Homerton College - Shepherd's pie (cropped): Oxfordian Kissuth, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Scotland Haggis: Chris Brown, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Chicken tikka masala (cropped): Michael Hays, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Steak and kidney pie at the White Hart Inn, Moreton, Essex, England 01: Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Sausage and mash with peas: anokarina, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Toad in the hole: Robert Gibert, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Lancashire hotpot: alexcwood Camera location51° 23′ 55.2″ N, 0° 18′ 02.4″ W View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap 51.398667;, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • One scotch egg (No jar of Marmite): Unhindered by Talent, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Ploughmans lunch: Clothahump (talk), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cullen Skink: Metukkalihis, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Full English breakfast (cropped): Joadl, CC BY-SA 3.0 at (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Oatmeal (1): Renee Comet (Photographer), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Kipper: No machine-readable author provided. Gaius Cornelius assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Buttered crumpet2: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cornish Pasty (cropped): David Johnson [1], CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Sausage roll - One Market, One Garden Brighton (cropped): Andy Li, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Chip Butty: Annie Mole from London, UK, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Bacon sandwich (14450831119): Bex Walton from London, England, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • BakedPotatoWithButter: Renee Comet (photographer), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Lunch at Inveraray Castle - Scotch broth (14342541740): bnhsu, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Mon Plaisir, Covent Garden, London (3717184145): Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • English Coronation Chicken: BrigadierG, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cocktail 1 bg 060702: see below., Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Scone varieties: User:Dave souza, CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Bara Brith (3320696816): zingyyellow...! from Wales Cymru UK, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Ben W Bell Soda Bread Farl 05 June 2007: w:en:User:Canterbury Tail, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Sticky toffee pudding at the Black Swan - Stierch: Sarah Stierch, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Banoffeepie: Glen MacLarty from Sydney, Australia., CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Fresh baked apple crisp 01: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Eton Mess 2025-2 (cropped): Exx8, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Victoria Sponges: euphro, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Bread pudding June 2020: Philafrenzy, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cranachan (4332953688): Saskia van de Nieuwenhof from Edinburgh, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Closeup of Welsh cakes, February 2009: zingyyellow...wish I could bend space/time, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Shortbread House round biscuit : Elumineau, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Nice Cup of Tea: Vanderdecken, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Garcinia indica yellow and red syrups and drinks: Subray Hegde, CC BY 1.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Ribena blackcurrant juice drink: Mx. Granger, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Vernors ginger ale: Larry Page, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Barr IRN-BRU Sugar Free (3 of 3): Ubcule, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 95apple: Agricultural Research Service (Research agent of United States Department of Agriculture), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Garden strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) single2: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Ribes nigrum a1: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Gooseberry sectioned: Jonathan Cardy, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Rheum rhabarbarum.2006-04-27.uellue: Dieter Weber (User:Uellue), CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Damson plum fruit: Jonathan Billinger, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)