England

Home to celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsey, Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver, England’s bad rap for mediocre food has disappeared. Gastro pubs abound, serving a pint of ale and simple, delicious food and convivial service, while Michelin-starred restaurants awe foodies. Ethnic eats, with Indian being the most popular, round out the culinary tour.

Two traditions kept alive are mid-afternoon tea with scones, jam and clotted cream, and finger sandwiches, and fish n’ chips wrapped in newsprint. A hearty English cooked breakfast often includes bacon, grilled tomatoes, fried bread, black pudding, baked beans, fried mushrooms, sausages, eggs and sometimes hash browns. Other traditional dishes—shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, and Cornish pasty (filled pastry dough that looks like a calzone) promise to fill you up. Rhubarb crumble, trifle and spotted dick will take care of your sweet tooth.

England has been savvy about organics for years, so a wide variety of organic foods are available. There are also inspired food markets, like the one at London’s Borough Hall, where grilled chorizo and peppers drizzled with grassy olive oil and served on ciabatta bread will forever remind you that England knows good food.—Denise Shoukas

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