This National Trust book takes us on a gastronomical tour around Britain, providing us with the recipes and stories behind dishes from different areas of the UK.

It is more of a coffee table book than a simple recipe book, providing anecdotes linking certain foods to certain areas, with recipes sprinkled throughout. We learn for instance about the development of pizza in Soho, the origin of Cornish pasties, and the ingredients that go in Cullen Skink. The book is organised by region, so you can flick to the area you're interested in and read all about their local delicacies. There is an index of all the food mentioned at the end, but no specific index for the recipes provided.

A recommended read for armchair travellers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Collins Reference for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book with its wonderful information about the different areas in the UK both food and drink. Thehistorical part of each item was so interesting and the recipes just made me so hungry. It was good to know of the National Trust places where lots of these more obscure items can be found. I have along list of recipes that I now want to try, either making myself or buying. This was a wonderful taste of life around the country, how life has developed and defining some of the food items that I had heard about but had no idea what they were.
A wonderful addition to any kitchen or as a special gift to a person who is interested in all aspects of food.

I very much enjoyed this delightful encyclopedia of British foods. My only complaint is that it left me very hungry.

Enjoy the stories, the recipes, the illustrations, the experience. This is a lovely book. Dip in wherever seems appealing. The organization is by region.

I learned so many fun facts, as for example, when coffee was introduced to the country. There are many tidbits like this. Reading this book is kind of like going on a treasure hunt.

Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Collins Reference for this title. All opinions are my own.

The National Trust does an exceptional job of preserving British heritage in so many ways. I always enjoy browsing the National Trust shops because they have lovely books and cooking books always get my attention. This one is really very informative. It is a tour through all regions of Britain and a look at their produce and specialities. We learn about local ingredients: meats, vegetables, herbs, fruit, honey, berries, etc. We also find out about jams, marmalades, mustards, drinks etc. And we enjoy lovely recipes along the way. Some are very well known, like Eton Mess or Scotch Eggs. Others are less known (at least to me) like Yorkshire Parkin or Glamorgan sausages (interesting vegetarian sausages). I was glad to find in the book the recipe for the Cullen Skink and a mouthwatering recipe for a Crab, Samphire and Fennel salad. The book also highlights the influences of other cultures, for example with the many ways in which the curry flavours have been imported into British cuisine.
This is not a recipe book. It is a travel book for your tastebuds with a few recipes sprinkled through it. I really loved the concept of it and I learned a lot.
I would definitely recommend this book for curious food lovers and for people who travel through Britain and wish to enjoy the local specialities on the way.
Another great National Trust publication.
Thank you to Netgalley and Colins Reference/National Trust Books for giving me the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

I've lived in the UK for more than ten years now, and I can't believe I haven't tried many of those mentioned in this book. It's given me insight into new places to try and dishes to sample. I've used it to plan my next adventures!

Just a note to say the Kindle version of the book has some formatting issues in the first few pages, although it didn't affect the contents. The normal ebook version seems ok, and I had no problems.

This isn't so much a recipe book as a chat with a friend about British food, with several tempting recipes thrown in. A lovely book to read, I learnt a lot I didn't know about my country's food!

I, like so many others, fell in love with British food while watching the Great British Bake Off. To be transparent, I am Canadian and each week features common British fare that has often not made it across the Atlantic. One aspect of the book that is reminiscent of the show are the charming illustrations throughout. I also quite enjoy history, and as such, I really appreciate the historical details present throughout the book. I found it fascinating to learn what foods were cultivated throughout Britain and when these foods grew to be national culinary symbols. For example, I never would have guessed that a recipe for curry appeared in an English cookbook in 1747! There is a small sampling of recipes scattered throughout ‘The Great British Food Tour’ and I am very eager to try making quintessential recipes like cheddar and onion tarts and Trinity burnt cream. I was initially confused about the inclusion of some dishes (like sushi and samosas) that are not of British origin but I think the book does a good job explaining when and how these dishes were introduced and why they have endured in popularity throughout the Isles. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gastronomy and history!

Was loving reading this book, the local recipes and stories are brilliant. That was until my daughter in law pinched my kindle. She is holding it hostage until I buy this book for her birthday I suppose she must like it as much as me !

A delicious read, Linford takes the reader on a tour of Great Britain via various delicacies that can be found from region to region.

From stilton cheese to stargazy pie, ambrosia custard to haggis, the dishes are presented with a little backstory, a description and a few chapters are interspersed with recipes....some of which I'd like to try!


This is an easy read, would make a good present for a foodie and a book I think I'll probably revisit as I visit each region!

An Absolutely Superb Book on the Foods & Places of Great Britain, Well Done to The National Trust & Jenny LInford, I'm Looking forward to obtaining the physical copy of this for keeps!

This is a beautiful book, full of history and anecdotes as well as fine illustrations and tasty recipes. I shall definitely hunt this out at my local National Trust venue. The selection of recipes are designed to appeal to a wide range of tastes, and include the most emblematic and traditional recipes as well as some more unusual ones. I was also intrigued by the descriptions of dishes for which there were no recipes and would have loved to have a link to these. This, then, is my only criticism. My appetite was wetted by these descriptions and would have liked more recipes. Having said that, the stories behind the dishes are absolutely fascinating, and the main point of the book. What is a recipe without its history? I am thoroughly enjoying this book and hope to soon add it to my bookshelf.

I received a free copy of, The Great British Food Tour, by Jenny Linford; National Trust Books, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. From fish and chips, clotted cream, this book is a delightful read on great British food. So much great foods to make from home.

What a fun book and cookbook all about British food. I loved ready about the typical British food and the stories behind them. This is a very entertaining, informative and enjoyable book to read if you love food and love learning about food and traditions from different countries.

The illustrations are great and the recipes are a bit of fun as well. It was like being on a real foodie tour, learning, listening and even trying new recipes. All I can say is YUM!

Thank you NetGalley and Collins Reference | National Trust Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

An interesting and easy to read Food Tour - including all different regions of the country, with a variety of foods included for each area.

Very informative and entertaining, it included lots of facts I was previously unaware of.

The illustrations are also lovely.

The only slightly negative comment is that I would prefer (and was expecting) more recipes - especially as the book makes some of the food sound very tempting!

This title is packed with information. It’s broken down into regions of the country and food associated with that region is outlined. It’s quirky, interesting and original. I’m interested in food and social history and the authors manage to pack in quite a lot of both. It’s good to see that some more recent delicacies…samosa, urban honey etc are detailed, along with the more traditional like Bradley apples, Stilton, fish and chips, Cullen skink and Scotch eggs.

It’s well written and very much a taster. I found I wanted to know more about some dishes and there are quite a few recipes scattered throughout which I intend to try. I suspect in paper edition, it looks particularly impressive and would make a great gift for a foodie. I’ve really enjoyed the book and my thanks to Netgalley and publisher for an early review copy.

First of all, many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC granted. Everytime I see a book that We can immerse in onther countries culture between its pages I am compelled to read. And when also involves traditional culinary from the place, I am all invested! Great Britain in on my bucketlist travellings God's willing I want to do someday, and I had a great time discovering new British food content and from their local food places.

Great book
Wasn't sure what to expect and so glad read this book, well written informative and learnt more about food etc in my own country
Things I didn't even know and now want explore

This was an interesting tour of British cuisine and where things came from, along with a few recipes thrown in and great illustrations.

This is both entertaining and informative, paying a tribute to local treasures in the UK with amazing illustrations and fun details.
Liked it plenty.

The National Trust has an excellent line in cookbooks, many of which I use regularly, and this is a lovely addition. There are recipes in it but it’s more a history of British food, organised by region, with the origins of everything from old favourites like Cullen Skink to sweets like rose and violet creams. Each section is relatively short but packed full of information and beautiful illustrations. It’s an excellent guide to the foods most connected to each of the countries and regions and includes the development of our gastronomic culture over the years, such as Balti in the Midlands. This is a lovely book for anyone with an interest in food to dip in and out of.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.