Page 70 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Great Places to Stay in Europe

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70 GREA T BRI T AI N

Upper Court at Kemerton, page 96, a favourite venue for house parties
London, the Covent Garden bone is high, and at many be vegetarian and eat well.
(page 84) gets many people’s hotels chefs have access to a Classy pub food continues to
vote for its panache and kitchen garden or buy the be excellent value for money,
superb service. And in the freshest local produce. Many and so is traditional fish and
north, Amerdale House, in hotels are at the forefront of chips, eaten straight from the
Arncliffe, North Yorkshire the campaign against gen- paper wrapping.
(page 103), is extra special etically modified crops, and Lunch is generally served
because of its stunning organically produced food on from 1–3pm and dinner from
setting and good food. the menu is now increasingly 7:30–10:30pm; many pubs
commonplace. stop serving lunch at 2:30pm
FOOD AND DRINK Modern British cookery is and dinner at 9 or 9:30pm.
actually an amalgam of many Afternoon tea at about 4pm is
ATING HAS become a form influences and styles, among an old-fashioned institution
Eof entertainment for many them provincial Italian and that city hotels do particularly
Londoners, with a hardcore of Pacific Rim, with an imagina- well. Even better is the West
‘foodie’ enthusiasts making – tive use of fresh herbs and Country (typically Devon
or ruining – the fortunes of spices borrowed from foreign and Cornwall) speciality of
restaurants and affording cuisines. Britain is one of the cream tea – scones eaten
many chefs celebrity status. few countries where you can with clotted cream and jam –
Sometimes you have to book served, of course, with strong
weeks in advance if you want traditional English tea.
to dine somewhere in vogue. Britain produces little
However, some of the best wine, still less any of note.
British food is served outside Beer from the tap is the
the capital, and the 1990s ubiquitous national drink of
produced some excellent new the pub or hotel bar, reaching
establishments. As well as the its highest quality in the ‘real’
country hotels where food ales of independent specialist
takes pride of place, there are brewers. It is served by the
‘restaurants with rooms’, pint or the half-pint.
which illustrate the 1980s’ and Scottish whisky is, of
1990s’ renaissance in British course, renowned. Everyday
food; with inventive cooking ‘Scotch’ is blended. ‘Single
that often uses locally-grown, malts’, from one distilling,
seasonal produce. The quality achieve gourmet status and
of fish, game, lamb, and the are accordingly expensive.
controversial beef on the Tea at the Priory Steps, page 80 There are many from which