The 5 best things I ate: Bristol and London

In this series, I round up the five best things I ate in a particular city or country. Halfway through each month I feature a destination from my past travels; on the last day I recap the best of the month in Paris. Today’s 5BTIA comes from my trip to Bristol and London at the end of October.

I had two very specific requests when I found out I was headed back to England, especially to Mike’s hometown of Bristol: A Sunday roast, and a proper scone. Well I got both, so really everything else on this list is just icing on the cake. (Literally. There was a lot of cake that weekend.)

1. Sunday roast — Failand Inn, Bristol

Living in Singapore, Mike always spoke of Sunday roasts and how much he missed them, so I knew whenever I made it to his hometown I’d have to try one. Turns out it’s quite a simple meal, really: meat, gravy, vegetables. The real surprise was the Yorkshire pudding, which did not remotely resemble the American definition of ‘pudding’ and was basically an inflated puff of dough (perfect for wiping up those last bits of gravy!).

The entire meal was hearty and delicious, and added with the company of Mike’s warm and welcoming family, I easily understood why he would miss the Sunday roast so dearly (as now I do, too).

2. Home-made scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam — Teapod, London

If you find yourself in London needing a scone break, go to Teapod. Seriously. I’m no scone expert but theirs tasted a thousand times better than ones I’ve had abroad — but the real reason you should go is for the clotted cream and strawberry jam. The cream is incredibly thick yet smooth, and the strawberry jam is home-made with chunks of strawberry oozing out of it. They also have a wide variety of proper teas and free wifi. I enjoyed this place so much, I took my mom here the following week when we did a 12-hour day trip to London.

3. Wedding dinner, Bristol

For his wedding, Mike’s brother had picked a meal that was creative but also included an English classic. The starter was a goat cheese tart with thick slices of warm chèvre atop a sweet, caramelized filling. The bangers and mash were delicious but heavy, so I let Mike finish my plate so I’d have room for dessert: a vanilla bean cheesecake with large chunks of caramel, topped off with a thin mint wafer. Classy, classy meal.

(This didn’t make the list, but I had to mention it: the wedding cake was fruitcake. And everyone loved it. Except for me, the American, who took just one bite and then stuck to eating only the icing thereafter. Apologies to the bride and groom — I did try to like it!)

4. Market, London

Market was another place I enjoyed so much I took my mom back the following week. With a different menu every day (each are printed with the day’s date), I was initially drawn in by the affordable meal sets — £10 lunch, £17.50 dinner — but was hooked by the quality, focusing on wholesome food with fresh produce. From starters like mussels with tomatoes and shallots, or a stilton, apple and walnut salad; to mains like herb crusted salmon on sweet potato mash, or chicken and leek pie with kale, Market certainly delivered.

5. Cider, Bristol

And finally, cider. Bristol is part of the West Country, and the West Country is known for its cider. Obviously it was going to make the list. There’s so much of the stuff in Bristol, I was able to try a different cider with almost every meal. I imagine if we ever moved to Bristol I’d have to worry about cider belly…is that a thing?

Have food tips for future England travels? Is anyone else as perplexed about Yorkshire pudding as I am? Leave a comment!