Think of British food products and the mind still tends to cough up a small pile of pub-bar fodder: scampi fries, twiglets, perhaps a slightly squashed Tunnock’s Teacake. A nation raised on beige nostalgia. Yet the truth is that British food, drink, tableware and kitchenware have become rather good over the past half-century.
From artisanal ceramics thrown with local clay to pot-and-pan stalwarts and hand-forged knives, there is a great deal to get excited about. And then there’s the food and drink itself. English wine – once a national punchline – now arrives with the same excitement as corks popped from across the pond. Thick clotted cream, unrivalled butter, small-batch ferments, charcuterie and even Scottish oat miso flood our shelves.
Which is to say that somewhere between the scampi fries and the sourdough starter, Britain has become a nation a lot more serious about its grub and grog. We’ve plucked out our favourite picks. Tuck in.
Food
Unsalted Butter
Trewithen
Trewithen Unsalted Butter
National pride in England is usually best left alone, but butter is the exception – particularly when it hails from the West Country. Trewithen’s unsalted version is the, er, cream of the crop. Churned from Cornish cream, it carries that proper buttercup yellow hue, signalling happy cows who’ve chowed down on meadows of grass. It’s perfect for baking – a high butterfat content means you’re destined for perfectly flaky pastry and flavoursome loaves. You live and you churn.
£3; ocado.com
Honey
Farm Shop
Farm Shop Honey
Ready to upgrade your morning drizzle from the trusty squeezy Rowse? Farm Shop’s honey comes from bees working the wildflowers and hedgerows around their Somerset hives. Producing distinct spring and summer varieties. Didn’t realise honey changes with the seasons? The spring harvest is light and delicate – ideal spread thickly over hot toast – while the summer batch runs darker, deeper and richer, making it a natural partner for morning granola.
£9.25; farmshop.co.uk
Scottish Oat Miso
Slow Sauce
Scottish Oat Miso
Miso is a cupboard essential that too many kitchens do without, able to transform even the blandest dish into something special. Although largely known for Japanese cooking, its versatility means it’s great no matter what you’re whipping up, whether you want to elevate marinades, salad dressings, stews and soups with its signature rich, salty umami magic. This oat miso has been slowly barrel-aged in Scottish oak casks for three months, so you can get all the gastrointestinal benefits while still shopping local.
£10; slowsauce.co.uk
Kitchenware
Fish Clamp
Firemade
Firemade Fish Clamp
For those who take their outdoor cooking more seriously than a disposable barbecue and pack of Richmond sausages, this handsome fish clamp is the kind of kit that takes your grilling to restaurant standards. Originally designed for the London restaurant Brat, this hand-forged clamp made in Somerset is perfect for grilling fish, letting you flip turbot confidently over open flames without leaving half of it stuck to the grill. Particularly good for sea bass and bream, a fish cooked on this piece of kit will taste more like the shores of San Sebastián than, er, Southwark.
£110; firemade.co.uk
Urban 26cm Tri-Ply Chef’s Pan with Domed Lid
Samuel Groves
Samuel Groves Chef's Pan
If you like your cookware built properly, this British-made tri-ply chef’s pan is a serious bit of kit. An aluminium core sandwiched between stainless steel layers ensures even heat and responsive control, while the domed lid helps retain moisture and flavour, making it ideal for everything from quick sautés and frying fish to slower braises, soups and stews. Compatible with all hob types, including induction and oven-safe up to 250°C, it is designed to work hard and last.
£205; samuelgroves.com
Drink
English Rosé
Bolney Wine Estate
Bolney Wine Estate English Rosé
As we crawl out of UK winter with as much vitamin D as a basement flat, we’re dreaming of balmy summer evenings with a glass of rosé. While the knee-jerk reaction is to point towards the tipples from Provence, why not switch things up with a bottle from Sussex? Bolney’s English rosé is delicate, pale and refreshingly dry – with notes of strawberry, grapefruit, and, crucially, none of that sugary wobble you’ll find in a newsagent’s bottle. Bolney has been at this since 1972, back when English wine was considered a dare rather than a drink, tending vines on the South Downs while the rest of the world was sceptical. The result is a balanced, crowd-pleasing and very easy-to-get-through bottle of wine, that’s perfect for garden parties and super yachts alike.
£16; tesco.com
Don’t Feed the Ponies Little Bee 2024
Sandridge Barton
Sandridge Barton Vineyard
If you’re looking to recreate that London Fields natural wine mood at home, this will do the trick (whipped cod’s roe and trucker cap not included). Don’t Feed the Ponies Little Bee 2024 from Sandridge Barton is a skin-contact pinot gris, 100% fermented on skins with minimal intervention from start to finish. The nose is layered and bright – tangerine peel and blood orange – while the palate follows through with grapefruit and a streak of sour stone fruit. There’s texture and energy here, with soft, grippy tannins, taut acidity and a long, generous finish. Part of a wider Don’t Feed the Ponies range, the wine celebrates a wilder approach to winemaking and gives back too, with 25p from every bottle going to the Dartmoor Preservation Association.
£23; sandridgebarton.com
Orange Wine Cask Finish
Deanston
Deanston Orange Cask
Deanston’s new Orange Wine Cask Finish is designed for drinkers who like to defy convention and explore. Matured for 15 years in ex-bourbon casks before a two-year finish in rare Vino de Naranja casks from Andalucía, the Highland single malt balances waxy richness with bright citrus lift. Expect notes of zesty orange, honey, toasted nuts and sun-ripened fruit, bottled at a punchy 53.6% with no added colour and no chill filtration. It’s a rare drop, limited to 7,000 bottles worldwide, with just 600 available in the UK. Great whisky tastes better outside the lines.
£95; masterofmalt.com
2022 Classic Cuvée
Wraxall
2022 Classic Cuvée Wraxall
English fizz is having a moment, and this pour from Wraxall shows you exactly why. Produced in Somerset, the Classic Cuvée delivers generous notes of candied lemon, red apple and pastry crust with a creamy hint of brioche running through the palate. Crisp acidity and a soft, lively mousse keep everything zippy, making it just as suited to a celebratory cork-popping as it is to a long, lazy summer lunch.
£34.50; wraxallvineyard.co.uk
Flint Dry 2024
Chapel Down
Chapel Down Flint Dry 2024
This quintessentially English still wine is a spring favourite for those who enjoy aromatic, citrus-driven styles with real depth. Flint Dry is made from chardonnay, bacchus and pinot blanc grown across vineyards in Kent, Sussex and Essex, ensuring high-quality fruit in every bottle. In the glass, racy acidity is balanced by notes of green apple and pear, making it a great match for oysters and prawns, as well as roast chicken or centrepiece fish dishes. Bright, elegant and food-friendly, a case is an easy way to stock up for gatherings and al fresco meals.
£96 for a case of six bottles; chapeldown.com
Forced Rhubarb Kombucha
Momo Kombucha
Momo Rhubarb Kombucha
Two big food trends converge in this limited-edition drink, which, for kombucha at least, arrived with some serious fanfare. Made in collaboration with Natoora, it uses forced rhubarb from Robert Tomlinson, part of the family that has been growing the pink stuff for generations in West Yorkshire. Traditional cultivation methods preserve the tender, sweeter stems, giving this award-winning British kombucha brand a knockout new flavour.
£4.50 per bottle; momo-kombucha.com
