London Food Tour: Essentials of British Food Culture

Experience a mix of local favorites and legendary destinations for foodies
From US$630 privately
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Tour Details
Duration
3 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
  • Fortnum & Mason
  • Soho
Photos & Highlights
Select a date
Tour Description
This walk is a great way to see some of the most famous neighborhoods of London from a different perspective—your bellies! In the company of a food historian, chef, or expert in gastronomy, you will start near Green Park and the quintessential British food oasis: Fortnum & Mason. This is a great place to begin as English gastronomic tradition abounds inside Fortnum's hallowed walls.

On this 3-hour London Food Tour, you will cover a wide swath of the city using our stomachs to guide us. From scotch eggs to exceptional ales and a whole host of global cuisines, London's culinary offerings are as diverse as its population. Along the way, we'll meet shop owners, taste artisanal products, and learn how London has become a culinary mecca that never fails to surprise.

You will pay a visit to a British cheese shop where you'll delight your palates with local products specifically selected for us, while a trained cheesemonger explains the history of British cheese and the variety of regional offerings. 
We will then weave up to Soho and the lovely, family-run Lina Stores deli with beautifully displayed cured meats, cheeses, and fresh pastas on Brewer Street, before heading to Old Compton Street to pass by the aromatic Algerian Coffee Store, with an astounding variety of coffees and teas. 
While the area is now one of the most fashionable in London, you still witness remnants of its past intermingled with the diversity of small restaurants from all over the world… some of which we will visit during our walk.

Dipping down into Chinatown, we discuss London's international cuisine, which is key to the city's culinary culture of today. We might pop in for some gelato at Gelupo on our way to the Seven Dials area of London, where we can find some hidden treasures like Monmouth Coffee, Homeslice, and Neal’s Yard Dairy, with an unexpected Bohemian-inspired courtyard.

Whether you are a serious foodie or just like to eat, this walk will help you discover the secret corners of London and the coexistence of a centuries-old culinary tradition with an incredibly international food scene. Most importantly, it will help you debunk the myth that London is a culinary wasteland.

Come with an appetite, as our tour promises a feast for all the senses!
Experts
Tim Tim
Local Guide
Simon Simon
Fashion
Amber Amber
Local Guide
Rebecca Rebecca
Local Guide
Laurence Laurence
Local Guide
Doris Doris
Food Writer
Susan Susan
Food Writer
Jonathan Jonathan
TOUR GUIDE
Alice Venessa Alice Venessa
Food Writer
  • Fortnum & Mason - 18th-century department store known for its gourmet groceries including tea and posh preserves.
  • Soho - popular for the shopping, restaurants, and bars - you can move seamlessly from a bustling and creative new restaurant to an atmospheric little bar
  • Chinatown - It is home to some wonderful, authentic Chinese food shops and bakeries, as well as shops selling Asian cosmetics and Chinese-inspired trinkets and gifts
  • You want to learn about British food culture while exploring some of the most renowned neighborhoods and best shops in London
  • If you want to explore London with a food historian, chef, or expert in gastronomy

Additional Trip-Planning Resources

A few things that pair well with this tour: 

Looking for insider recommendations? Get expert tips to seeing the true London in our London City Guide.
Where do we meet? Where does it end?
The walk begins in the Piccadilly neighborhood and typically ends in Covent Garden. Your confirmation email will have the exact meeting point details along with a map.

Can I participate in your small group food walks if I have food allergies?
Yes. If you have any specific allergies/intolerances please indicate these in the Travel Notes section when you are booking and your guide will do his or her best to accommodate.

Do the tastings serve as a replacement for a meal?
Yes, this tour's tastings do cover a full meal.

Is this walk good for kids?
Yes, especially if your children love trying new food and enjoy learning about the city through food. If your kids are under 13, we strongly recommend booking the walk privately, so we can better adjust the walk to their taste and interests.

What if it’s raining?
Tours operate rain or shine, but in the case of inclement weather, your expert will modify the tour so more time is spent indoors. It never hurts to have an umbrella on hand.

Is this a walking intensive tour?
This walk covers about 1 mile overall.

We understand that some of our valued guests may have mobility concerns, and we want to ensure you have a comfortable and enjoyable experience throughout your tour. If there are any accessibility concerns that your tour guide will need to be aware of, please let our team know at the time of booking.

Is this tour wheelchair-friendly?
The tour is fast-paced and includes some narrow alleys and cobbled streets. We do not recommend this tour for clients with severe mobility issues.

Book with confidence — see Context's flexible cancellation policy here.

Where You'll Start
(4.69) 178 Reviews

Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.

We had a wonderful food tour with Susan! We tasted a variety of local foods and she was able to provide an interesting history of the places and the food. We visited Britain's oldest cheesemonger, an amazing chocolatier, a wonderful Italian deli and so much more. We tasted savory and sweet dishes from scotch eggs to sorbet to dumplings (our favorite item). It was a wonderful way to start our visit to London and get a feel for different neighborhoods, amazing foods, and interesting history as well. We would highly recommend Susan! She arranged a wonderful tour ideally suited for us. This is my second food tour with Context in the UK (Edinburgh previously) and both were wonderful.
Our family enjoyed our food tour of London with Doris. She did an amazing job educating us on the food and some historical tidbit of London while keeping our three kids very engaged. We were able to sample a good variety of British foods while learning historical interesting details about them. We would highly recommend her tour!
Our guide Alice was very knowledgeable, and shared interesting anecdotes and historical facts about the eclectic and diverse stops we made during the food tour. She customized the tour to our interests and was personable, curious about what our family liked and disliked and adjusted and adapted our journey across the Westminster, Covent garden and SoHo areas accordingly. Very impressed by her and the tour experience overall! Highly recommended and would definitely do this again in another city.