Specialist Food Shops

London

Paxton and Whitfield

Paxton and Whitfield (www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk) in London's St. James's Street are Royal Warrant holders who have been selling cheese for 200 years. Step inside and tantalise your taste buds as the smell of cheese of every variety waft under your nostrils.

Berry Bros and Rudd

If you want to find the appropriate liquid accompaniment to your preferred cheese, head to nearby Berry Bros and Rudd (www.bbr.com), Britain's oldest wine and spirit merchant which has traded from the same shop for over 300 years.

Around Britain

Ye Old Pie Shop (Melton Mowbray)

Find traditional Melton Mowbray pork pies, with meat encrusted in delicious pastry, in Ye Olde Pie Shop (www.porkpie.co.uk) in Melton Mowbray itself. Dickinson and Morris have been baking pork pies here since 1851.

Tiptree Jams (Essex)

Enjoy the sweet taste of fruit - choose one of the 100 jams at Tiptree (www.tiptree.com)'s Essex farm shop or sample them in the tearoom. The very first Tiptree conserves were made here in 1885 and to this day they still specialise in fruit growing on the Tiptree estates.

Bakewell Pudding (Derbyshire)

Try to discover the secret recipe of Bakewell Pudding (www.bakewellpuddingshop.co.uk) in the Derbyshire village of the same name. Visit the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop in the heart of the Peak District for a gastronomic tour of one of the most traditional English delights.

Taste of Scotland

For a taste of Scotland, pop into the National Trust for Scotland's shops, just full of tempting tastes such as local honey and succulent salmon.

Taste of Wales

In farm shops all over Wales you can find Welsh lamb, local cheeses, smoked bacon and ham - the choice is yours. And look out for bara brith - the flavour of this spiced, honey-glazed fruit bread is delicious when spread with salted Welsh butter.

For more about the tastes and aromas of Britain, visit our food & drink section.