England's heritage cities

As traditional, on the one hand, as roast beef and Yorkshire puddings, fish-and-chips and scones with jam and cream, the six historic cities of Bath, Brighton, Chester, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon and York are also at the forefront of a major gastronomic revolution which is currently sweeping through England.

Each city brings something different to a table...

Take Bath, for example, which is now as famous for the fact that it has one of the highest number of Michelin starred restaurants and chefs than any other English city outside London, as it is for its world-famous buns.  With more culinary awards than you could possibly shake a knife and fork at, it's also the city which – twenty years ago – introduced the Farmer's Market onto the English landscape, and continues to bring local produce to the discerning buyer each Saturday morning in Green Park Station.

Sweet-toothed York – 'home' of Betty’s Café Tearooms, cinnamon toast and 'fat rascals' (a sublime cross between a scone and a biscuit, studded with almonds and cherries) – is not only staking its claim as the afternoon tea capital of England, but also now hosts the nation's largest annual 'Festival of Food and Drink'.  The Festival celebrates the foods specific to the Yorkshire region - its land, its soil, its traditional breeds - what the French call ‘terroir’.  And for ten days each September food takes centre stage, as the city's restaurants, hotels, shops and local producers showcase all the latest tastes and flavours in an extravaganza of specialist markets, celebrity chef demonstrations, themed dinners, and product launches.

Brighton, too, holds an annual 'Food & Drink Lovers Festival', each September in a city centre able to boast more restaurants and cafés per head of population than anywhere outside of London.  Hot tips are to buy locally caught fresh fish on the beach and then have it cooked for you in The Cook & Fiddle; or visit English's, the seafood restaurant with an original Regency interior that started-out as a shell-food stall several hundred years ago.

Oxford has been named sixth best city in Britain in which to dine-out in the 2007 Which? Good Food Guide.  And Oxfordshire, of course, is also home to AA Chefs' Chef of 2005, Raymond Blanc and his world-famous Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons.

Chester offers a veritable three-course culinary culture.  Its 'starter' is the annual Chester Food and Drink Festival over the Easter weekend; followed by the nearby Nantwich Food & Drink Festival; and a fitting finale every October, when the historic Georgian mansion at Tatton Park welcomes the North West Food Lovers Fair showcasing over 80 local producers of quality food and drink.

Not to be outdone, at the birthplace of the Bard in Stratford-upon-Avon, Mallory Court's Executive Chef Simon Haigh has won a host of awards for his stylish cuisine, and has held a coveted Michelin star for the last five years.