Hubby went to school there for 7 years back in the late 60s. He still can't stand any type of hot cereal (mush), boiled meat and some other bland stuff, but still goes for things like haggus and mashed peeeeeeeeze. Blecht! We were there about 7-8 years ago and went with mostly pub fare.

We were just in Yorkshire and yes, generally the food was just okay. Fish and chips, no seasoning. Mashed peas?!? Why not just peas? Vegetables in general were had to come by. Except watercress, which seems to be the national veg. Our best meals were at our small country hotel with a good chef, a burger at a pub, and a home dinner at a cousin's where she slow-cooked "a joint from her farmer neighbor" and root vegetables from her garden. Yum.

They once ruled the world and couldn't adopt recipes other than curry? And even that was bland.

Sorry to hear you've had poor food over here. Sadly, the further north you go in the British isles the less vibrant is the food scene outside big cities. Also palates vary depending on what you're used to. When in the US I have often found the food too sweet and too salty for.my tastes. But I think you were particularly unlucky and were possibly in the wrong places and looking for the wrong foods.. If it's cheap it's not usually very good and if you're on a trip with included meals it's likely not going to be great. They cook for the lowest common denominator. I suffered from this on a recent trip to Turkey. The best meals we had were when we escaped the hotel dining room. Pub food can be good and fine dining is excellent. There are plenty of Michelin star restaurants. As to watercress that's just a weird experience. It's really not at all common to eat it other than as a garnish. I can't remember when I last had it. Did you ask for vegetables? They should be easily available anywhere.

If you're looking for reasonable fare try independent restaurants and pubs. Stay away from chains and don't go looking for food you'd expect at home. We are a long way from Mexico so it doesn't influence our menus much but you can get fantastic Indian, Chinese, Italian and many other world cuisines. If you had a bland curry you were in the wrong restaurant. Even using the catch-all description 'curry' shows that it wasn't a good place. There are many types and spicing variations. And if you want your fish and chips more seasoned the expectation is that you will add your condiments at the table. Mushy peas are the traditional accompaniment and they're supposed to be made with dried peas, hence the mush.

I hope that if you come again you'll try eating independently and seek out the really excellent stiuff that is available. If you know where to look and don't expect to get what you get at home you can eat well. Please try not to go away with the impression that the Brits 'don't do food'.

This is a menu from a local pub. No watercress!

SMALLER PLATES

Olives (vg, gf) £4.50

Soup of the day, baked artisan bread (vg) £8.40

Mixed breads, artichokes, olive tapenade (vg) £5.75

Confit pork shoulder, toasted sourdough, apple sauce, Honey’s cider jus (gfo) £9

Halloumi fries, sweet chilli sauce (v,gf) £8.40

Smoked fish, leek and cheddar gratin, ciabatta (gfo) £8.95

Maple glazed butternut squash, pomegranate, edamame, cous cous salad (vg) £14

Camembert, rosemary, cider brandy and local honey glaze, ciabatta, tomato chutney £14

MAIN COURSES

Homemade pie of the day with mash, seasonal vegetables, gravy £20

Cider battered fish, chips, minted mushy peas, tartar sauce (gf) £19

Beef burger, bacon, cheddar, jalapeno relish, mayo, gem lettuce, gherkin, tomato and fries (gfo) £19

Confit celeriac, red lentils, steamed greens, roasted veg (vg) £18

Pan fried grey mullet, crushed new potatoes, roast fennel, anchovy, olive and tomato sauce (gf) £19

Bavette steak (served medium rare), chimichurri, rocket salad, fries (gf) £25.50

Sage and sunflower seed gnocchi, butternut squash puree, rocket, sage pesto (vg) £19

Venison steak, roasted garlic mash, braised red cabbage, rosemary jus (gf) £28

Chicken supreme, dauphinoise potatoes, sautéed pancetta and cabbage, jus (gf) £23

SIDES

Garlic flatbread, rocket (vg) £6

Truffle and parmesan fries (gf) £6.50

Rocket and Parmesan salad (gf) £4.75

Chips £5 (gf)

Fries £5 (gf)

Mac and cheese (v) £5

Chilli and garlic greens (gf) £5

Cauliflower cheese (gf) £5.50

DESSERTS

Affogato, espresso, salted caramel ice cream, cookie crumb (gfo) £7

Affogato, espresso, salted caramel ice cream, cookie crumb, with your choice of Disaronno or TiaMaria or Disaronno Velvet (gfo) £9.50

Crumble of the day, vanilla ice cream or custard (gf,dfo) £8.50

Chocolate brownie, chocolate ice cream, brownie pieces, chocolate sauce (gf) £8.50

Cheesecake of the day £8.50

Ice cream / sorbet selection £2.25 / scoop

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK thanks floral. That menu looks better than the ones we found. Oh well. It was a small thing really compared to the magnificent beauty we saw and heard. I honestly can cry when I hear the bagpipes play. I might have had a touch of the typical tourist thoughts too. "Hey, the less $$ on food is more for refrigerator magnets!"

By the way, halloumi was a discovery!

True that our best meals were at local restaurants, but then nearly all the restaurants we saw up north were local. Recs from locals count! And we were fortunate to have that.

The watercress was often the only garnish, and a salad was generally arugula or something like that, and watercress, and maybe shredded carrots. Really hard to eat.

We were hard-pressed to find lamb on the menus in sheep country! and it isn’t because they are used only for the wool. Someone said they send a lot of the meat to the bigger cities.