Delicatessen in London

Cod or haddock in crisp batter with thick chips, salt and malt vinegar, often with mushy peas. Best from a 'chippy' or in a pub.

Eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans, grilled tomato, mushrooms and toast, sometimes black pudding. Served in cafés all morning.

Tea with finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and small cakes, served on a tiered stand. Book ahead at the hotels and tea rooms.

🛍️ Find it at: Twinings 216 Strand, Postcard Teas

Blue Stilton and farmhouse Cheddar are the famous ones, but small makers make many more. Cheesemongers let you taste before you buy.

🛍️ Find it at: Neal's Yard Dairy, Paxton & Whitfield

East London's Jewish classic: a chewy beigel stuffed with warm salt beef and hot English mustard, sold day and night on Brick Lane.

🛍️ Find it at: Beigel Bake

Roast beef, lamb or chicken with roast potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Pubs serve it on Sundays from about noon.

London's farmhouse cheese specialist, selecting and maturing British and Irish cheeses from small makers.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Wed 11:00–18:00, Thu–Sat 10:30–18:30, Sun 11:00–17:00
• 💡 Tip: Ask to taste before you buy; a wedge of Stichelton or a clothbound Cheddar travels well, and they vacuum-pack it.
• 📍 Address: 17 Short's Gardens, London WC2H 9AT
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• 🚶 Near Covent Garden: 🚶 0.4 km · 6 min walk

The flagship shop of Twinings, trading on this site since 1706, with a loose-leaf sampling bar.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Wed, Fri–Sun 11:00–18:00, Thu 11:30–18:30
• 💡 Tip: Use the pick-and-mix wall to fill a wooden gift box; taste the loose-leaf teas at the bar first.
• 📍 Address: 216 Strand, London WC2R 1AP
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Sir John Soane's Museum: 🚶 0.8 km · 10 min walk

A Soho coffee merchant since 1887, with beans, blends and loose teas stacked floor to ceiling.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Wed 10:00–18:00, Thu–Sat 10:00–19:00
• 💡 Tip: Buy a bag of the house blend, freshly ground to your method; Old Compton Street is lively all day.
• 📍 Address: 52 Old Compton Street, London W1D 4PB
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Soho & Chinatown: 🚶 0.3 km · 4 min walk

Cheesemongers with the black-and-gold shopfront on Jermyn Street, the oldest of their shops.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Tue, Thu–Sat 10:00–18:30, Wed 10:00–18:00, Sun 11:00–17:00
• 💡 Tip: Pick a small British selection (Stilton, Cheddar, Wensleydale) to take home; staff will let you taste.
• 📍 Address: 93 Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6JE
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Fortnum & Mason: 🚶 0.3 km · 4 min walk

A small Mayfair shop selling single-estate teas bought directly from growers in Asia.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Sat 12:00–18:30
• 💡 Tip: Ask for a Japanese or Taiwanese oolong; tins and small pouches make light gifts. It opens at noon.
• 📍 Address: 9 Dering Street, London W1S 1AG
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• 🚶 Near Liberty London: 🚶 0.4 km · 5 min walk

The original Bread Ahead bakery from 2013, known for its filled doughnuts and fresh focaccia.

• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sat 09:00–17:00, Sun 10:00–16:00
• 💡 Tip: Go early for the vanilla custard doughnut, then walk it round Borough Market; it is closed on Mondays.
• 📍 Address: Borough Market, Cathedral Street, London SE1 9DE
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• 🚶 Near Borough Market: 🚶 0.1 km · 2 min walk

An independent beer shop in Borough Market with some 700 craft beers and ciders on display.

• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Thu 10:00–17:00, Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat 09:00–17:00, Sun 10:00–16:00
• 💡 Tip: Ask for a British craft beer or farmhouse cider to pack home; closed on Mondays.
• 📍 Address: Three Crown Square, Borough Market, London SE1 1TL
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• 🚶 Near Borough Market: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk

A Brick Lane institution since 1974, baking beigels round the clock and famous for salt beef.

• 💡 Tip: Order a hot salt beef beigel with mustard, or take a bag of plain beigels away.
• 📍 Address: 159 Brick Lane, London E1 6SB
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• 🚶 Near Brick Lane: 🚶 0.1 km · 2 min walk

A Soho Italian deli for over 60 years, with cured meats, cheeses, pasta and olive oils.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Sat 09:00–17:00
• 💡 Tip: Buy dried pasta, a jar of antipasti or a bottle of olive oil: easy to pack. Check hours before you go.
• 📍 Address: 61 Old Compton Street, London W1D 6HS
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Soho & Chinatown: 🚶 0.3 km · 4 min walk