Taste Britain

My love, nay, complete obsession with little local foodie shops all started last summer with our epic cider and cheese campervan tour of Somerset. And lucky for me, this new book Taste Britain: a food lover?s guide, has arrived in the nick of time to inspire me with new routes and new ideas for foodie travel in the UK this summer.

From the genius publishers of Wild Swimming, Taste Britain is a celebration of local food throughout the UK, guiding you through area by area to the best farmers? markets, specialist shops, pick you owns (my personal favourites!), gastro tours and regional specialities and introducing new food heroes that are hidden to all but the best chefs. In fact, looking at this, it?s hard to imagine that the UK used to be somewhere that foreigners would avoid simply because the food was bad ? the pictures are glorious and every page is packed with ideas.

Want to go foraging for mushrooms in South Wales? They have a man who runs guided tours. Looking for sustainable fish and the home of the banoffee pie in Sussex? Done. I really like the format of the book, the feel of the pages and the way that it makes you flick through, dreamily, to plan your next foodie adventure. And more than that, it?s inspiring me to plot a future where I?m running my own deli, like the small producers here, or organising guided blackberry picking tours, or starting up a whole new foodie enterprise. The fact that I enjoy eating way more than cooking doesn’t even come into it.

As a travel guide writer myself, I know that the only way to judge whether a guide is on the money is to look at the area you know the best and see if it lives up to your own personal local knowledge on the area. The southwest region looks pretty good to me ? a lot of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, of course, Bordeaux Quay in Bristol (which I still haven?t been to) and a few tourist traps in Bath get a mention (Sally Lunn?s? Full of American tourists last time I looked), but they?ve got the big hitters covered ? Riverford, River Cafe, the delectable Michael Caines, Mark Hix and a few cideries. I?m a bit relieved that they haven?t found my favourite secret cider farm in Somerset ? it?s no slight on them, I?m sure they would have if they had had more space and if they launch a stand-alone book to the region (which would be great, by the way).

This is a guidebook that by rights should stay in our car, so whenever we take a long distance trip up north to see my family, we?ll have some fun stops on the way, but it looks too good and has been sat on our coffee table for the past few weeks in a ?hey look at us, we love food? kind of way. But we’re up in Manchester this weekend so you never know, it might well get a road trip as a special treat.

The only thing I don?t like is the fact that Alex James from Blur wrote the introduction (it?s just because I find him smug and annoying, and it all sounds a bit like someone else has written it for him – it’s a bit unnecessary. I do love Blur though…) but other than that, it?s an utter delight.

I reckon you foodie folk would love the book ? it?s out on 12 April and costs £19.95 through www.punkpublishing.co.uk. Start planning your summer foodie break now!