The land and sea of the East of England is the source of a fantastic variety of food and drink, from bread, beer and beef to celery, samphire and shrimp.
Around East Anglia
The East of England is bounded on three sides by the long North Sea coast, curving around Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, from the Wash to the Thames estuary. Inland, the region reaches from Hertfordshire, on the northern edge of London, through Bedfordshire to the Cambridgeshire Fens. Largely rural, the region is characterised by the farmed landscape and has been shaped by its rich history of food production.
Foods of East Anglia
Cereals – The East is the bread basket of England, its farming predominately arable. Read more»
Fruit, vegetables and oilseeds – Almost half the region’s farmland is given to cereal production but an enormous variety of crops are grown besides cereals, from onions to oilseed rape, from strawberries to sugar beet. Read more»
Livestock – The local abundance of grain provides feed for many pig herds and poultry flocks, while areas of grassland support beef and dairy cattle, as well as sheep. Read more»
Fish – The long arc of the North Sea coast is strung with fishing ports. Read more»
Renaissance
The East of England has long produced food for distant markets, sending carrots to London and salted herring to the Caribbean. While large scale farming and manufacture for national and global markets remain important, recent years have seen a renaissance in smaller scale production and processing for local markets. There’s never been a better time to experience the tastes of the region.
(Food in East Anglia pages adapted from text originally written for the 2006 Tastes of Anglia Regional Food Guide and Explore Your Countryside website)
