Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Most large
museums
(and many historic
churches
) have handy, moderately priced
cafeterias.
Fast-food
places, both American and British, are everywhere.
Cheap chain restaurants,
such as steak houses and pizza places, serve no-nonsense
food in a family-friendly setting (steak-house meals cost about
£
10, all-you-can-stomach
pizza around
£
5). For specific chains to keep an eye out for, see “Good Chain Restaur-
ants,” later.
Bakeries
sell yogurt, cartons of “semi-skimmed” milk, pastries, and pasties (PASS-
teez). Pasties are hearty, savory meat pies that originated in the Cornish mining country;
they had big crimped edges so miners with filthy hands could eat them and toss the dirty
crust. The most traditional filling is beef stew, but you'll also find them with chicken, ve-
getable, lamb and mint, and even Indian flavors inside.
Picnicking
saves time and money. Fine park benches and polite pigeons abound in
most neighborhoods. You can easily get prepared food to go. Munch a relaxed “meal on
wheels” picnic during your open-top bus tour or river cruise to save 30 precious minutes
for sightseeing.
Good
sandwich shops
and corner
grocery stores
are a hit with local workers eating
on the run. Try boxes of orange juice (pure, by the liter), fresh bread, tasty English cheese,
meat, a tube of Colman's English mustard, local eatin' apples, bananas, small tomatoes, a
