Eat and drink local
BIRMINGHAM
Inventedbya Pakistanichef
in 1970sBirmingham,thebalti
(picturedaboveright)is as an
east-meets-westdishwhere
Pakistaniculinarytraditionfuses
withwesterntastes.It caughtlike
wildfire.In whatis hands-down
theUK’scurrycapital,thebalti
blossomedintoBirmingham’s
veryownendemicspice
sensation.Whatmakesthisan
only-in-Birminghamthing?The
dishit is preparedin,forstarters:
a steelreceptaclein whichthe
baltiis cookedandservedto
retainessentialflavours,originally
manufacturedbyjustonecity
firm.Truebaltisalsorequire
vegetableoil,ratherthanghee,
dry spices, as well as freshgingerandgarlic,andmeaton
thebone,notoff.Fireupyour
tastebudsbyhittingtherestaurant
of thechefwhocreatedthedish:
Adil’s,in Birmingham’sfamous
BaltiTriangle.Muchimitated
outsidethecity,rarelyequalled.
FTheBaltiTriangle,wherethe
dishoriginated,is formedby
LadypoolRoad,StratfordRoad
andStoneyLane.Check the menu
atadilbalti.co.uk.DEVON
WeallknowBritainmakesgood
beer– butwine?Overthelast
fewdecades,theUK’s
winemakershavebeenmaking
theirmark,withsomesparkling
winesbeatingevenchampagne
in recent awards, and gainingpraisenormallyreservedfor
theirContinentalneighbours.
Fewplaceshaveearned
a starrierreputationthan
Sharpham,a vineyardonthe
banksof theRiverDart.It’s
knownforits crispwhitesand
champagne-stylebubblies,
whicharewellsuitedto the
area’schalkysoilsandtemperate
climate,andhavescoopedtop
awardsat someof theworld’s
mostprestigiouswinefairs.You
cantakea tourof thevines,then
headto theon-sitecaféfora
tastingsession(picturedabove
left)– ideallyaccompaniedby
somedeliciouschunksof the
estate’shomemadecheeses.
FAguidedtastingcosts £12.50
(sharpham.com).NORFOLK
A snub-nosedpierjutsfromthe
broadbeachbearingshining
boatshauledfromthewaves.
Crustaceanslandedheretake
thisresort’sname:CromerCrab
isn’ta localboast,it’sa fishing
area.Andthecrabis famously
sweet.Huntit downin the
narrowlanesleadingfromthe
shore.At DaviesFishShop,
thecrabis caughtbytheirown
dayboat,thenboiled,cracked
anddressedon-site– straight
fromseato slab.Orheadto
theRoyalNationalLifeboat
Institution’sHenryBloggMuseum
fortalesof daringrescues,then
upto RocketHouse,a caféwith
a balconyalmostoverhanging
thesea,fora menupackedwith
Cromercrab.
FTrainsconnectCromerwith
Norwich(trainline.com).LONDON
Thestoryof pieandmashis
thestoryof working-class
London.Inhabitantsof East
End tenements would fuel theirThetrulygreatdrinksanddishesof theUKcancompetewithanyintheworld,anddeserveto betriedin theplacesthatproducethem,where the histories of their origins can be as fascinating as their flavours