2019-09-01_Lonely_Planet_Traveller

labourswithstodgymeatpies,

drownedin ‘liquor’,a parsley

gravymadewithwaterused

forcookingeelscaughtin the

Thames,whichwerethenjellied

• andwhichtheshopsalsosold.
  Oneof justa handfulof original
  Londonpieshopsstillin business,
  F Cooke,is aninstitution.These
  days,theliquoris lesseelythan
  it usedto be,butthepiesare
  as solidas ever– andwemean
  thatin a goodway.
  FFCookeonHoxtonStreet
  andtheotheronBroadway
  Marketarebothwithinwalking
  distanceof eitherOldStreet
  Tubeor HoxtonOverground.

NORTHEASTSCOTLAND

Thepine-cladglensof

Strathspeyareenmeshed

in whiskydistillinganddram-

emptyingtraditions.You’ll

discoverworld-beaterssuch

as MacallanandGlenlivet,and

findroadsto smallerpot-still

outfitslikeTamdhuandAberlour.

Beyondanymeasure,thisis the

territory of uisge-beatha (water

oflife).In termsof mapping

a tour,a whiskytrianglecan

bedrawnnorthof Craigellachie,

downto Huntlyin theeastand

to Tomintoulin thesouth.There

is a greaterconcentrationof

distilleriesherethananywhere

else,andthefocalpointis

Dufftownwithits cooperage

andsevenwhiskyhouses,

includingGlenfiddichand

Balvenie.So,payyourrespects:

you’renotlookingat a glassof

whisky(picturedtopright),but

centuriesof distillingthathave

shapedboththelandscapeand

cultureof theregion.

FSeemaltwhiskytrail.comfor

routeanddistillerydetails.

HEREFORDSHIRE

Overhalfof theUK’scideris

producedin Herefordshire,

whichyieldsapplesfor20-odd

ciderproducersacrossalmost

a thousandorchards.Hereford

is at thecoreof thisregional

cornucopia,whereBulmers,

theworld’sbiggestcidermill,

is located, and where a cider

museumgivesa goodgrounding

in allthingsapple-related.For

more,scrumpyourwayout

to northwestHerefordshire’s

historicblackandwhitevillages,

or alongtheRiverWyein pursuit

of 16cider-themedattractions.

FLedburyandPembridgecycle

routes(onHerefordshireCider

Route’swebsite)allowexploration

ofseveralciderattractions

(ciderroute.co.uk).

CUMBRIA

BesidesinspiringRomantic

poets,Grasmere’sothergreat

traditionis gingerbread,which

waspioneeredin themiddle

of the19thcenturybylocal

bakerSarahNelson,who

beganproducingthehalf-

biscuit,half-cakecreationin tiny

ChurchCottagein 1854. 165

yearslater,Sarah’sdescendants

insistonmakingthedelicious

gingerbreadmuchas Sarahdid,

in thecrampedkitchenusingher

(secret)recipeandevensome

of herutensils.Staffdonfrilly

pinafores and starched bonnets

formaximumauthenticity.

FGrasmereis in theheartof the

LakeDistrict, 17 milesnorthwest

of Kendal.Seemoreat

grasmeregingerbread.co.uk.

NORTHEASTSCOTLAND
A family-runharbourshedis
probablynotwhereyou’d
expectto findScotland’smost
exaltedseafooddelicacy.
ButorderanArbroathSmokie
(picturedaboveleft)– salted,
smoke-curedhaddock,hung
anddriedoncharredwooden
rods– andyou’llbehookedfor
life.Theappealof thecopper-
goldfishsoonmakessense:
smokieshavebeenmadein
Arbroathsincethelate1800s,
havingbeeninvented,somesay,
aftera firein thenearbyfishing
hamletof Auchmithiesetbarrels
of fishpreservedin salt
smouldering.Trythemstraight
fromthesmokehousesof M&M
Spinkor IainR Spink.
FArbroathis 20minutesnorthof
Dundee(arbroathsmokies.co.uk
and arbroathsmokies.net).
PHOTOGRAPHS: ANDREW FOX/ALAMY, ATIMAGES/ALAMY, ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES