In the summer months, Tarr Steps heaves with families and visitors who come to cross the medieval clapper bridge that spans the River Barle. But in winter the woodland is tranquil, with lovely walks to the picturesque village of Dulverton. The Tarr Farm Inn – set right by the Steps – dates back to the 1600s, with nine comfortable rooms that come with fluffy bathrobes and Egyptian cotton, and homemade biscuits and fresh milk on the tea tray. Settle in for hearty dinners of chermoula-spiced scallops and a rack of Somerset lamb, with cream teas available until 5pm each day as a reward for a hearty walk. Doubles from £90 B&B; tarrfarm.co.uk
6 of the best classic British pub dishes
17.01.2024 - 18:50 / nationalgeographic.com
What’s the first dish that comes to mind when you think of classic British pub food? Fish and chips? Steak and ale pie? A burger? Yes, to all the above. And chips, always chips — still one of the most popular pub foods. But how did this all come to be? And why have these dishes endured?
It turns out we have the Romans to thank for that, at least in part. During their time in Britain, the marching Roman armies needed to refuel with meat and cheese at various wine-filled pit-stops. They built tabernae (a type of Roman shop or stall) along their network of roads — and after the Romans departed, the tabernae were replaced with alehouses. By the Middle Ages, people were moving about in serious numbers, in need of a place to fill their bellies, and to rest their heads and their horses — welcome to the inn, with its roast meats, cheese and ale.
Jump to the 19th century and potatoes and pies were now firmly part of hostelry menus. The popularity of chip is largely due to Jewish settlers, who brought their taste for fried fish to the wider British public, opening the earliest fish and chip shops in the 1860s. And for that other hallowed pub staple, crisps, we must thank Frank Smith, founder of Smith’s Crisps, who put fried potatoes in greaseproof paper bags with a twist of salt in the 1920s.
By the end of the 1950s, with rationing over, pub menus were once again awash with the crispy crusts of homemade meat pies. And, like the rest of the population, pub landlords and landladies were soon seduced by the American burger bar, and impressed by two Italian brothers, Frank and Aldo Berni, who introduced many to the prawn cocktail, steak and chips, and black forest gateau via their influential Berni Inns.
The Licensing Act of 1988 saw pubs granted all-day opening — a change that put all-day Sunday roasts and restaurant-style food on the pub table and paved the way for gastropubs, which started opening a few years later.
Meanwhile, when the smoking ban was introduced in 2007, the pub demographic changed forever, encouraging families, prompting wider choice and better food — to the extent that some pubs even began winning Michelin stars. Today, pub food has never tasted so good. Yet across the country, the same classics can still be found on the menu — even if they are served on smarter-looking plates these days.
“Britain does pie better than anyone else in the world and we have done since pastry was first perfected by chefs working for Tudor monarchs,” writes pub sage Pete Brown in his book, Pie Fidelity. Gelatinously juicy, is there a better dish to accompany your pint? Suet or puff, take your pick. And these days, you can even get gluten-free versions, such as The Native Pony — a classic steak and kidney pie in
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