Seven of the UK’s best foodie breaks for autumn with seafood, beer and walks

Mild weather, colourful countryside and markets displaying seasonal specialities make autumn ideal for a food-focused UK mini-break. More than half of Britons say local cuisine influences where they travel, according to recent research from tour operator Explore Worldwide. But it’s not necessary to head to a far-flung destination for tasty local dishes and creative menus. As someone who writes about food, and judges the Great Taste Awards, I am frequently impressed by the pride in seasonality and provenance taken by café owners and chefs all over the UK. So why not book a domestic escape featuring long lunches next to pub fires and bracing coastal or countryside walks? Here, then, is my pick of seven of the best food-and-drink focused UK escapes… Dunkeld, Perthshire On the lush banks of the River Tay lies Dunkeld, with leaping salmon (from September to November), a half-ruined cathedral and a jumble of pastel cottages. It makes a delightful base for walks among Perthshire’s big trees, such as at The Hermitage, a forested area through which the River Braan runs. In autumn, morning mists lift to reveal the gold, bronze and copper colours of the turning foliage. Shorts The area is renowned for berries – join a charity blueberry-picking day at Thomas Thomson Blairgowrie farm (until 18 October). In town, award-winning Dunkeld Smoked Salmon is sold at a smokehouse on Brae Street, while the Dunkeld Whisky Box offers a “drop-in dram”. Bake Off semi-finalist Flora Shedden’s Aran Bakery sells overstuffed sandwiches and seasonal specialities, such as bramble, blueberry and honey Danish. Stock up on a pork and haggis sausage roll at Livvi’s Little Lunchbox to make an autumnal picnic. The Taybank offers B&B from £220 and a dinner menu featuring game, foraged chanterelles and apples from its orchard. Dunkeld House Hotel, surrounded by woodland, has B&B doubles from £130. Accessible rooms available. Menai Bridge (Porthaethwy), Anglesey Despite having a population of less than 4,000, this town on the Menai Strait is a culinary destination with several highly rated restaurants. Among them is Dylan’s, which opened its first branch in the town in 2012 and has now grown to five restaurants across North Wales. Celebrated dishes include Conwy mussels, seafood chowder and herb- and parmesan-crusted hake. Elsewhere, Sosban and The Old Butchers is a Michelin-starred dining venue in an old butcher’s shop that focuses on North Wales produce; the Freckled Angel specialises in small plates and featured in The Good Food Guide’s top 100 Best Local Restaurants list; while cheesemonger, deli and café & Caws sells award-winning cheeses. Among the local beauty spots that come into their own in autumn is Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens, a 200-acre estate with three waterfalls, a five-minute drive from the town; and Church Island, which is reached by crossing a small causeway. The Lookout, booked through Oyster Holiday Cottages, is a waterfront townhouse in Menai Bridge that sleeps up to eight and offers views across the strait, from £702 for five nights. Dunluce Castle and White Rocks Cliffs (Photo: Tourism Northern Ireland) Bushmills & surrounds, Co Antrim The village of Bushmills near the north coast of Co Antrim is known for its whiskey and as a gateway to the Giant’s Causeway. It also has special conservation status, a collection of listed, late-Georgian buildings and offers a pretty base from which to explore seaside highlights, such as the resort of Portrush, Dunluce Castle ruins (the one-time seat of Clan McQuillan) and surfers’ favourite Whiterocks beach, all on the Causeway Coast Way. This month offers an opportunity to explore the area’s culinary appeal at A Giant Taste of the Causeway Coast and Glens – dozens of events showcase artisanal producers, chefs and gastronomic experiences. Three times a week until 24 October, the Giant Afternoon Tea takes place at the Elephant Rock Hotel in Portrush, and features locally made liqueurs and chocolates. On 10 and 24 October, the Causeway Speciality Market will be held in Coleraine Town Hall with dozens of independent traders. Culinary evenings on offer include a five-course supper club (16 October) in Bushmills at Tartine at The Distillers Arms, a restaurant that featured on the ITV series Dermot O’Leary’s Taste of Ireland, with dishes such as seafood chowder and aged beef. Before heading home, stop for a tasting at Old Bushmills Distillery, which was founded in 1784. The Bushmills Inn, in an ivy-covered, 17th-century building, has B&B doubles from £145, and some accessible rooms. Bushmills Townhouse offers suites with breakfast from £165. Both celebrate creative cooking using local produce. The hills around Ladybower reservoir in the Upper Derwent Valley (Photo: Paul Ellis/Getty) Derwent Valley & Derby, Derbyshire Known for its industrial heritage, Derby, with its cobbled streets, Tudor buildings and elegant Cathedral Quarter, is still overlooked by tourists. It is a compact city with attractions including the multi-award-winning Museum of Making, a tribute to the area’s history of industrial innovation. The museum is at the southern tip of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site, which starts in the village of Matlock Bath, an area recognised as the birthplace of the factory system. Former factories add character to the landscape, which bursts into colour in autumn as leaves change, adding splendour to walks such as the High Peak Trail, which follows 17 miles of the former railway from Dowlow, near Buxton, to Cromford. Follow a hike with a long pub lunch. Try The Fishpond in Matlock Bath for hamburgers and sourdough pizza or ploughman’s at The Chequers Inn, a 16th-century building at Froggatt Edge. Or take a scenic drive to the Ladybower Reservoir for views into the heart of the Peak District. Derby can serve as an affordable base, with its own, diverse food scene. Bustler Market, for example, features independent food outlets, while the restored Derby Market Hall combines food stalls, street food and bars. Camra’s Derby Heritage Beer Festival (14-17 October) celebrates Derby’s epithet as the “real ale capital of England”. Otherwise, at the award-winning Exeter Arms, try locally brewed Dancing Duck with a chip butty. Leonardo Hotel Deryby, in the Cathedral Quarter, has stylish B&B doubles from £154, accessible rooms available. The Three Horseshoes in Warham, Norfolk (Photo: Patricia Tobin) Coastal villages, North Norfolk The 42-mile coastline of North Norfolk, stretching from Holkham to Horsey, is rich in produce. Cromer crab, Brancaster mussels and oysters and cheeses from local dairies are among the regional treats. Taste them on menus in the area’s many gastropubs and hotels, such as Titchwell Manor. This autumn, its diners can put their detective skills to the test at a Murder Mystery Supper (5 November), or follow lunch with a 20-minute walk to RSPB Titchwell Marsh to spot wading birds. Half an hour’s drive east, in the village of Warham, The Three Horseshoes has recently reopened under local restauranteurs and sisters Siobhan and Caitriona Peyton, who are also behind two Michelin guide-listed Norfolk dining pubs: Sculthorpe Mill near Fakenham and The Ship in Brancaster. The Three Horseshoes’ menu, overseen by executive chef Elliot Ketley (who helped Sculthorpe Mill earn its Michelin Bib Gourmand) features Norfolk produce and dishes such as Wells lobster and crayfish cocktail. Pick up treats to take home at one of the many local markets, such as the weekly, Wednesday event at Docking Village Hall; Holt Market on the first Sunday of each month (with more than 30 food and drink traders); and Cromer market on the first and third Friday of the month. Or buy seafood to go at The Crab Hut (try the crab baguette) or The Fish Shed in the sailing hub of Brancaster Staithe. Titchwell Manor has B&B doubles from £127 a night, with two accessible rooms on the ground floor. Tynemouth priory and castle from north pier (Photo: Daverhead/Getty) Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear Less than 30 minutes from Newcastle on the Tyne and Wear Metro’s Yellow Line, Tynemouth combines a mile-long golden beach and ruin-studded headland with a lively food scene. The weekend market in the Victorian metro station is a great place for street food on arrival. Then head to Front Street, lined with boutiques, cafés and food shops, such as Allard’s Lounge for tapas, Laneway and Co for coffee and Gareth James Chocolatier for sea-salted caramel truffles. There are dozens of tempting places to eat here and in the adjoining Whitley Bay. Notably, Omni Café, which gives regional ingredients a Vietnamese makeover and is famed for its 12-hour beef shin and peanut curry. For a local feel, the 400-year-old Low Lights Tavern, has live music (Sam Fender was discovered here) and homemade pies. Fish and chips shops are ubiquitous, but prize-winning Longsands Fish Kitchen stands out. The Tynemouth Castle Inn on the seafront offers B&B from £85, accessible rooms available. Delicious food at The Pig (Photo: John Carey/The Pig) Brockenhurst, Hampshire Surrounded by the wild beauty of the New Forest, Brockenhurst has a red-brick high street with plenty of shops, tearooms, pubs and restaurants, plus free-roaming ponies. It also has a train station, for car-free access. Although mushroom foraging is not permitted in the New Forest, during the autumn mushroom season, guided walks are provided by organisations such as Wild Mushroom Walks, which operate sensitively on private properties. To indulge in mushrooms, head to the original The Pig hotel (of which there are now nine), for a rustic-chic feel and the 0-mile mushroom risotto, alongside other local specialities on its 25-mile menu (on which at least 80 per cent of the food and drink is sourced, grown and foraged within a 25-mile radius). The area is also studded with gastropubs: The Huntsman has imaginative pizzas, including wild mushrooms and truffle and ox cheek, while The New Forest Inn is good for Sunday lunch. To burn off the excesses, walk or cycle the South Taste Trail along a disused railway embankment that cuts through autumnal woodland between Brockenhurst and Burley. Alternatively, enjoy afternoon tea, with buttery, fluffy scones, at Esme’s Tea Rooms, located in the charming Thatched Cottage Hotel. Balmer Lawn Hotel & Spa has B&B doubles from £106, accessible rooms available. It has two AA Rosettes for culinary excellence.