East Midlands Tourism

Local Food

As well as having a fantastic range of traditional and international restaurants, the East Midlands is home to many delicious and interesting foods for you to discover!

Many of the products that are unique to the region originate from historic recipes that have been practised and perfected for centuries, making the East Midlands the only place to try them. Food festivals are held throughout the year to celebrate the specialities of the regions for example the Chatsworth Food and Drink Festival taking place on the 3rd and 4th of July 2010.

Below you will find a list of food and drink which are unique to the East Midlands.

Delicious East Midlands Treats

	Hunt Cake Melton Hunt Cake is a rich, moist fruit cake first created by Joseph Morris in 1854 for members of the local hunt. The cake is still made using the original recipe and method, combining the finest ingredients; sultanas, currants, muscovado sugar, butter, fresh eggs, cherries and almonds all enhanced with Caribbean Rum
	Lincolnshire Sausages Still fighting the battle for protected status, Lincolnshire sausages are world-renowned, quality pork is mixed with a subtle blend of herbs making it unlike any other sausage. Available all over the UK, but best eaten in the county they are made! Visit the annual Lincoln Sausage Festival held in Lincoln's Castle and taste these regional beauties at their best.
	Belvoir Cordials Made by infusing, pressing and cooking of fresh flowers, fruits and spices which are then blended with the clear water from the Vale of Belvoir Springs. Made in the beautiful Vale of Belvoir with 100% natural ingredients.
	Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Made with quality local pork and a secret blend of seasoning, this Melton Mowbray Pork Pie has protected European status. This means they can only be made in the traditional way in and around the town of Melton Mowbray , Leicestershire, guaranteeing their quality.
	Bakewell Pudding In 1860 this East Midlands speciality was made accidentally – what a happy accident! Named after Bakewell the picturesque town where it was created and still made to the traditional recipe, this is definitely something you should try when you are in the East Midlands .
	Grainstore Brewery Enjoy a chat over a pint of traditional beer! Based in Rutland , this breweries specialities include Red Star (a dark red, nutty bitter), Rutland Beast (dark brown with a strong, balanced flavour) and Silly Billy (a light, floral flavour and aroma)
	Plum Bread first made in Lincolnshire in 1901, this delicious bread is made with the best ingredients, and thanks to the generous amount of sultanas in each loaf has a moist fruity texture.

Cheese Is Our Speciality

Many excellent local cheeses are made in the East Midlands, here are just a few for you to sample on your visit.


	Stilton Known as the ‘King of cheeses’, Stilton can only legally be made in six registered dairies in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire in the UK. The creamy, tangy blue cheese is a real speciality and has been made since the 1700’s.
	Stichelton A classic blue cheese from unpasteurised milk at a new dairy built on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire. It has a gentle full flavour and a succulent buttery texture.
	Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Made in a traditional way with the farm’s own milk and matured for four and a half months
	Lincolnshire Poacher This hand-made, award-winning cheese is made by one dairy in Lincolnshire . It has a distinctive fruity, nutty taste with a clean sweet finish. They guarantee their cows are happy, and say that’s one of the reasons Lincolnshire Poacher tastes so good!

Celebrating The Regions Specialities

To visit one of the regions food festivals please click Here to visit our events page and find out more.