Bath is renowned for its stunning architecture and rich history, but did you know that the city and its surrounding area also boast a thriving food and drink scene? Let us take you for a tour through the veritable feast of mouth-watering local staples you could savour on your visit…
Amuse Bouche: snack on local cheeses
What better way to start your exploration of Bath’s fabulous food and drink scene than by inserting yourself into the city’s love affair with cheese?! Your first port of call should be The Fine Cheese Co., founded in Bath in 1990, and stocked with an extensive selection of cheeses, including everything from classic Cheddars (a cheese which originated in the caves of the nearby Somerset village of the same name), to the multiple award-winning Wyfe of Bath, created by the team at Bath Soft Cheese in 2000.
Image: The Fine Cheese Co.
If Bath Soft Cheese’s products pique your interest, you can visit their headquarters on Park Farm in the nearby village of Kelston, just 30 minutes from the city centre on the 19 bus route. Browse the full range in the on-site shop, savour dishes that put the cheese centre-stage in the café, and make a day of it by following one of the many walking routes across the surrounding countryside.
If you want to pair cheese with some local cider, join a guided tour of four local producers with The Somerset Cider and Cheese Experience, where you will visit three local cidermakers as well as a cheesemaker, before enjoying a delicious lunch.
Image - The Somerset Cider and Cheese Experience
Main Course: a stunning selection of Bath delicacies and locally-sourced dishes
This guide wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the city’s most famous delicacy: the Sally Lunn bun. Invented by the titular French refugee who arrived in Bath during the late 17th century, the highly unique bun is part-brioche, part-cake, and can be devoured warm with a wide range of toppings, from smoked salmon to Welsh rarebit, at Sally Lunn’s Historic Eating House in the heart of the city centre. Which one will you go for?
Image: Sally Lunn's
Alternatively, treat yourself to a meal at one of the many restaurants in and around Bath serving dishes crafted using the finest locally-sourced ingredients. Just a 30-minute drive from the city centre at The PIG-near Bath, everything on the menu features produce from suppliers within a 25 mile radius only, including the venue’s own kitchen garden.
Image: The PIG-near Bath
Back in the city centre at the Michelin Guide-featured Emberwood restaurant, you can tuck into meats from Wiltshire-based butcher Walter Rose & Son cooked to perfection over a dramatic open hearth. Or, if you’d prefer to feast on the region’s bountiful plant-based produce, you’ll be well catered for at OAK Restaurant on North Parade Passage. While the menu is ever-changing, the fresh herbs and vegetables from community gardens and regenerative farms across Somerset are always the star of the show!
Image: OAK Restaurant
The nearby Root restaurant in Shires Yard uses produce from many of the same local community farms as OAK in its own vegetable-centred menu, as well as ewe cheeses from Homewood, based a 50-minute drive west of Bath in the heart of the Chew Valley.
On the opposite side of Bath is another Homewood; a luxurious country house hotel, spa, and restaurant sitting on the border of Somerset and Wiltshire. Based just 20 minutes from Bath city centre by car, the venue proudly grows its own vegetables in its no-dig kitchen garden, which you can sample in the on-site Olio Restaurant’s selection of hearty salads.
Dessert: indulgences to suit every appetite
For the ultimate sweet treat in Bath, make for Kingsmead Square, where you’ll find the delights of Swoon.
Image: Swoon Gelato
Derived by gelato maestro Stefano Tarquino and crafted using milk and cream from Somerset’s Bruton Dairy, Swoon’s incomparable gelato has become a firm favourite among locals and visitors alike over the last decade. You’re sure to spot plenty of people lounging with a couple of scoops across the city during the sunnier months! Join them with your own choice of flavours, from bestsellers such as the vegan raspberry, mango and dark chocolate sorbettos, to seasonal guest flavours.
Did we mention that Sally Lunn buns can be enjoyed with sweet toppings too? Keep things simple with a half bun lathered with a spread of your choice, from jams to cinnamon butter, or take it one step further with one of their spectacular cream teas.
If you’ve got an especially sweet tooth, pay a visit to Bath’s multitude of local confectioners. Chocolate lovers will be in heaven at Mrs Potts Chocolate House on York Street, but if you’re more partial to fudge, the San Francisco Fudge Factory is based directly opposite.
Be sure to try some of the fabulous homemade cakes at some of Bath’s beloved cafes, such as Sweet Little Things, Good Day Café, Rosario’s, and Café Lucca, among many others.
To Drink: tremendous tipples, crafted in Somerset
In Bath, you’re never too far away from distinctive local tipples. If it’s beer that takes your fancy, a pint (or two!) of one of local brewery Electric Bear’s creations is a must; head to their taproom on the western suburbs of the city in Newbridge, or their recently opened bar, The Cub, based within Shires Yard.
Image: Electric Bear Brewing
Take your pick from a range of beers brewed freshly on-site at the locally loved Bath Brew House, just west of the city centre. The bar can pull you a pint of everything from cask beers such as the ‘Gladiator’ bitter and ‘Hercules’ IPA, to keg beers including the ‘Lansdown Lager’ and ‘Bath Black’ stout, among many others. You can learn more about the brewery’s process by booking on to one of their tours, which run every Sunday-Friday.
Image: Bath Brew House
It wouldn’t be the West Country without cider, and as you’d expect, there’s plenty in and around Bath. The Bath Brew House’s sister pub, The Bath Cider House, takes over 160 varieties of apples from nearby Somerset orchards and ferments them into its own range of authentic craft ciders. Regardless of which you choose, be sure to pair it with one of the pub’s signature 14 inch pizzas.
You can get hands-on with even more local ciders at Alcoholery, nestled between the Somerset villages of Timsbury and Farmborough to the west of Bath. Their tasting experience costs just £14.50, and includes six of their hand-crafted ciders to try, with the option to go one step further and try fashioning your own on one of the venue’s cider-making experiences. As its name suggests, there’s much more to Alcoholery than cider; the business also distils a range of gins and spirits, including wine-based spirits, which you can sample in a separate tasting experience.
Image: Alcoholery
Wine has held a special place in Bath life for millennia. Discover why at the Corston Vineyards Estate, just a 20-minute drive outside the city centre, where local producer Minerva Wine has revived Roman viticulture practices on the very same land that the area’s earliest residents used for cultivating grapevines over 1,500 years ago. Join one of their guided tours for a detailed foray into the site from past to present, followed by a tasting of the vineyard’s exceptional wines.
Image: Minerva Wine
For more local wines, hop aboard a train at Bath Spa station to the lively nearby town of Frome. Once there, you’ll find urban winery Saddle Goose just steps away from the railway station, which specialises in producing sustainable, low-intervention wine. Owner Adam has a wealth of experience, having previously made wine across New Zealand, Chile, France and Portugal, so is the perfect host for the winery’s regular wine-tasting sessions. Or, simply stop by the shop to pick up a bottle (or three) of Saddle Goose goodness!
Image: Saddle Goose
Where to stay
If you’re looking to base yourself in the city centre, there are plenty of suitably foodie hotels. We’d recommend taking a look at The Francis Hotel’s ‘Foodie Break’ offer (which includes a £150 credit for food in the aforementioned Emberwood restaurant), Hotel Indigo Bath (home to the Brasserie Beau restaurant), and The Bird (home to The Bird Grill). If you’re feeling particularly indulgent, book the ‘Gourmet Getaway’ package at the boutique Queensberry Hotel, and be treated to a five-course tasting menu in the hotel’s Michelin-starred Olive Tree restaurant alongside your stay.
Image: Emberwood
Prefer leafier surroundings? Escape to one of the many spectacular retreats scattered across the beautiful countryside surrounding Bath. You may want to stick close to the delights of the restaurants at The PIG-near Bath and Homewood with a stay in one of their show-stopping rooms, or experience the opulence of Lucknam Park and its own Michelin-starred Restaurant Hywel Jones.
Image: Lucknam Park
Don’t miss The Newt, set on a verdant 2,000 acre estate in south Somerset, where you’ll want for nothing. As well as breathtaking rooms and facilities, the award-winning five star hotel is also renowned for its farm-to-fork ethos when it comes to food and drink. There are two magnificent restaurants to dine at during your stay; The Botanical Rooms, focused on fine dining, and the Garden Café, focused on vegetable-centric dishes. Both utilise produce grown or reared on the estate, and have previously been strongly recommended by none other than Michel Roux Jr!
Image: The Newt in Somerset
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