Wherever you choose to spend your holidays in the UK, whether it’s on the Norfolk Broads, or the Yorkshire coast, some of the great joys are the food treats that are such a special part of the great British seaside holiday.
The great variety of food across the regions of the UK widens and improves all the time. But the favourites do tend to stay as the favourites. Many of those seaside food traditions hail from as far back as the Victoria era, where holidaymakers enjoyed candy floss, ice cream, sticks of rock and fish and chips at our favourite seaside resorts.
Take a tour through the history, facts and findings of our favourite foodie treats and some of the UK’s regional feasts.
99 Ice Cream
Su-lin | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Our favourite UK seaside treats
The iconic 99 ice cream
You will find more sophisticated treats than a 99. You will find more sophisticated ice creams than a 99. But there’s only one 99. And there are rules for this classic seaside treat.
A 99 has to be served in a cone. It has to be made from soft serve ice cream. And it absolutely has to have a Flake in it.
The idea of having a chocolate flake in an ice cream had been around since just after the First World War. It was so popular that in the 1930s a famous chocolate maker (ok - it was Cadbury’s) introduced their ‘‘Small Flake for ice creams’.
By the late 20th century it was thought by some that the name ’99’ came from the ice cream being priced at 99p. This was rapidly disputed and disproved. The name comes from the Flake bar itself. When Cadbury’s introduced their ‘small Flake for ice creams’ they called it the 99 Flake because the ice cream trade was dominated by Italians and in Italy ’99’ meant elite, from when the king’s elite guard consisted of 99 men.
Look back through holiday snaps and newsreel shots of UK seaside holidaymakers through the decades and it’s always there - the 99.
Bring on the Doughnuts!
Fried dough treats can be found across cultures throughout history, from French or Creole beignet, the Dutch oliebollen, the Spanish and Portuguese churro, the Chinese youtiao, the Nigerian puffpuff, the Turkish lokma…the list goes on!
Nowadays in the west, we might all think of the American style doughnut; a classic Simpsons sprinkle doughnut, big brands like Krispy Kreme, designer and bespoke doughnuts. Bringing it back to England, let us not forget the supermarket jam or custard doughnut.
But on a UK seaside holiday, a doughnut is defined by it being super simple. It has to be a ring of deep fried batter, rolled in sugar (and sometimes cinnamon) and served in that most magical of packaging - a paper bag.
Regionally speaking, some of the best seaside doughnuts can be found in Tingdene territory - on Great Yarmouth seafront. With a holiday home at Tingdene Caldecott Hall Country, Norfolk you can chill in acres of secluded woodland, explore the fabulous golfing facilities - and still be close enough to Great Yarmouth and the seafront to sample a doughnut.
Hot Dogs
When Love Food carried out their 2024 survey that ranked the greatest hand-held foods in the world, the Hot Dog was comfortably on the top ten at number 6.
Often associated with the USA, it’s possible that the Hot Dog dates back to 13th century Europe. It was certainly 19th-century German immigrants who took the Hot Dog to America. The classic Frankfurter in a soft white roll - plus ketchup and mustard - has been a favourite ever since. Now it’s adopted and adapted across the world, and it’s a UK seaside favourite. Possibly because they’re just so easy to eat when you’re out, about and on the beach. And maybe because the UK prides itself on its fantastic butchers sausages, which you can often find on the menu across seaside resorts among the traditional frankfurters and saveloys.
They work inside your holiday home too. Armed with pretty simple ingredients, you can make your own Hot Dogs. Sweat some onions, smother on the sauce and you have the absolutely ideal, suits all ages, fun feast.
Docwras Rock Shop in Great Yarmouth
Anne | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Nothing says UK seaside holiday more than a stick of rock
It’s not something you’re going to eat every day. But as a statement of holiday fun, the stick of rock is seaside royalty. Brightly coloured, super sugary and incredibly crunchy, it’s a UK seaside holiday wrapped in a twist of cellophane. And, even in the digital age of high tech communication, a word written through a sweet remains magical.
In fact, the letters are created with a small palette knife. The skill, or craft, of rock making can take years to master. It involves cutting letters, assembling them in the correct order before merging them with the other ingredients and rolling out the giant sticks before they’re cut into the familiar size. Rock originated from rock candy, a term first appearing in print as far back as 1652, with the lettered version coming to prominence starting as a sweet treat in fairgrounds and was originally known as Fair Rock.
When Ben Bullock, an ex-Yorkshire miner, started making the sweet in the 1880s, it was Blackpool that he sold it into first. By the 1950s, it had migrated into the increasingly popular post-war UK seaside holiday resorts.
Nowadays, it’s equally associated with Great Yarmouth and the legendary manufacturer Docwras Rock Factory & Shop. Some fabulous Holiday Lodges & Cottages for Sale Norfolk Broads can be found just 30 minutes drive away from this iconic seaside resort.
East Yorkshire and Bridlington is forever associated with rock, where you can find John Bull’s World of Rock Factory Tour. Enjoy a hands-on rock and chocolate factory tour and learn the secret of how they put the letters inside a stick of rock, close to Tingdene South Shore.
In Lincolnshire, the Skegness Rock Shop is a must for not only rock, but donuts, ice cream, and plenty of other favourite seaside treats. Plus, there are outstanding chalets & caravans for sale at Mablethorpe Chalet & Caravan Park just a short drive away. Seaside holidays and Seaside Rock - they just go together.
Every seaside holiday is rock ’n’ roll with Candy Floss
If you’re old enough, candy floss is a wonderful whisp of retro. If you’re very young, welcome to the taste, touch and sugar high that is Candy Floss. It’s pretty, and pretty sweet, and yet for all it’s fluffiness it still says dreamboats, petticoats, juke box and cool. And it’s still, and always will be a holiday favourite.
There’s an undeniable irony in the fact that cotton candy was partially invented by a dentist! William Morrison and confectioner John C. Wharton were working together in the USA, in 1897, on a machine that would spin sugar into a cotton-like consistency, reminiscent of other spun sugar treats from around the world. In 1904 they gave the product the name ‘Fairy Floss’ and presented their invention at the St Louis World’s Fair.
As the idea spread, different countries gave the sweet different names and in the UK it was soon known as Candy Floss. It rapidly became a favourite at UK fairgrounds, and amusement parks. And amusement parks are often at the seaside. You can see how the confection has become a seaside favourite,
Of course, there’s Seafood; Crabs and Cockles, Whelks and Winkles
All around the UK, traditional seafood is enjoying something of a boost to its long-standing reputation. Back in 2020, Waitrose showed a tripling of seafood sales, noticing how customers were overcoming some long-held nervousness over, for example, eating oysters,
At the seaside the seafood is, of course, fresh - and research polls always show that cockles and whelks are still a favourite. You can still buy a pint of cockles from a stand. Did you know they were sold that way because the fishermen selling them, often outside pubs and inns, didn’t have scales to measure them?
As for Potted Shrimps, their history appears to start with the Tudors. Morecambe Bay was the place where, they say, the best were caught. Monarchs have loved potted shrimp from as far back as the Tudor period.
Later, when the railways arrived, it became possible to ferry the Potted Shrimps to fashionable London restaurants. That’s how writer Ian Fleming was able to enjoy them in his favourite Mount Street haunts. He loved them so much that he gave the enthusiasm for Potted Shrimp to his most famous hero, James Bond.
Much of the magic of fresh crab is in the crab pots and boats that are a feature of our beaches. But after the fishermen have done their bit, the pleasure is all yours.
You have to be mindful of eating crabs fresh and you need to remove the ‘dead mens’ fingers’, the feathery gills of the crab which, whilst not poisonous, do not taste great. Crab, alongside most seafood, can be an acquired taste. But try it boiled and served with mayonnaise, maybe, or with a seafood pasta. Maybe brown bread and butter. Why not settle down for a night in your seaside holiday home with some fresh crab caught nearby.
With a holiday home in Norfolk, you’ll be near within an hour’s drive of Cromer, and you cannot be near Cromer and not try Cromer Crab. It’s the law.
Yorkshire is well known for fresh crabs too. And still on the subject of seafood, do remember that Bridlington is The Lobster Capital of Europe, close to a great holiday home location at Tingdene South Shore.
So why not make a super seafood supper in your holiday home. Cockles are great when they are tossed into salads, or put into chowder. Serve stir fried whelks on a bed of noodles. Head to the seaside to find some locally sourced crab. It’s what seaside holiday home nights in are all about.
Fish and Chips
Our favourite holiday food treat is obviously fish and chips. The smell of salt and vinegar on fish and chips, mixed into the seaside air, is about as special a sensation as you’ll ever discover. There’s no better place to savour fish and chips than on a UK seaside holiday.
Whitby claims to have some of the finest Fish and Chips. But then so does Southwold. You get the idea - Fish and Chips are essential to your seaside holiday, wherever you are on the UK coastline. It’s fair to say that Fish and Chips is a national favourite and transcends regional boundaries. Although there are firm views. The Norfolk versus Yorkshire Fish and Chip debate? Don’t go there!
Places you can go for the best Fish and Chips are, however, not difficult to find, across Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Suffolk and Norfolk.
Traditional and regional foods in our holiday home locations
Best Seaside Food in Norfolk, Suffolk, Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
One of the many joys of having your own UK holiday home is getting to know the area around it.
And that certainly includes getting to know the regional food. The fact is that regional foods are now more diverse and richer in choice than ever, so there’s probably never been a better time to discover superb local produce.
Artisan bakers, butchers and grocers are preserving the best UK traditions, and exploring new ideas. There’s never been a better time to make regional food a real part of your UK holiday home experience. You can buy local and eat well, enjoying great food that’s lovingly prepared, making your holidays all the more special.
Eat out at a variety of restaurants from Lincolnshire to Norfolk and Suffolk. A fantastic restaurant just a stone’s throw from your holiday home? Doesn’t that sound superb?
Norfolk Nosh: The Best Local Eats by the Sea
With your own holiday home in Norfolk, you’re in unspoiled landscapes but you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to food.
Norfolk is proud of its sausages for a start. The meat is some of the best in the world from a spectrum of free-range pig farms. And of course there are the aforementioned Cromer Crab.
Delia loves them and Stephen Fry loves them. They’re sweet and they have more white meat than dark meat. They’re very special. There’s also samphire, and cheeses, fish and mussels from Brancaster.
Norfolk is like a giant larder, so always look out for the plethora of farm shops; try Wheatacre Hall Farm Barns close to Waveney River Centre, or Tacon’s Farm Shop just a short drive from Caldecott Hall Country Park. It’s a great way of buying very fresh and genuinely local food.
Check out Channel 4’s Best of Britain by the Sea Episode 3 to follow Ainsley Harriott and Grace Dent savour some of Norfolk’s finest foods for some inspiration.
Tingdene Waveney River Centre has its very own restaurant on-site to enjoy some of the finest local product and seasonal delights. Offering a delicious pub-grub style menu and a wide selection of drinks, The Waveney Inn & Hotel is the place to be on the Broads. The menu features everything you could wish for from a local pub, with standout dishes like their quintessentially English cooked breakfast and Sunday lunch, popular with berth holders, holidaymakers, and visitors alike.
Using local, fresh ingredients and offering an exciting assortment of local beers, a meal here is ideal for those wanting to savour the tastes of the east coast.
Head to Tingdene Caldecott Hall Country Park and try the fabulous Barn 1 Bar & Restaurant for a real treat overlooking a great golf course. Barn 1 is open daily, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, a popular Sunday Carvery, Afternoon Tea and even themed evenings.
Sumptuous Suffolk: Seaside Treats & Local Specialties
From Southwold to Aldeburgh, from Dunwich to Lowestoft there is so much fine food to choose from around Suffolk. The area is justly famous for a wide array of food - including pork, fish, shellfish, cheese, fruit and vegetables. Make an evening meal, pack a lunch or take a picnic. Fabulous food and freedom. It’s what having a holiday home is all about.
If your holiday home is in Suffolk you should try Coast Bar & Restaurant - a family run business located on the cliff tops at Waterside Park, overlooking Corton Beach. Perfect for a day out with the family in a relaxing environment, a children’s play area & arcade are also in proximity.
And there’s Moss & Co Broadlands at Broadlands Park & Marina, the perfect place to relax and enjoy yourself with family and friends, with views overlooking the Broads. From small plates and light lunch, to main meals and Sunday Carvery, this is a beautiful place to enjoy a meal.
Lincolnshire Larder: The Best Coastal Foods to Try
And just like Norfolk, Lincolnshire is famous for its sausages. It’s all about the sage. Coarsely chopped pork mixed with sage is what makes a Lincolnshire sausage different. You can find them everywhere, but when you’re in Lincolnshire itself, it’s a different feeling, look out for proper local ones from the likes of Grasmere Lincolnshire Sausages.
As a county, Lincolnshire has other regional specialties. Look out for Plumbread, a sort of cake and a sort of loaf, with currants, raisins and sultanas. Although oddly, it does not have plums in it. People often eat it with a chunk of Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese.
On the Lincolnshire Coast, Cedars Restaurant & Bar is a fun, family friendly venue on Tingdene’s Mablethorpe Chalet & Caravan Park. It’s perfect for the local residents on the park or visitors from Mablethorpe to head for a pint or two or a delicious meal.
Yummy Yorkshire: Classic Seaside Bites from God’s Own Country
At South Shore near Bridlington, you’re in the heart of the Yorkshire crab world and the “Lobster Capital of Europe". You’ll find cafes and restaurants that specialise in this local seafood. You’ll also find one of the best fish and chip shops in Britain! If you want to take some back to your holiday home, the great news is that it’s at its best when it’s cooked very simply. Local fishermen and fishmongers will be happy to give you advice and ideas.
This part of East Yorkshire is packed with specialist shops, food festivals, bakeries, butchers - they’re all providing the very best in locally produced food and drink.
North Yorkshire is no less blessed with fabulous food. From Saltburn to Scarborough, you’ll find food of all sorts. North Yorkshire is renowned for its Asparagus. It’s very seasonal of course, but with your own holiday home you can savour the location, and its foodstuffs, when it suits you. Head here for Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb smoked fish, Yorkshire curd tart - they’re all delights to dine on.
The best of classic British holiday foods
Our tour of the country and its delights is of course just a glimpse of what’s out there. But it’s all such a great part of the UK holiday home experience.
Buy local produce and make a meal of it - in your holiday home. It’s not about slaving away for hours in the kitchen (unless that’s what you like to do), it's about making the most of your time at your holiday home. Have a look for meal ideas and think about recipes from interesting sources. It’s not like you have to drag piles of cookery books around with you is it? Check out the websites and foodie blogs. These places have great ideas. Places like Good Housekeeping and BBC Good Food. There are loads of simple but really lovely recipes there and lots of tips and advice.
Remember - buying locally gets you involved in the area, it helps the local economy and it’s green. You’re buying food that’s not clocked up air miles. But then you won’t be clocking up air miles either will you? Because you’ll be in your own UK holiday home.
Fun and fine foods - your UK holiday home ticks a lot of boxes. Doesn’t it?