Popular National Food Holidays in the UK
Popular National Food Celebration Days in the UK
A Celebration of UK food
These days, it can seem as though we have a day for everything, but when it comes to UK national food days, we have much to celebrate. Across the UK, we have a fantastic food industry, with our farmers, food retailers, and hospitality providers all contributing. Delicious produce, expert cooking, and the finest restaurants are definitely worth celebrating.
So whether you prefer British Pie Week, British Beef Week or British Yorkshire Pudding Day, we list of food days that are some of the most popular UK national holidays. You can join in with them all or take your pick. Whichever you choose, take some of these opportunities to celebrate the best British food offers with your customers and staff.
We can’t mention every food holiday, as we would be writing forever, but we did not want to miss these fantastic UK food days either:
- Pancake Day – First Tuesday in March.
- National Picnic Week – Third week of June
- World Chocolate Day – 7th July
- National Cream Tea Day – 28th June
- National Fudge Day – 16th June
UK National Food Days
Yorkshire Pudding Day – First Sunday in February
Using batter to make cakes provides delicious enough results, but when the first recipes for batter cooked in tasty meat fat entered the recipe books, the Yorkshire Pudding took the Sunday roast by storm. There are some who say you can’t make a good Yorkshire Pudding unless you have lived in Yorkshire; we won’t comment on that, but on Yorkshire Pudding Day, you might like to try yours the traditional way, with gravy before your meat and two vegetables.
National Pizza Day – 9th February 2019
With so many pizza topping options, it is little wonder that we can’t agree on our favourite. However, most of us like to pile our pizzas high with as much stringy cheese as possible. According to a Voucher Codes study, we are all likely to eat 731 pizzas in our lifetimes. In preparation for National Pizza Day, watch out for great opportunities to draw in the crowds with offers and speciality pizza toppings.
National Tea Day – 21st April
We know it’s not quite food, but we couldn’t have a UK food calendar celebration without talking about National Tea Day! The campaign ‘Brew more, Do more’ gives you a chance to celebrate the quintessentially British cuppa or wet your tastebuds with something more exotic. This year, National Tea Day culminated with a celebration at London’s Tobacco Dock for FesTEAval, and it even had an iconic 10-penny piece made to honour the day!
National Food Calendar Holidays
Real Bread Week – 23rd February-3rd March 2020
Traditional bread requires only four ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast. This can be brought down to three if you replace the yeast with a sourdough live culture. All of this makes the overwhelming list of additives in regular supermarket-bought loaves a bit of a mystery. If you don’t fancy a daily dose of potassium bromate, monoglycerides or even plain old sugar in your slice of toast, consider giving the Real Bread Campaign’s Real Bread Week some support.
British Pie Week – 4th March -10th March 2019
We‘re hoping you won’t be overeating bread during Real Bread Week because hot on its heels comes British Pie Week with all those tasty fillings and crusty pastry tops. We are an inventive nation, and pies come in all shapes and sizes, with chefs all over the UK developing their signature fillings. Please distinguish a pie from a Cornish pasty; that can lead to messiness, and pasties have their very own celebration just a week earlier.
Great British Beef Week – 1st April-7th April 2019
Cows and humans share 80% of their genes, but don’t let that put you off; join our farming communities in celebrating Great British Beef Week. Started by Ladies In Beef, this multicultural celebration of assured British beef not only promotes this favourite of meat products but also helps to ensure quality standards and contribute to the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute.
National Barbecue Week
May 27th – June 2nd 2019
Despite the vagaries of the British weather, we enjoy eating outside as a nation and are all getting a lot better at barbecues. Gone are the days of blackened meat and uncooked sausages; today’s barbecue chefs are adventurous and eager to use a wide range of delicious and unusual dishes. Even if the weather is miserable, it? ‘s hard to think of a better way to celebrate National Barbecue Week.
British Tomato Fortnight
20th May – 2nd June 2019
The brainchild of the Tomato Growers? Association, British Tomato Fortnight celebrates the most popular salad ingredient: the tomato. Top tips for tomato flavour include growing your own, buying them on the vine, and leaving them out of the fridge. Whether your favourite tomatoes are juicy cherry or tasty beefsteak, this must be one of the most versatile fresh, British-grown ingredients.
Food Celebrations – UK Sausage Week
28th October- 3rd November 2019
Pork, beef, turkey, or even vegetarian, there’s a great British sausage out there for everyone, and few of us don’t enjoy a good old plate of bangers and mash. During UK Sausage Week, Meat Management magazine will keep your sausage taste buds alive with recipes and competitions, and marketing material will be available to businesses wishing to promote this teatime favourite.
National Curry Week
7th October-13th October 2019
Whether you’re a Friday night takeaway or gourmet curry diner addict, the curry and its related cuisine have become a national passion. Started in 1998, National Curry Week has seen the world record for poppadum stacking broken, a double-decker bus tour giving out free curries, and a model wearing the world’s first poppadum dress.
National Food Holidays – British Game Week
November 25th to December 1st 2019
More and more people are enjoying the flavour and experience of eating British games each year. Wild game is high in protein and very tasty. It can be cooked in a variety of ways and is becoming more popular on restaurant menus. British Game Week encourages more people to include a game in their diet and try it as a dining-out option.
The great news is that the UK continues to be a nation of food lovers who welcome opportunities to participate in industry celebrations of produce and recipes. Within the hospitality industry, food-related appreciation days represent significant marketing potential and the opportunity for creativity and engagement with the public.
Celebrate National Butchers Week With IMS of Smithfield
Whether you are looking to support your local butcher during National Butchers Week (it’s the 4th-10th March, by the way) or you need the assistance of a master wholesale butcher, IMS of Smithfield is here to support you. From chicken thighs to game meat and halal options, we have a variety of locally sourced meat products for you and your catering needs.
At IMS of Smithfield, we combine traditional skills with an innovative approach to wholesale meat supply and offer competitive pricing on a range of halal meats and poultry. For more information, please call 0207833080 and speak to the team today.