21 of the best food halls to visit in Britain

When it comes to artisanal food and drink, food halls are in a league of their own – alighting all the senses with a multitude of epicurean experiences. Here are just some of the best you can visit across Britain today.

Suffolk Food Hall, Wherstead, Ipswich, Suffolk

A fabulous family-owned foodie destination that’s just grown and grown and grown since opening nearly 18 years ago.

Not only is it a hit with local food lovers, but Suffolk Food Hall has become a tourist attraction in its own right, creating a buzz amongst hungry travellers, who visit in droves to discover all the edible delights the county has to offer, under one roof.

And to enjoy everything the site has to offer – from a spacious play area overlooking the river Orwell, complete with a bouncy trampoline and ice cream shack, to a café, restaurant, beautifully curated home store and garden centre.

The food hall itself takes visitors on a meandering journey of all things good to eat and drink. In the fresh department, seasonal fruit and veg play a starring role front and centre as customers enter – be that vivid spears of asparagus, earth-speckled new potatoes, or punnets of strawberries, their heady perfume of summer scenting the air.

This leads to aisles and shelves dazzling with local, regional and British ingredients and goodies, joined by buyers’ picks from around the world – interspersed by a bakery (watch the team in action) delivering warm bread, pastries and cakes throughout the day, a butchery (famous for its sausages and steaks), a fish counter,  and a deli laden with cheeses, house baked hams, pies and savouries.

Find everything you need and want ... and more.

William’s, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire

A must-visit for anyone who appreciates seafood. William’s has been indulging its customers in the finer things in life for five decades.

In the restaurant (and peaceful terraces) with dishes such as spicy crab soup with toasted sourdough, and pan-fried sea bass with confit shallots, pancetta and peas in a cream sauce with French fries.

And in the food hall proper where, alongside fabulous charcuterie, cheeses (including locally made Double and Single Gloucester), local produce and Italian, Spanish and French specialities, visitors will find a gleaming fish counter, bursting with the freshest specimens delivered from day boats in Scotland and the South-West.

There’s a huge amount of choice (with pre-ordering available), as William’s caters to shoppers looking for a few fillets to fry up for supper, as well as keen cooks wanting to up their ante in the kitchen with sashimi grade tuna fillets or Cornish lobster.

Seafood plays a part in the food hall’s popular prepared meal selection (from lamb tagine to miso marinated salmon) as well. Available ready in store, and by pre-ordering, a changing menu of the chefs’ own dishes, carefully decanted into sustainable packaging, is available. All customers need do is slide them onto a plate, simmer them on the stove or pop them in the oven, pouring a glass of wine while they wait for the magic to happen.

House of Bruar, nr Blair Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland

The distinguished department store is often considered the home of fine food in Scotland, helping visitors to uncover a true taste of the country.

That journey, for many, begins in the butchery department, where perfectly aged Aberdeen Angus beef sits side by side with Scottish venison, artisanal haggis, and specialities such as their own Lorne sausages (square and perfect for sandwiches), or Ramsay Fruit Pudding – a combination of warm spices and plump fruits that sizzles up beautifully with bacon and eggs.

On the deli counter are continental meats, British and European cheeses (with a generous nod to Scotland, including products from Highland Fine Cheeses, Connage Dairy and others), and savouries such as Murdoch Butchers’ Scotch Pies.

Elsewhere in the food hall, it’s easy to get lost amongst the bounty. Gift-wrapped boxes of nuts. A wide range of pastas and oils. Parcels of crumbly Edinburgh rock. Alex Dalgetty’s striking Black Buns. And a plethora of their own label products – raspberry vodka, sloe gin, Dundee cake and preserves.

Alexanders of Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland

There’s always a friendly welcome at this elegant gift and home store in genteel Markethill. Customers are drawn here to browse soft furnishings and homeware sourced from suppliers the world over. But they also love the food hall, which brings in crowds wanting to find a taste of Northern Ireland to take home – be that biscuits, preserves, chocolates, chutney, or one of the business’s wonderful specialist hampers.

The star attractions, however, are Alexanders’ takeaway dessert and cake boxes (the contents of which can be sampled in the on site coffee house). What a treat to be able to trundle home with a whole American style apple pie, strawberry and white chocolate cheese cake, or toffee and pecan roulade –all made in-house by the team.

Takeaway picnics, afternoon teas and ready meals are popular too.

Harvey Browns, Arreton, Isle of Wight

A sight to behold. Harvey Browns’ striking modern building is positioned on a fourth-generation family farm, known for cropping asparagus, strawberries, sweetcorn and more.

All feature within the enormous, capacious food hall, where there’s oodles of space to wheel around your trolley and get your fill of the Island’s feast of treasures.

As growers, the team give fresh produce lots of attention in the hall – the farm’s own fare positioned alongside fruit and vegetables from neighbouring farms.

Then there are aisles, fridges and freezers of everything else you could possibly need.

Plus, a massive deli counter brimming with charcuterie, cheeses, salads, quiches, Scotch eggs and their own fabulous pies (a favourite is the Picnic Pie with local sausagemeat, chorizo, roasted peppers and sundried tomatoes), bread from Lostmill Bakery, and a butchery, led by master butchers who carefully prepare locally-reared meat, with some cuts aged in the Himalayan salt cabinet.

Enjoy gazing over the Arreton Valley by stopping awhile for breakfast, lunch or cakes in the lakeside kitchen. Their signature dish is homegrown grilled asparagus with crispy egg, Hollandaise sauce, confit tomatoes and pesto.

Poplar Food Hall, Poplar Nurseries, Marks Tey, Essex

There was dismay in North Essex in 2017 when popular food hall, The Food Company, closed its doors. However, that dismay has been short-lived, with this nearby garden centre picking up the mantel for find food in the area.

Poplar Nurseries is so much more than a garden centre – it’s a local institution, with a restaurant (selling one of the biggest ranges of cakes anywhere in the county), indoor and outdoor plant areas, gifts and homeware, barbecues, furniture ... there’s even a miniature railway!

A farm shop/food shop has long been part of the offering, but the business ramped up its offering in 2021, moving its food department out of the main store and into its own building. 

A shrewd decision, and one that’s given foodies even more licence to make the trip to this corner of Essex near Colchester. 

Well curated and laid out, every little nook and cranny of the food hall is filled with deliciousness. Chillers of smoked meat and fish. Local seasonal produce. Breads. Oils. Chutneys. Weird and wonderful snacks. A superb array of quirky spirits you really won’t find easily elsewhere. An excellent deli counter of cheeses, ready meals, side dishes to heat at home and charcuterie. A freezer of their own prepared meals.

Standing head and shoulders above all of that, though, is the cake counter, which is truly something to behold, and has always been a crowd drawer for the food hall in all its guises. Along the length of the counter is a collection of drool-worthy bakes -  the stuff dreams are made of. We’re talking blousy meringues, cheesecakes crowned with whirls of cream, towering layered cakes, big hunky chunks of brownie and rocky road ... and savouries such as sausage rolls, quiches and samosas.

Resistance is futile.

Harrods Food Halls, London

Get your glam on in what’s been a source of fine food inspiration for generations. It just feels special shopping here, in a setting where chandeliers marry with touches of marble, gorgeous tiling, ornate ceilings and bespoke display cabinets.

Harrods is relied upon by gourmands for delivering the perfect balance of tradition and modernity. Customers want to experience the latest trends, but also to relish in heritage, classic, nostalgic foods, made with the finest ingredients.

At the beating heart of the food halls is the Fresh Market Hall, where shoppers can stock up on pies, fishcakes, salmon en croute, salads, rare, exotic and heritage fruit and vegetables, live shellfish, colourful eggs, cheeses and, of course, caviar.

That’s not to mention Harrods’ famous rotisserie, where slow-grown, 24-hour marinated chickens are cooked to perfection. Or the fact the deli area has its own ‘master carver’ to slice slivers of Iberico ham to your liking.

The Chocolate Hall features some of the best confectionery money can buy – be that Turkish delight, fudge churned in copper pans, covered fruit and nuts, more than two dozen varieties of filled chocolate bars, or the chefs’ own bon bons and chocolate slabs.

Move on next to the Roastery and Bake Hall, sampling the house coffee blend at the coffee bar, picking up some outstanding patisserie for pudding, and listening out for the bell, which rings on the half hour to announce that the latest batch of pastries and breads have just been pulled from the oven.

Finish your trip here in the Art Deco Wines and Spirits Hall. Did you know Harrods has its own label wines and unique blends of whisky? 

Fodder – Great Yorkshire Food Hall, Harrogate, Yorkshire

Found at the home of the Great Yorkshire Show, this food hall (renamed recently) is unique, as it’s run by Yorkshire Agricultural Society, with all profits going to charity, supporting the local farming and countryside communities.

If you want to get a real sense of what Yorkshire’s broad food and drink scene has to offer (and it is broad, this is one of the biggest counties in Britain), then this is the place to go. Every fridge, shelf, freezer and counter is a celebration of this corner of the UK, and there’s a tangible sense of pride in this you can almost feel as you walk around. Even the walls are dedicated to Yorkshire makers, boasting artwork of suppliers Fodder has worked with for years.

What will you find here? The answer is everything. Brilliant Yorkshire charcuterie. Meat sourced 100% from Yorkshire on the butchery counter. Local cheeses. Homemade pies, salads, soups and sausage rolls. Yorkshire made biscuits, chocolates, honey, beers and spirits. A display of cinnamon whirls and croissants made nearby by Underground Bakery. Yorvale ice cream, made using the farm’s own milk from their small herd of Friesian cows.

And you can really hammer the Yorkshire food message home by staying for a bite and a cuppa in the café.

Jarrolds Food Hall, Norwich, Norfolk

Outside of London, this could win the award for most beautiful food hall in Britain. There’s not one part of the space (in the basement of the city’s coveted independent department store) that hasn’t been carefully considered.

It’s a place for foodies to utterly lose themselves. In the wine bar, book shop, or the sea of kitchenalia and cooking gadgets.

Central to the stylish food hall is its deli counter, where the county’s cheeses (Norfolk Dapple, Binham Blue et al) are given a good showing alongside cured meats, salads, olives, picky bits, and ideal picnic fodder from star chef Richard Bainbridge.

The deli even has its own dedicated cheese room!

Mingle amongst the displays of ambient products, combining the best of Norfolk, Britain and Europe. Colourful pastas. Snacks, crisps and nuts worthy of being decanted into your prettiest bowls. A plethora of chutneys, jams and pickles. A huge array of confectionery and chocolate for on-the-go nibbling and gifting. Loads of local beers, wines and spirits (including Bullards Gin on refill). And lots of Jarrolds’ own-branded goods, made in partnership with some of the buying team’s favourite producers.

Macknade, Faversham, Kent

Community is everything to the owners of this food hall, whose roots in growing and markets mean they truly understand what it is to be a producer, and what really great food looks like. The team go above and beyond to source ingredients and products from sustainable, ethical suppliers who care about what they’ve grown or made – bringing the very best to the plate for their customers.

Fresh vegetables and fruit are given the love and attention they deserve.

The deli offers a collection of exceptionally well looked after cured meats, salamis, and cheeses. 

There’s a bakery, a fishmonger on Saturdays, and a certified Pasture For Life butchery, championing grass-fed, grazed animals.

And the newest addition is the wines and spirits store, where the team love showcasing the wide range of Kentish producers, alongside bottles from New and Old World makers.

If you’re peckish, you simply have to try the a signature Macknade Rarebit in the cafe – layering chunky bread with Wookey Hole Cheddar, Smoked Northumberland cheese, cream cheese, leeks and wholegrain mustard, and served with burnt tomato chutney and green salad.

In the warmer months from Thursday to Sunday, Macknade’s Food Village opens too, with a plethora of street food vendors offering everything from katsu curry to tacos and crepes.

Eataly, London

If you love Italian food you simply HAVE to go here. There’s a restaurant for every occasion (date nights to casual lunches), and a café with lots of grab and go options at the ground floor entrance – perfect if you’re looking for something quick to eat on the fly travelling in or out of Liverpool Street Station (just next door).

Or linger a bit longer. The café will lead you through a confectionery tunnel (yes, you read that right) lined from end to end with shiny wrapped Italian candies, gianduja and bon bons to pick and mix, as well as chocolate spreads, chocolate bars and more.

At the other side is the bakery, where olive oil-slathered focaccia nestle next to country style loaves, and where you can pick up pizza by the slice, fresh pasta, salads and savouries to-go, or to enjoy in the casual eatery over a glass of wine or spritz.

Upstairs, the experience continues. With fresh produce (think super ripe tomatoes perfect for saucing and mozzarella made before your very eyes), a deli counter exploding with speciality Italian cheeses and meats, a butchery stocking ethically and sustainably sourced meat, fish, wines and spirits, and an incredible range of sauces, stocks, pasta, risotto rice, risotto mixes, biscuits, grissini, balsamic vinegar and oils.

The food hall stocks an enormous range of panettone at Christmas too.

Bakers & Larners, Holt, Norfolk

If you’ve never been, Holt, close to the North Norfolk coast, is a truly idyllic town – boasting a clutch of boutiques and foodie hot spots. Bakers & Larners (Holt’s iconic department store, founded in 1770) is regarded as part and parcel of local life, and its food hall is recognised as one of the best places in the East to stock up on local fare – be that Richard Bainbridge’s granola, creamy Norfolk Nog liqueur, or doughy goodness from the Norfolk Cookie Company.

But it’s not just Norfolk that dominates here. The buying team have built up a collection of food and drink products from across the world – including the wherewithal for cooking up supper (pastas, pulses, grains, oils, Italian and Asian cooking sauces), baking (flours, sugars, sprinkles), and snacking (lots of crisps, nuts, dried fruit and nibbles).

A brilliant foodie emporium.

Darts Farm, Topsham, Exeter, Devon

An award-winning business – and rightly so. You can easily lose a whole day at Darts Farm – where there’s so much more than a food hall to explore. An artisan school, wellness spa, fishing ponds, play area, nature walks ... and numerous eateries, offering everything from breakfasts and Devon scones, through to sourdough pizzas, and steaks.

Cow & Cacao is a particularly exciting part of the package. The cafe makes its own gelato, and has its own chocolatier, crafting bean-to-bar decadences.

As farmers, provenance, sustainability and quality feed into every part of the food hall, stocked with their own grown and homemade products, before reaching into Devon and the South-West’s larder before heading further afield.

The offering includes their own chocolate, honey from their own hives, homegrown and locally grown fruit and vegetables, and their own slowly reared Ruby Red cattle, grazed on nearby wetlands – an ingredient the butchers treat with the upmost care and pride.

In the deli counter, find cheeses from artisans who share Dart Farm’s slow food ethos - makers who use value terroir and traditional practices. These sit with real charcuterie (some made locally using the farm’s beef), salads, pastries and pies – the wherewithal for a fabulous picnic.

If that wasn’t enough to have you sprinting to the car for a road trip, Darts Farm has its own single-estate vineyard, producing award-winning sparkling wines made using the Champagne method, and has partnered with the founder of Sandford Orchards to form a cidery. The first collaboration – Katja Rose – is a sparkler, made by crushing Katy dessert apples with hand-picked Rondo grapes from the farm’s vineyard.

Selfridges Food Hall, London

A go-to for foodies in the capital, who visit for the restaurants and cafés (whatever your heart desires, from Champagne and oysters or bubble tea and cereal flavoured soft serve ice cream), to build hampers of distinction with the food concierge team, or, of course, to browse the food hall’s offering – which is vast.

The team go far and wide to ensure every visit brings something new and exciting, with innovative products jostling for position amongst long-held customer favourites.

This is the place to go if you want to fill your basket with the latest gut-friendly sodas and protein waters, finest Pierre Marcolini chocolates, tins of Borilla olive oil crisps ... even personalised cakes, cookies, Champagne and spirits!

A walk of the floor will inspire at every turn. There’s bread and pastries. Fresh herbs to pot up at home. A meat counter stocking fabulous grass-fed beef. Fresh fish. Counters of prepared meals, cured meats, olives and the very best British and European cheeses.

Gifts are a speciality.

Flourish Foodhall, Glenavon Farm (also Farleigh Road)

One of the UK’s only B Corp retailers, heavily invested in doing good – by its staff (who love working there), customers and nature.

At every stage of the buying process, the team look for products that have people and the environment at heart. Both food halls are expansive in their offerings, ensuring they meet customers’ day-to-day needs (milk, fresh local bread, fruit and vegetables, cheeses (curated by Neal’s Yard Dairy), eggs) while introducing them to excellent local producers.

Don’t leave without grass-fed beef from the butchery, a huge Scotch egg from the deli counter (renowned for its savouries), one of the various cakes and bakes from the patisserie (Pipp & Co supply doughnuts on Fridays), a bite from the bagel bar, or without sampling something from the restaurant.

It’s open for breakfast, lunch and brunch, and the offering is far beyond what you might find in the average cafe – spanning everything from shakshuka, to Flourish’s own burger and homemade flatbreads with myriad toppings.

Bowland Food Hall, Clitheroe, Lancashire

This food hall is Lancashire through and through. And we mean that. The impressive ‘wavy fronted’ building houses probably every product made in the county. Beer and spirits from the area (including Bowland Brewery and Bowland Distillery), Lancashire Tea, Lancashire Crisps, Lancashire Parkin.

That thread of ‘local’ weaves its way through every part of the business, though other speciality foods from around get their own area too.

And there’s a butchery, and deli counter absolutely packed with cheeses (some local ones of course), cured meats, sausages rolls, pies and more.

Homemade fare is par for the course in the onsite café, where you can dive into homemade soups, salads, buddha bowls, sandwiches and hot main dishes, with a Lancashire steer wherever they can squeeze it in.

Valvona & Crolla, Edinburgh, Scotland

The oldest deli/food hall in Scotland, and certainly one of the oldest in Britain. There’s 90 years of heritage here, and the Italian family behind the business are thrilled it holds a Royal Warrant as a cheese supplier to King Charles III.

So much effort goes into making the shelves sing at Valvona & Crolla, working with Italian artisans and small producers to bring an authentic taste of the country to Scotland’s capital.

It’s unlikely you’ll see much of what they have anywhere else – certainly not in your local supermarket! 

A star turn is the deli counter. An absolute celebration of Italian cheeses (look out for the stunning goats’ cheese rolled in flowers) and charcuterie.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are sourced from markets in Milan every week. The onsite bakery crafts all the food hall’s bread and pastries. And stock up on fresh and dried pasta, antipasti (artichoke cream, pesto, olives and more), wines and sprits, coffee, chocolates, sweets and kitchenalia.

There’s a nod to Scotland too, with several local products to choose from.

Regular visitors will know Valvona & Crolla’s café and restaurant is considered one of the best places to eat in Edinburgh – winning Italian Restaurant of the Year in the 2024 Scottish Restaurant Awards.

The casual (but chic) eatery caters to all appetites, whether you’re after a few nibbles (arancini, Parmesan with poppy seed crisps), or something heartier like cotechino with olive oil mash, lentils and mustard fruits, or pizza.

Fortnum & Mason, London

Trundling home with an eggshell blue parcel from Fortnum & Mason tucked under your arm is considered the last word in luxury.

The food hall – colloquially simply known as ‘Fortnums’ - is somewhere foodies like to be seen. But it’s not all smoke and mirrors. There’s a reason this institution has endured since the early 1700s – it’s really rather good.

When you shop here, you can be assured you’re buying the créme de la créme. What sets Fornums apart is its entwining of tradition and playfuless. Everything looks effortlessly artful, and the designers, buyers and merchandisers ensure they create experiences and displays that spark conversations and strike curiosity – they aren’t afraid to be playful and have fun! Case in point is last year’s collaboration with tongue-in-cheek American-style Leeds-based bakery, Get Baked, or the brand’s own quirky products such as its wonderful Toffolossus biscuits.

Where do we start otherwise? There’s oodles to explore. Beef Wellingtons and salt-aged beef joints for the ultimate Sunday roast. Amazing cheeses, including Fortnums’ own showstopping jars of potted varieties such as Truffle & Honey, or Rarebit (Yorkshire bacon, West Country Cheddar, ale and mustard). The finest tea cakes you’ve ever seen in your life. Cutesy chocolate animals in tiny boxes. 

Fortnum’s strength is in the values behind its own-label products. No stone is left unturned in seeking out the very very finest makers.

Oh – and while you’re there, buy a Scotch egg (they claim to be the inventor of the snack in the mid-1700s). And head to The Parlour – home of the original knickerbocker glory – to sample the OG version, to construct your own sundae from a flurry of ice cream flavours, sauces and toppings, or to try a Champagne float or red velvet soft serve.

Partridges, London

The Shepherd family have been purveying great food for 50 years, holding a Royal Warrant as a grocer for 31 of them.

The food hall has many feathers to its cap. It leans into the tradition and creature comforts we all crave right now, places value on outstanding customer service, is recognised for its sustainability, and champions the next generation of producers which it names its ‘Startisans’.

It’s the kind of place that draws you in closer once you’ve picked up the item you actually went in for. You might be distracted by a wall of preserved fish in their striking tins, by some of the weird and wonderful creations from America, by newcomers (such as Diana’s Chocolate made in London) and by unusual things you’ve never seen before – Hasting’s Lemon Ketchup, maybe, or jars of sundried white figs.

Partridges offers its own lines as well – from Pear & Elderflower Jam, to Honey & Lavender Butter Biscuits, Green Pepper Mustard, and Chelsea Flower Gin. This homage to the borough was designed with acclaimed distiller Martin Murray, expressing the essence of Chelsea in bloom using 19 botanicals, with a subtle hint of rose.

Snape Maltings Food Hall, Snape, Suffolk

A skip and a hop from the chic seaside resort of Aldeburgh (renowned for its restaurants, cafes and famous fish and chips) Snape Maltings is a daytrippers dream. Not only does it house the world-famous concert hall, but on the site are antiques, gift and art shops, a huge home and lifestyle hall, a café, restaurant and deli.

Sculptures by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth accent the grounds, from where you can take a boat trip upriver, or head out on a walk across the marshlands.

It’s also home to the annual Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival.

The Food Hall is cleverly laid out with floor-to-ceiling shelving and almost eye-level displays, so your gaze is always captured by something tantalising (no matter how tall you are).

There’s an extensive range of spirits, beers, wines and ciders. Row upon row of pasta, rice and risotto. Cooking sauces, marinades and dips from across the world. Confectionery. And snacks of distinction.

Look out for local brands including Edwards Cocktails and Pump Street chocolate.

Being ambient only, it perfectly complements the deli next door, where there’s an even more prevalent array of Suffolk and British ingredients and products.

Norfolk Food Hall, Norfolk County Showground, Norwich

Norfolk has a strong reputation for its food and drink - from excellent quality meat, to fabulous award-winning bread and beer. In celebration, the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA) has recently opened Norfolk Food Hall at the county’s showground on the outskirts of Norwich.

Dedicated to telling the story of Norfolk produce and ingredients, the 3,500 sq ft hall and 220-seater restaurant is one of the largest food stores of its kind in the Eastern region, and 70% of what’s on the shelves is sourced from within Norfolk and neighbouring counties.

The food hall has also been designed to connect visitors to the landscape and makers, with interpretive boards and information illustrating the dynamic food and drink scene across the site.

“The Norfolk Food Hall is unique in the way it tells the story of farming and the amazing people who produce our food and drink,” says RNAA managing director, Mark Nicholas. Managing Director of the RNAA, Mark Nicholas. “So much of what is produced in the county is of the highest standards in the world, from malting barley and wine to livestock and cheese, and we want to make sure people are aware of how this happens and be proud of their county’s farming achievements.”

The new food hall includes a butchery counter by Tony Perkins Butchers, a delicatessen counter with take away coffee and cake, fresh produce, and range of groceries from chocolate and beer to biscuits, wine and local snacks, while the restaurant provides a menu of locally sourced dishes.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy use of outside seating, a children’s play area, and access to green space at the Showground for exercising dogs and enjoying the fresh air. A full 5Km Showground Trail is scheduled to open in September.