The British market for fruits and vegetables is particularly well established. Consumption has jumped 20% for fruits (41 kg/year/per head) over the last ten years and 6% for vegetables. Imports are rising continuously as local production is insufficient to meet current consumer demand. Consumption of fresh vegetables represents 67% of total consumption (33% processed vegetables). Following a boom at the end of the 1980s, consumption has since remained stable at 38 kg/per year/per head. The vegetables most popular with consumers are cabbages, carrots, tomatoes, onions and salads. However, Mediterranean and exotic vegetables are starting to outpace traditional varieties. The market for organic produce is also showing strong growth. France is the second-ranked supplier of fruits and vegetables to the United Kingdom just after Spain; however it is the leading supplier of apples.
Mainly located in Kent, British fruit production is limited and comprises chiefly apples (cox, bramley, idared, russet, and so on), pears, plums and red fruits. This production covers less than 10% of total consumption (2004) and concerns apples and pears.
British vegetable production varies widely due to unfavourable weather conditions; during some years these can lead to significant crop losses or surplus production causing prices to collapse. The surface areas devoted to market garden production have been greatly reduced (down 30% over the last ten years) thereby lowering production volumes for cauliflower, lettuce, green beans and leeks.

For two hundred years now, livestock farming has been the United Kingdom's main agricultural resource. The majority of the herd lives outdoors, and with over 10 million heads, the UK beef herd ranks as the fourth largest herd in Europe; beef production exceeds 850,000 tonnes per year, 70% of which is produced in England. British domestic consumption is increasing, and is currently set at 17 kg/per year/per head. Among the highest-performing beef breeds is the Shorthorn, the Hereford (one of the oldest breeds in England), the South Devon and the Angus. Over the last forty years, the total consumption of beef in the United Kingdom has passed above the million tonne mark. The British sheep herd counts some 25 million heads (i.e. 28% of the herd in the 25-member European Union). Historically, the United Kingdom has been the leading EU producer of lamb with 323,000 TCE (tonne-carcass-equivalent). Hardy sheep breeds include the Scottish Blackface, the Welsh Mountain, the Swaledale and the North Country Cheviot. Beef breeds include Texel, Suffolk and Charollais.
The Scottish farming economy relies on a far greater rate of livestock production than in other parts of the United Kingdom or in the EU.
Wales has the highest sheep-farming density in Europe and boasts an extensive farming technique based on outdoor rearing.
The British market for pork is holding steady and has even increased production volumes from 147,000 tonnes in 2004 to 152,000 tonnes in 2005. A growing number of households are now eating pork (+1%). Essex pork is famed for its tasty meat and lard.

France is the main importer of salmon from the United Kingdom, and Scotland in particular. Scottish salmon is the only variety to have been awarded the prestigious Label Rouge (30% exported to France). Total exports of seafood produce from the United Kingdom reached 474,571 tonnes in 2005, 98,628 tonnes of which were destined for France. The main Scottish species of bottom-living fish are cod, haddock, monkfish, whiting, ling, dab and pollack. Pelagic species include mackerel, herring, sprat and blue whiting.
Scottish production of shellfish includes langoustines, Saint-Jacques scallops, crabs, lobsters, and so on, and represents 60% of the volumes fished in the United Kingdom. In addition, the Midlands rivers (Severn and Wye) are packed with salmon, trout and carp; the Avon is noted for its pike and eels.
Scotland is the leading producer of langoustine in Europe, and France its main export target with 37,993 tonnes (2004). In Wales, trout (known there as Sewin) is the most popular fish with consumers.
Oyster farming is one of the most profitable activities in Northern Ireland. .

The United Kingdom boasts a diverse range of over 200 cheeses, most of which are made using cow's milk.
Cheddar (a cow's milk cheese) is by far the most popular of the British cheeses. It takes its name from the caves where it is matured. However, West Country farmhouse cheddar is only produced in Cornwall, Devon or Dorset.
Blue stilton is native to the Midlands; its milk must come from British-bred dairy cows from the Melton Mowbray district. Caerphilly is a hard cheese with a mild flavour. Dunlop is the oldest Scottish cheese made with whole raw milk.
A traditional product from southern England, clotted cream is a cream of outstanding quality with a 55% fat content; it is used often in cooking and pastry-making (often eaten with scones).

Scottish whisky is famed the world over and sold in over 200 countries. In 2005, exports amounted to €3.3 Bn (990 million bottles) with the USA as the leading importer, followed by France. There are five categories of Scotch Whisky: Single Malt; Single Grain; Blended (blend of one or more Single Malt with one or more Single Grain Scotch Whiskies); Blended Malt and Blended Grain. To merit the name 'Scotch', the whisky must be left to mature for at least three years in an oak cask in Scotland. The whisky industry accounts for some 10% of the jobs in the agricultural sector. Some of the most famous Scotch Whiskies include: Aberlour, Ballantine, Balvenie, Bell’s, Chivas Regal, Clan Campbell and Famous Grouse, to name just a few.
Beer varieties include bottom fermentation brands (lager) and top fermentation brands (ale). The best of the brown ales comes from Newcastle and is distributed throughout England. Real ale is only considered authentic if it is drawn from a wooden cask; each county has its own speciality. Yorkshire bitter has become synonymous with quality and is only granted to certain breweries.
Winegrowers in the south of England are producing some remarkable light, dry and fruity white wines. There are over a thousand wine-growing businesses in England, especially in Kent .

People in the United Kingdom are said to have particularly large breakfasts, which can include cereals or porridge (oats cooked in milk), fruit juice, sausages, eggs (or bacon or fish), and buttered toast with orange marmalade.
The most traditional dish is roast beef with potatoes, vegetables or Yorkshire pudding (pancake batter cooked in the oven).
Teatime is an established custom and is taken at 11 a.m. or 5 p.m. Tea drinking is a genuine social rite and institution in the UK. Other popular dishes include Cornish pasties (small pasties filled with meat, vegetables and potatoes), fish and chips (fish fried in batter served with chips); Scotland is renowned for its famous haggis (stuffed ewe's stomach), Ireland for its spiced beef (marinated with spices), and Wales for its lamb cooked with Welsh honey, cottage pie (minced beef topped with mashed potato), cod welsh rarebit (cod gratineed with cheddar), fish pie, pancakes, scones (small cakes); not forgetting of course the famous Christmas pudding... (Source: MLC, Food From Britain, Visit Britain, SDI, Seafood Scotland, QMS, Semmaris, Ubifrance, Agenda)
Francis Duriez