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Eating Out on a Diet: UK Food

By WLR Dietitian, Juliette Kellow BSc RD

Whether you’re on holiday in the UK or dining out in a traditional English restaurant, you’ll be spoilt for choice. There’s no getting away from Brit favourites, like pub meals, fish and chips and the traditional breakfast fry up. But many restaurants also specialise in local dishes and include comfort foods on their menu like sausage and mash, cottage pie and steamed pudding.

Pub grub

It’s usually good value, which is great for the pounds in your purse, but not for those around your middle. Avoid high calorie content fried foods and dishes with creamy sauces or pastry, such as steak and kidney pie. Instead go for a jacket potato or salad instead of chips or garlic bread to keep the fat content down.

Beware of ordering a ploughman’s lunch, too. It might sound like a healthy option but the slab of cheese, coleslaw and butter mean this meal contains 1,100 calories.

Fish and chips

Size matters: a fish cake with a small portion of chips contains 600 calories, whereas a large piece of battered rock with a large portion of chips can provide 1,400 calories. And say no to the free scraps of batter.

Traditional English Breakfast

If on offer, ask for plum rather than fried tomatoes, scrambled instead of fried eggs and extra beans. Have just one sausage and piece of bacon, skip the black pudding and don’t put butter on your toast.

Meat dishes

From roast lamb and Lancashire hotpot to beef stew with dumplings and steak and kidney pie, meat often features heavily in traditional UK restaurants. While meat itself has got leaner over the years, unfortunately, many restaurants fry the meat first to seal in the flavour – even for dishes such as stews, casseroles and roasts.

UK Food Calorie Content Chart

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