Places to visit on a foodie break in Herefordshire

Start as you mean to go on, by tucking into some superb local grub. In central Hereford,  The Bookshop is your brunch date, with a menu that champions ingredients sourced from within a few miles’ radius. Think Herefordshire steak with farm-fresh eggs, and brioche baked in the nearby Malvern Hills. Its vegan fry-up is a plant-based twist on the classic favourite.

Hereford’s cider is legendary, its orchards responsible for some of the finest brews in the country. This morning, the best way to explore the cideries – and taste their tipples – is by bike, on the 49-mile North Cider Circuit. From Hereford, it wobbles to Weobley, Pembridge, Stoke Prior and back again, with refuelling stops at Newton Court Cider, Butford Organics, The Cider Barn and Monkland Cheese Dairy – some of the tastiest places to visit in Herefordshire.

Hereford is chock-full of gourmet shops, so grab your biggest tote bag. The Butter Market sells everything from local pork pies to Indian samosas, while The Hereford Deli hand-picks the county’s top jams, pickles and cakes. Meat lovers, you’ll adore the salamis and nduja at Charcuterie Hereford, while The Mouse Trap is the cheesiest shop in town: don’t miss its cheddar with scrumpy cider and apple. Short breaks in England don’t come much tastier than this.

How is cider made? Where did it originate? And what makes it so darn delicious? These are the kinds of questions that Herefordshire (and its famous brew) inspires – and the Museum of Cider answers them all. Discover how the county’s story is intertwined with its sweet golden fizz at this quirky little emporium – and shop – in the old Bulmers factory. One of the top foodie things to do in Herefordshire.

Tonight, check out the drool-worthy menu at Hereford’s Beefy Boys: double patties with bacon and beef-dripping onions, buttermilk-fried chicken with blue-cheese slaw… all tucked inside gleaming brioche buns. They’re hefty two-handers, but you’ll want to juggle a side of parmesan-dusted fries or mac-n-cheese balls too. Feeling brave? Order the super-spicy Hell Boy, which comes with a pair of latex gloves.

After breakfast, visit Hereford Cathedral to see the Mappa Mundi – a map of the world painted around the year 1300 (spoiler alert: it’s not as accurate as Google Maps). The largest medieval map still in existence, it’s one of the oldest artifacts not just in Herefordshire, but the entire country, and is a window onto a life more than 700 years ago. Note how it’s worn off, where visiting pilgrims used to touch it.

Today’s adventures take you from Hereford to Hay-on-Wye, via a few tasty stop-offs – first up, Oakchurch Farm Shop. Local bacon-stuffed rolls, giant Scotch eggs, cones piled high with home-made cherry amaretto gelato: it’s all on the menu at this shop and restaurant. Prime picnic fodder, plus a bottle of marmalade-flavoured Ludlow Dry Gin for a great souvenir.

Plump, purple and bursting with flavour, the blackcurrants growing at White Heron Estate make a fabulous cassis liqueur – and you can see the process in action at its British Cassis farm. You might recognise owner Jo Hilditch from Dragon’s Den: she runs tours of the farm, cassiserie and bottling process – which include tastings and cocktails too. A must-visit on foodie breaks.

The countryside near Hay-on-Wye is a patchwork of sheep-and cow-clipped fields, so pull into Drovers Rest to say hi to the four-legged locals. One of the top things to do in Herefordshire, this working farm has a self-guided walking trail: £5 buys you a bowl of food for the goats, ponies and ducks, your new bunch of besties. Pondering dinner already? The owners run barn feasts on selected evenings – from South African curries to Mexican night.

Time for a treat! Chapters, in central Hay-on-Wye, has received a Michelin Green Star for its hyper-local organic cuisine. Foraged herbs, veg from its garden, meat from top-rated Herefordshire farms – all whipped up into date-night fine dining. The menu changes regularly, but could include anything from wild garlic flatbread to slow-roasted pork with perry (pear cider) sauce.

The tiny town of Hay-on-Wye is stuffed with independent bookshops: from second-hand and vintage dealers to specialists in murder mysteries, poetry, maps and more – all within mooching distance. Richard Booth’s Bookshop is a three-storey emporium covering a huge range of genres, with a cosy cafe dishing out frothy coffees and French toast with spiced apple compote for breakfast.

Option one for this morning! With its calm waters, abundant wildlife and peaceful countryside views, the River Wye is a dreamy canoeing spot, and Outdoors@Hay runs guided half-day expeditions from Hay’s waterside. It’s a leisurely trip (you’re literally going with the flow), and for experienced paddlers it offers independent canoe hire too. One of the top things to do in Herefordshire.

Prefer a walk in the hills instead? Lace up your boots for the Cat’s Back (aka Black Hill) hike, a 4.9-mile (7.8km) circular trail in the Black Mountains (moderate fitness required). If the climb up the Cat’s Back ridgeline doesn’t take your breath away, its panoramic views will: patchwork fields and rolling hills unfurl in every direction, a real bird’s-eye perspective of the England/Wales border.

Post-adventure, do as the locals do and head for a slap-up lunch at The Bull’s Head at Craswall. It’s an old drovers’ inn, once used by cattle-drivers as they walked to market, now with a gourmet twist: think Welsh oysters, home-reared rib eyes and hearty Sunday roasts. Grab a pint of local ale from the hole-in-the-wall bar. A great choice for foodie breaks.

Sweet or dry? Spicy or floral? No matter your favourite style of gin, you’ll find it at the Black Mountains Botanicals distillery – and on its gin-making experience you’ll create your own perfect bottle.  You’ll learn how to use a still, make a unique botanical mix and cut the spirit to strength – all while sipping a few G&Ts to get you in the mood. Your finished result comes in a personalised, wax-sealed stoneware bottle. Ta-dah!

Before you wave goodbye to Hay-on-Wye, do a deli dash: your chance to stock up on the town’s finest cakes, bakes, charcuterie and more. Got room for a sausage roll and custard slice? Head to Hay Deli. Craving brownies or small-batch sourdough? Check out Dugan's Patisserie.

An hour’s drive east from Hay-on-Wye, the skeleton of Goodrich Castle looms large. Here, in one of England’s best-preserved medieval fortresses, you can explore crumbling quarters, strike a pose beneath mighty archways, and follow an audio guide to hear Civil War history brought to life. Much of Goodrich was destroyed in the siege of 1646, but its “murder holes” and spooky dungeon are still thrillingly intact.

On the wall of Pengethley Farm Shop, there’s a map of the local area with all of its suppliers marked on it – so you can see exactly where in Herefordshire your lunch is from. This place is the stuff of picnic dreams: fill your basket with pies, quiches, juicy tomatoes and hunks of cheese, ham and fresh bread. Essential fuel for a foodie break.

Whether you’re a wine buff or barely know your cuvée from your chardonnay, Wythall Estate is a glorious introduction to the world of English wines. Sign up for a vineyard tour and wine tasting to experience some of the McIntyre family’s award-winning vintages – including the rich ruby-red Ferdinando, named after one of their first ancestors to live here 440 years ago.

There’s time for one final foodie flourish: supper at The New Inn near Ross-on-Wye. From hollandaise-dipped Wye Valley asparagus to guinea fowl with black garlic potatoes, its chefs love local ingredients. Whether you’re beside the fire or kicking back in the garden, don’t be without a G&T: one of the owners runs Gun Dog Gin, a local distillery. There’s also a handful of bedrooms, ideal if you fancy staying a little longer…