Rye in East Sussex, 90 minutes from St Pancras, the medieval Cinque Ports town runs The Mermaid Inn (1420), Webbe's Fish Cafe and the cobbled-street tea-rooms of Mermaid Street.
Tip: Visit weekdays to skip the weekend crowds; the antique market runs every Tuesday. Webbe's books a fortnight ahead for weekend lunch.
Brighton on the south coast, an hour from Victoria, runs The Salt Room beachfront dining, The Lanes' twisted alleys of fish-and-chip shops and the Royal Pavilion's Indian-themed lunches.
Tip: Visit a Saturday for the Beach Box food carts on the seafront. Sundays at Petit Pois in The Lanes for the small-plates lunch.
Whitstable in Kent, a 90-minute train ride from London, runs The Whitstable Oyster Company since 1856, Wheelers Oyster Bar from 1856 and a fishing-village seafront. Oysters at the beach.
Tip: The Whitstable Oyster Festival runs the last weekend of July; book lunch a fortnight ahead. Visit October to April for native oyster season.
Bray on the Thames in Berkshire, 45 minutes from Paddington, runs Heston Blumenthal's three-starred Fat Duck and the Hinds Head pub. The Riverside Brasserie at Bray Marina is the cheaper option.
Tip: Fat Duck booking opens three months ahead and sells out in minutes. Lunch at the Hinds Head Sunday roast is the easier visit at £40.
Margate on the Kent coast, 90 minutes from St Pancras, the seaside town reopened post-2010 by the Turner Contemporary; The Sett, Buoy and Oyster, and Sargasso run serious seafood-focused kitchens.
Tip: Visit Saturday for the Turner Contemporary and lunch at The Sett. The Old Town fish-and-chip counters run from 11:00 on the seafront.
Oxford, an hour from Paddington, runs historic university pubs (The Turf Tavern from 1381, The Eagle and Child) and the Covered Market for traditional British lunches.
Tip: Sunday roast at The Magdalen Arms is the canonical pub lunch in town. Walking tour of the colleges fills a morning before lunch.
Cambridge, an hour from King's Cross, runs Fitzbillies's century-old Chelsea bun bakery (1920), Midsummer House two-Michelin-star riverside dining and the punting-and-lunch combination.
Tip: Punting on the Cam in summer paired with lunch at The Cambridge Chop House is the canonical day. Fitzbillies for Chelsea buns and morning coffee.