Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Layered glass bowl of sherry-soaked sponge, raspberry jam, vanilla custard, and whipped cream, topped with flaked almonds and glace cherries. The British Christmas-table classic.
Trifle dates to the 16th century in England as a simple cream-and-rosewater dessert; the layered modern form with sherry-soaked sponge and custard emerged in the 18th century in Hannah Glasse's 1747 The Art of Cookery. By Victorian London, trifle was the show-off centrepiece of any Christmas or formal dinner, served in a cut-glass footed bowl. The dish remains a Christmas Day or Boxing Day institution in British households; London restaurants from The Wolseley to Quality Chop House feature seasonal trifle (rhubarb in spring, raspberry in summer, sloe-gin and blackberry in autumn).
6 editor picks for Trifle in London, ranked by editorial score. All London signature dishes · Trifle across every city.
Fergus Henderson's St John in Clerkenwell has cooked the nose-to-tail British canon in London since 1994. Priced at £££. Kitchen leans modern british.
OrderRoast bone marrow with parsley salad and toast, then Eccles cake with Lancashire.
TipThe bakery counter near the front sells the same Eccles cakes, doughnuts and brown loaf to take away if you can't get a booking.
Mourad Mazouz and Pierre Gagnaire's Conduit Street dining rooms in Mayfair London, opened 2002, hold three Michelin stars in the Lecture Room and run a famed.
OrderThe Pierre Gagnaire signature plate in the Lecture Room, or afternoon tea in the pink Gallery.
TipThe Gallery serves the bistro menu and books a fortnight ahead; the three-starred Lecture Room is the eight-week wait.
Jeremy Lee's Dean Street dining room in Soho London, opened 1926 and restored under chef Lee since 2012, runs a daily-changing seasonal British menu.
OrderThe smoked eel sandwich on rye, and whatever pudding is on the chalkboard at the door.
TipLunch menu is a fraction of dinner prices and just as well-staffed; book a Soho-show theatre lunch a week ahead.
The 1869 Farringdon Road working-class dining room in Clerkenwell London, restored under Will Lander since 2012, runs daily-changing British cooking.
OrderThe famed confit potato, then mince and potatoes off the daily menu, with a bottle from the shop next door.
TipThe wine shop next door is corkage-free if you buy a bottle there. Lunch takes walk-ins at the counter Tue-Sat.
Chris Corbin and Jeremy King's grand European brasserie on Piccadilly in London, opened 2003 in a former 1921 Wolseley showroom, runs from breakfast.
OrderEggs Benedict and a flat white at breakfast, or the Wiener schnitzel and a glass of riesling at dinner.
TipBreakfast from 07:00 is the un-touristed slot. Pre-theatre dinner from 18:00 books a fortnight ahead.
Britain's oldest restaurant on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 1798 by Thomas Rule, runs an estate-game-led menu through grouse.
OrderGame pie in season, then steamed steak and kidney pudding with mash.
TipLunch is a third of dinner's price and just as well-staffed. The upstairs cocktail bar runs to 23:00 most nights.
Trifle makes more sense with someone from London explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
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Enjoy a 3-hour culinary tour of London's best Indian food. Explore East London with only a bit of walking as your guide leads you to the secret culinary delights surro...
