semiramis

Lots of good advice. DH and I try to keep our food spending pretty low when in the U.K.
1. Fill up at breakfast if staying at B&Bs. Some B&Bs let you help yourself to fresh fruit that can be taken with you (like apples and bananas - we had one lady who absolutely insisted that we take a couple of pieces of fruit every day we were there). We usually just grabbed a snack like a piece of fruit or a granola bar at lunch and ate an early dinner. Also don't be shy about asking at B&Bs for their recommendations for places to eat (be sure to mention your budget). We learned of a place that had expensive dinners BUT delicious (and hearty and reasonable soup specials at lunch time) that way.
2. Bakeries and take-away places (East Indian take-away places seemed to be particularly reasonable).
3. Grocery stores like Tesco's have some reasonable prepared stuff.
4. As others have said - watch out for "specials" like early dinner's and B&Bs occasionally have coupons/vouchers for local pubs and restaurants - we got two excellent THREE course meals for 10 pounds each at a "gastro" pub - thanks to coupons.

We were able to eat well but economically on our last trip - it worked out to about $20-$40 each ($20 were bargain days, $40 were splurge days).

eigasuki

Another suggestion I don't think I saw mentioned above is to eat at the cafeterias in the museums and other attractions you visit. Most of the National Trust places have a restaurant or cafe where you get locally produced food. I found you could often get a good lunch, often a roast dinner or soups,lasagnas etc for around 6-8 pounds. Simple and fuss free.

lavandula

Can you do self-catering accommodation and shop at supermarkets? They have a lot of pre-prepared stuff like sandwich fillings. Bread is also relatively inexpensive. Much cheaper than restaurants and you can still do the occasional meal out so you don't feel like you are missing out on culinary experiences.

Lavandula

tahl

Marks & Spencer stores, which are found in most major shopping areas in the UK, look like purely clothing stores from the outside, but they also have substantial food sections with lots and lots of prepared sandwiches, salads, and tons of stuff you can heat up at the hostel (assuming your hostels have cooking facilities).

nona1

Funny, a lot of these 'cheap' suggestions are places I think are quite expensive (museum/Nat Trust cafes, Marks & Spencer etc).

Best wander off the side streets a bit and look for little cafes catering for locals not tourists. If in town, look for office workers heading out for lunch and follow (or ask for a recommendation of sandwich shop/cafe/greasy spoon. They might not look all smart and 'corporate' from the outside but they will serve fairly decent food and be very cheap. Even in London I've got big cooked lunches for about £4, and smaller snacks for about £2.50 all in. Chip shops can be good value if you steer clear of the fish and have sausage or something cheaper instead. Also a lot of chinese takeaways do an 'all in' meal of rice or noodles plus whatever meat or veggie dish for about £4 - £5.

janisj

I'm pretty sure nytraveler's advice is based on staying in London at a high end hotel that doesn't provide breakfast. Not very relavant to a student budget/B&Bs/hostels.

One thing to remember about B&Bs (and something to consider when deciding between a B&B and a hostel) - is you will normally get a huge breakfast included. I usually figure nearly half the value of a British B&B is the breakfast and the ££ I save not needing a big lunch.

The 'typical' B&B b'fast includes 2 eggs, 2 rashers bacon, 2 sausages, grilled tomato, hot and/or cold cereal, toast, fresh fruit, juice, coffee/tea. Plus many hosts have their own specialties/twists w/home made cakes, kippers, quiche or other items.

I have never once had the roll/coffee nyt mentions.

So, if a B&B costs £25 or £30 per person -- you are getting about $10-$15 worth of breakfast included.

Plus many B&Bs will pack you a simple sack lunch - sandwich, fruit, soft drink, crisps (chips) for maybe £5 or £6 tops.

markrosy

Keswick = Booths Supermarket (near the bus station) with the quality of Whole Foods without all the hype. On the square try Brysons Bakery which is huge and again good quality.

Throughout the UK avoid Subway (expensive petfood) and Greggs (cheap petfood). I will the second the Pizza Express suggestion - the name is pretty misleading - they are a fairly up market, good quality chain. In every town location, they usually draw the "in crowd". The food is universally good and if you want any 2 for 1 vouchers I will email them.

nytraveler provides yet more ludicrous suggestions - I know people worth £100m plus how do not spend that on lunch/dinner. Indeed, you will struggle to spend that much outside London. Michelin stars in the North will set you back £80 a head for dinner. If you are using a car try the Ribble Valley Inns on the way to The Lakes - by far the best in the North.

Whilst in Keswick take the launch round Derwentwater combined with a walk. The Youth Hostels in The Lakes occupy some of the best properties in the area, take all ages and are very cheap.

In Manchester, you have to eat at El Rincon - their Tapas are better than Seville.

If you do visit National Trust properties do not be concerned about where to eat that day - their cafes are slightly more expensive than the usual but are generally the best around, many with great architecture.

One last thought, if you look at pubs, hotels , cafes etc on the internet - the prices you see are those that you pay. Taxes are included and we don't generally tip. ie no need to add 37% as in the States/ Caribbean.

In summary $60 a day for food should be no problem.

Palenque

I, an old fart, spend about $15/day for food in London after i eat the unlimited breakfast in my B&B - i go to supermarkets and the occasional greasy spoon cafe - which you will not find however much in central London - in restaurants about double the price you'd pay back home - supermarkets are more expensive too but depending on what you buy you can do $15/day - supermarkets are everywhere - even in touristy central London - they have delis and salad bars, etc for instant picnics - alcohol is really expensive in the U.K. - even in supermarkets so that could boost your daily price level.

markrosy

"alcohol is really expensive in the U.K"

Not at the moment - 54 bottles of Stella are £20 at Tesco/Asda etc which is a lot less than the $4 a bottle I was paying in The Bahamas.

Beer prices in pubs can be silly depending on how poncy the place thinks it is.... £3.50 a bottle can be the norm.

sashh

Try googling chains such as vintage inns - this is the more expensve pub I mentioned earlier but they have e-mail offers - about 1 a month.

The current one is 2 courses for £9.99 a saving of about £5 if you ordered the same from the main menu

http://www.vintageinn.co.uk/

lots of other chains will give you offrs by e-mail.

In Manchester visit china town and the curry mile for good not expensive food.

Also take yuor college ID with you and ask about student discounts.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...d.php?t=421589

the link is for NUS caed holders but in practice many give student discouunts with any student ID

Alec

Look out for 'Harvester' pubs, which do main dish from £4.99, unlimited Pepsi/lemonade for £2.09 and free salad bar. Also 'Crown Carveries' pubs, which do roasts for £3.59 (more on Sundays) with unlimited vegetables.
http://www.harvester.co.uk/
http://www.crowncarveries.co.uk/

avalon

Also check out Toptable. They offer lots of 50% off and 2 for 1 meals. We enjoyed several places on our last trip and even with a bottle of house wine got away with 50 GBP for 2. Lunches were usually at Pret or take away picnics. Several museums have reasonably priced lunches too

Fashionista

I know its not exactly the most salubrious place in town to eat, but Pizza Hut do a salad bar lunch for £4 or there abouts.

avalon

You could also sign up at Vouchercodes.co.uk. then print out the vouchers. They had several restaurant deals on this week.I use them and toptable all the time

Khiori

You can google the big supermarket chains and check store locations to find out where there is one in the towns you will visit. Large supermarkets are not always right on the High Street but a few blocks over. Check out Sainsbury's, Waitrose, and Marks & Spencer (I didn't find them too expensive, especially compared to a restaurant). And The Cooperative is a grocery store too.

I also like the takeout chains Caffe Nero and Pret A Manger. You can google locations for those too. But they close at 5pm often so you have to grab your dinner early.

Pilates

For a cheap bite to eat you could go to Boots drug stores (you'll find them almost everywhere) to grab their three for £3 deals. You get a choice each of one sandwich, a drink and a treat. (I'm pretty sure it's only 3 pounds) I'd also recommend going to Marks and Spencer for one of their pre-made sandwiches or salads. They mark the items way down if you're buying it on its last day of sale (pull date). Most of the supermarkets have a deli section with inexpensive options. I'd also eat out at lunch instead of dinner when possible. I think if you're not picky about what you eat then you can find plenty of "specials" almost everywhere. One pub we went to offered one potato with cheese for the same price as a fish and chips "special". In fact the fish and chips may have been a pound less!

nytraveler

Yes we spend $100 to $125 per day. That includes a casule lunch - but sitting down in a plesnat cafe and a moderate dinner, perhaps sharing an appetizer and with 1 glass of wine each. (And this would be no different here in New York.)

Students on a budget can eat for much less than we do - but have to take into account a couple of things:

Portion size - a 20 year old guy with a big appetite will eat 2 or 3 of almost anything named above - or still be really hungry

Drinks are expensive (soft drinks come in minute cans and there are no free refills as in the US) and beer or wine can really start to rack up costs

So dining for less can be done - but requires discipline

And for perspective - fast food - like Mickey D's is about 30% more in the UK than in the US - plus they charge for ketchup (I learned when we went with my stepdaughters)

If it's girls with small appetites they can eat for less - I'm always hesitant to say how much food will be enough for a young man

jent103

I have been in the UK a lot on a similar budget. $30/person/day is doable. Some tips:

- Some hostels include breakfast, but this will often be a very, very small breakfast. I stayed at two of the Astor Hostels locations in London, which I definitely recommend, but the included breakfast was literally bread and jam. In those, if you need anything more substantial, you'll have to go to a cafe or buy groceries to store in the hostel kitchen. B&Bs will usually have a very substantial "full English" breakfast, though, which easily keeps me full through the afternoon. If the price difference between a hostel and a b&b is not huge, I'd easily pick the b&b - much more comfortable and better bang for your buck.

- There are lots of English chains which fit the bill. As mentioned, Pizza Express is great (more along the lines of a California Pizza Kitchen than Pizza Hut). Pret a Manger is one of my favorites - I spend less than five pounds in there for a meal. As Khiori pointed out, some Prets and other cafes do close early, but others are open later. You'll have to keep an eye out for the ones which stay open. Wagamama is another chain you'll see a lot in London - an entree there is reasonable and tasty. If you want more authentic Asian cuisine, though, the random ethnic takeaways you'll find are a better bet. Bella Italia, EAT and ASK are also pretty good food on a budget. Of course you'll see independent sandwich shops and whatnot everywhere, but those are some chains to look out for. You can check out menus online and also sign up for email lists for a lot of them - I got several coupons for Pizza Express that way. (However, lots of times those don't go out very far in advance, so if you won't have access to email and a printer while you're there, it may not help much.) Without coupons, you can expect to pay between £7-12 for entrees at most of the sit-down chains. Add a couple pounds for a soft drink, but tap water is free.

- Grocery stores are your best friends. I'm not crazy about pre-prepared sandwiches (just a personal thing), but it's easy to get a baguette, some deli meat and cheese, and fruit. For the two of you, that would probably be £5-8, depending on how much fruit you get and whatnot. You might take some plastic knives and forks with you to make things easier. You can get a meal deal at Boots (like a Walgreens but way better - they're everywhere) for two or three pounds (sandwich, chips and drink).

If you do one "picnic" and one sit-down meal at a chain or pub a day, that's about £15 or less. At the current exchange rate that's about $23/person, but who knows what it'll be when you're there next year. If you need to buy breakfast you can still come in at under $30.

Cholmondley_Warner

Christ on a bike. No wonder the world thinks you're gluttons.

>>>Portion size - a 20 year old guy with a big appetite will eat 2 or 3 of almost anything named above - or still be really hungry>>>

Yes a fat knacker.

>>>>like Mickey D's is about 30% more in the UK than in the US - plus they charge for ketchup>>>

No they don't.

>>>>- Some hostels include breakfast, but this will often be a very, very small breakfast.>>>>

This is a continental brekkie. Like what they have on the whole of Europe. Christ no wonder we think you're hoovers.

>>>I'm always hesitant to say how much food will be enough for a young man>>>

Enough for any british man. Unless you want to turn them into a yankee blimp.

Cut down yanks. Cut down.

sassy_cat

One thing to note though. McDonalds meals are SMALLER in the UK and do cost a bit more.

Eat in pubs at lunchtime as the price usually goes up a pound or two for 'dinner'.
$60 sounds fine provided you weren't expecting to drink much alcohol. Soft drinks in pubs are expensive too and generally no refills. Carry a water bottle by day or pick up drinks in grocery stores