Taste some curry fudge

“It's [chef Paul Kitching's] uninhibited approach to gastronomy that really rocks the food world—serving the likes of curry fudge, egg with pea puree in a plastic, disposable cup and a beetroot-mayonnaise house picture on a plate” raves the Independent on Sunday's restaurant critic about Juniper, a destination restaurant in Cheshire. It's just one of the restaurants putting Britain at the forefront of a culinary revolution and you, my friend, can be a part of it.

Step into a landscape fit for a fairytale

If the landscape of England's North Country seems to have a storybook quality, that's probably because it inspired so many of literature's most enduring writers, from the Bronte sisters to J.K. Rowling. Gazing upon the Lake District's famous bodies of water, you'll instantly know what so moved locals Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth to their indelible words—but if you need a little backstory, Wordsworth's incredibly well-preserved Dove Cottage and the Beatrix Potter museum are worth a visit. If you've kids in your brood, bring the Thomas the Tank Engine experience alive in the region where he was born—there's nothing like a ride on Cumbria's Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway to bring a classic children's story to life. Look for the Cheshire Cat of Alice in Wonderland fame in Ripon Cathedral, North Yorkshire, or for Misselthwaite Manor of The Secret Garden in Yorkshire. Wherever you wander in England's North Country, the literary connections are sure to stir the imagination, and ensure that you'll have a story of your own to come home with.