The Traditional English Restaurants of London

Unpretentious, long established (built in 1898) Smithfield pub serving huge portions of hearty victuals, breakfasts are a speciality.

Smithfield Market is the main meat market for London – in a similar fashion to Covent Garden, which sold fruit and vegetables, whilst Billingsgate did fish; but Smithfield is the only one left in Central London, the others have long since moved out to more practical locations.

Traditionally pubs in market areas have been allowed to open very different hours, as the porters and other workers have to start work so early, and need to get their sustenance and, even more important, their ale.

The Fox and Anchor has become particularly renowned, and manages to produce a much higher quality level of real homemade food at very reasonable prices.

So why not try masses of fried food with a pint of beer at breakfast time (from 7 a.m. onwards) to make a different start to the day? Or sample their English pub grub, from steak and kidney pie to fish 'n' chips, with chips or jacket potato, and salad or veg, both at £6.50, during the rest of the day.

Breakfasts run from the Full English: baked beans, two sausages, fried bread, bacon, tomatoes, fried egg and black pudding at £7 to their posher special version of smoked salmon and scrambled egg on brown toast, strangely also at £7!

It is all terrific value, combined with a character that a modern reproduction would find hard to create.