Which UK towns and cities best cater for dietary requirements: a report
There are currently two million allergy sufferers in the UK, and studies show that the number of people living with allergies is rising by 5% every year. Since the introduction of Natasha’s Law in October 2021, businesses selling food prepared on premises now have more rigorous laws surrounding the labelling of food.
As the UK population’s dietary requirements become increasingly complex, we have decided to find out which towns and cities cater best to different kinds of diets and create an index ranking the places that are most inclusive of different dietary needs.
Unfortunately, after another high-profile dietary requirement story hit the news involving a woman with a severe nut allergy having to buy every bag of peanuts on a plane, it seems businesses still have some way to go to ensure people with dietary requirements are acknowledged and their safety concerns are taken as seriously as is required.
And, with more and more people becoming health conscious and taking an interest in the food and ingredients going into our bodies, labelling doesn’t only need to be correct for safety reasons – but for consumerism too.
We have identified the top 50 most populated towns and cities in the UK - excluding Scotland - and analysed Tripadvisor to discover how many ‘restaurants’ and ‘quick bite venues’ in each area have vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and halal food options on the menu. Scotland was excluded from the rankings due to operating on a different food hygiene rating system, which is covered in more detail later on.
Once we collated all the data we worked out the percentage of dietary requirement food options in each town and city before calculating a total average score out of ten, so you can visit a UK town or city with confidence that you can dine out with plenty of choice.
Top 20 UK towns and cities that cater for dietary needs
- Oxford
In first place is Oxford, with an impressive overall score of 8.16 out of 10. We discovered that half of all restaurants in Oxford offer vegetarian dishes – the second highest of all UK towns and cities – as well as having the highest percentage of vegan options too with just over 32% of its restaurants offering vegan dishes.
Not only that, Oxford also has the second highest percentage of gluten-free options with 30% of restaurants supplying gluten-free foods. If you are a veggie, vegan, or have other food allergies, Oxford is without doubt a city where you will be able to dine knowing you’re well catered for.
- Cambridge
Cambridge ranks in second place with a score of 7.95 out of 10. Of its 529 restaurants, 51% of them have vegetarian options, which is the highest in the UK. Almost a third of restaurants in the city serve vegan food. Cambridge is currently home to 26 Indian restaurants that cater to either vegetarians, vegans, or serve gluten-free dishes.
One visitor took to TripAdvisor to praise a local Indian restaurant (Taj Tandoori), commenting:
“We were a mixed group and contained a high proportion of vegetarians and vegans. We were made incredibly welcome by Syed and the rest of the team - great humoured and incredibly attentive. The restaurant's atmosphere and décor were lovely. Amazing value and delicious food - with many veggie and vegan options.”
- Norwich
Just behind Cambridge in third place is Norwich, a city in Norfolk known for its historic cobbled streets and modern architecture. It is also one of only a handful of UK cities which has two cathedrals! Norwich finished third in our rankings, with a score of 6.46 out 10. The city in the East of England is particularly accommodating for those with gluten sensitivities with almost one in three restaurants (30%) having menus with dedicated gluten-free food options.
Whether you’re a vegetarian, vegan or have specific allergies, the city offers an array of different dining options that ensure everyone can enjoy a delicious meal.
The most catered for diets
To complete our index we analysed the dietary options of over 34,000 restaurants and quick bites venues across the UK through TripAdvisor. We discovered that of all the special diets, these four are the most catered for:
Joanna Jagiello, marketing director at The Barcode Warehouse, comments on the findings:
“It’s great to see that vegetarian options are becoming increasingly available, and I think with 40% of UK restaurants catering for this dietary requirement, it is encouraging to see that businesses are offering a more varied menu. However, I do believe with other diets, such as gluten-free, we still have some way to go to ensure people are well catered for and have better options when dining out.
“With cities like Oxford and Cambridge having so many restaurants that offer such a variety of food options it does show that food inclusivity is going in the right direction and things are improving.
“I hope our research can go some way to helping show the bigger picture of the current UK food industries' food options for people with dietary requirements.”
Top 20 UK towns and cities with the best venues for dietary needs
Although some UK towns and cities have a reasonable number of venues catering to different diets, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are serving good quality food.
To find out which areas have the best venues that cater to special diets, we analysed Tripadvisor ratings taking into account only those locations with a rating of 4* and above.
- Milton Keynes
In first place with an almost perfect score of 9.95 out of 10 is Milton Keynes. Well known for its roundabouts and shopping centre, Milton Keynes only recently obtained city status in May 2022. The newly recognised city has 322 restaurants and quick bite venues and vegetarians will be pleased to know that over half of the high-quality venues cater to their diet. The city is also home to 40 pizzerias with 13 of them making a gluten-free pizza.
One customer took to TripAdvisor to praise a local pizzeria (Amore Pizzeria), saying:
“I have ordered several times from this pizzeria. Its home delivery service is fast and easy to order in your APP, it has very good special discounts. I have also been to pick up there and the staff is friendly. The gluten-free pizzas are really delicious, the pizza dough is the best. The ingredients are of quality. Amore is without a doubt one of the best pizzerias in Milton Keynes.”
- Oxford
Home to the oldest university in the English-speaking world, Oxford ranks second in our list for the most high-quality food establishments. With an impressive score of 6.90 out of 10, students and residents alike will be able to enjoy a range of options that are from the créme de la créme.
Of the 575 restaurants and quick bite venues that are rated highly in the city, a whopping 233 of them cater for veggies and 185 of them cater to vegans.
One diner who visited Oxford with family shared her experience of a local Caribbean restaurant (Spiced Roots), saying:
“We were a mixed group and contained a high proportion of vegetarians and vegans. We were made incredibly welcome by Syed and the rest of the team - great humoured and incredibly attentive. The restaurant's atmosphere and décor were lovely. Amazing value and delicious food - with many veggie and vegan options.”
- Cambridge
Cambridge finishes in third place in our table, with a respectable score of 6.12 out of 10. Allergy sufferers and those adhering to certain diets will find themselves with plenty of diverse and inclusive options on the table (pun intended). If you are looking for some good quality vegan restaurants you are in the right place; more than a quarter of eateries cater to those that avoid all animal products, including meat, dairy and eggs.
Which city is the best for which dietary requirement?
If you have an allergy or follow a special diet, it’s not always straightforward when dining out. It can be challenging to get the correct information for ingredients and sometimes food establishments just do not have it - or worse, give out wrong information.
This part of our research breaks down which cities specialise in catering to certain diets best.
Vegetarians
For vegetarians, we discovered that Cambridge is your best bet. The city on the River Cam in the east of England has the highest percentage of restaurants that offer vegetarian food on their menus. Veggies should also look at visiting Oxford if they are looking for a city with a high percentage of eateries serving meat-free dishes, as half of the establishments in this city serve vegetarian meals. One other vegetarian hot spot is Westminster, London; 48% of establishments in the area serve plant-based foods.
The standout UK city for highly rated restaurants catering to the vegetarian diet is Milton Keynes, where 51% of the most acclaimed eateries in the city offer veggie dishes on their menus.
Vegans
The vegan diet can be hard to follow, especially if you’re new to the lifestyle. When you are looking to dine out, the cities where you will be most catered for are surprisingly the same two that have the highest percentage of vegetarian restaurants - Oxford and Cambridge. Our analysis also reveals Bristol as a city boasting an array of establishments offering vegan food. More than a quarter (27.86%) of eateries cater to the vegan diet there.
Vegans looking for a city or town with a healthy number of high-quality restaurants should consider visiting Milton Keynes, as almost a third (32.92%) of their top-rated food establishments have vegan dishes on the menu.
Gluten-free
Individuals with a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease cannot eat many traditional foods and although there are gluten-free alternatives and interesting substitutes on the market, the percentage of restaurants offering a gluten-free dining experience is low, which can make it a frustrating experience for those individuals to eat out.
Encouragingly from our analysis, we identified Luton as the go-to place if you are gluten-free. Just under a third of all food establishments there cater to the diet. The town in Bedfordshire is home to a variety of eateries covering a wide range of cuisines from Thai to seafood and although the availability of gluten-free offerings will vary, there are several places in Luton that are certainly worth a visit.
Both Oxford and Cambridge have embraced the growing demand for gluten-free dining options too, with over a quarter of eateries in both cities offering gluten-free food options on their menus.
In terms of places in the UK with the highest percentage of top-rated venues that cater towards gluten sensitivity, it is Milton Keynes which comes out top once again!
Halal
In the UK we are lucky to have such a diverse population with people from a wide range of different cultures and backgrounds. In England and Wales, Muslims currently make up around 6.5% of the total population, with many choosing to adhere to a strict Halal diet (food that’s permissable under Islamic law).
Although this diet is becoming more widely catered for in the hospitality industry, our research shows that even the top city, Bradford, only had around 15% of accommodating venues. The city in West Yorkshire also has the highest percentage of quality restaurants offering halal foods too.
Two other UK cities with a high percentage of eateries offering Halal food are Birmingham and Preston. Census data on ethnicity reveals Birmingham is one of the first ‘super diverse’ cities in the UK where citizens from ethnic minorities make up more than half the population.
The UK cities with the best and worst food hygiene ratings
Food hygiene is crucial for customers' safety, especially for those with dietary requirements and allergies due to the risks involved with cross-contamination and, in some cases, it can result in a life-or-death situation.
In England, Northern Ireland and Wales, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) gives businesses a rating from zero to five which has to be displayed on their premises and online. This helps consumers make informed choices about where to buy and eat food. A rating of zero means urgent improvement is required and five means the hygiene standards are very good. Anything rated two and under needs improvement.
Looking at the individual food hygiene ratings per city, our research highlights Ipswich as the area with the most eateries with a grading of five. In fact, more than eight in ten establishments have been recognised for meeting this standard.
Ranking in second place and third place are Nottingham and Bournemouth, as can be seen in the table below.
When we look at the cities with the highest percentage of restaurants with a four or five hygiene rating, again it is Ipswich that comes out on top with an impressive overall percentage of 92%.
Bournemouth ranks in second place with 88% of its establishments holding a four or five hygiene rating and Swindon makes third place (87%).
Looking at the other end of the spectrum, the city with the highest percentage of unhygienic restaurants in the UK is Birmingham; around 7% of its restaurants and quick bite venues have a food hygiene rating of two or under.
The table below shows the ten cities with the worst food hygiene grading:
How to choose the right food labelling solutions to keep customers safe
Choosing the right food labelling solutions for your business in the food and beverage industry is paramount, enabling workers to serve food in full confidence and eliminating the risk of potentially serious food-borne illness, or allergic reactions.
Here are our top hospitality solutions:
Consider using mobile computers
Equipping employees with mobile computers and temperature-sensing equipment ensures food safety is regulated at critical control points by recognising any potential issues before they can become a problem. Mobile computers will also help to ensure product quality excellence from when the goods are received at the loading dock to just before the customers eat.
Quality labels with detailed information
All pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) products need to clearly display the name of the food and a full list of all ingredients. Any allergens must be highlighted within the ingredients list by printing them in bold or a different colour, for example. We recommend high-quality printed labels with card printers compatible with food product label design software to stay compliant with Natasha’s Law.
Implement a food safety management system
Touch-screen computers and rugged tablets help keep you compliant with legislation and manage your risk assessments, daily food safety records and delegate tasks. They are also designed to withstand the fast pace of food service operations and exposure to liquid spills and temperature extremes.
Joanna Jagiello adds:
“The right labelling solutions are key to achieving compliance with Natasha’s law, so customers can see clearly accurate information about all the ingredients in the food on sale.
“From our research, we found that almost half (47%) of businesses don’t have a labelling solution in place to address Natasha’s law which means there is still a long way to go before full transparency is achieved between venues and their customers.”
Methodology
We identified the top 50 most populated towns in the UK - excluding Scotland - and analysed Tripadvisor for how many ‘restaurants’ and ‘quick bite venues’ in each town and city had vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and halal food options on the menu.
Once we had collated all the data we worked out the percentage of dietary requirement food options in each town and city before calculating a total average score out of 10, so you can visit a UK town or city with confidence that you can dine out.
To discover how we can help with your food labelling solutions, get in touch on our hospitality technology solutions page.
