Eating British/Irish Food in the Lehigh Valley

When it comes to the cuisine of Britain and Ireland, there are three restaurants in the Lehigh Valley that immediately spring to my mind: St James Gate at the Sands, Braveheart Highland Pub in Hellertown and McCarthy's Tea Room at Donegal Square.

St James Gate is a little more upscale with delicious food, but the limited hours of operation keep me from visiting more often. Braveheart is where I go when I'm in the mood for traditional pub atmosphere. McCarthy's is my go to place for a more quiet experience. All three are places I'd recommend. I've yet to develop a clear preference for one over the others.

The one I've been to most recently is McCarthy's Tea Room. I'd had dessert and coffee there before, but never a whole meal. I was hoping to try Welsh rarebit, but that's not available all the time. Instead, I opted for a traditional English breakfast. My husband ordered shepherd's pie from the lunch part of the menu. He also ate my white and black pudding and mushrooms. I'm a much less adventurous eater than he is.

Pictured: traditional English breakfast consisting of eggs, white and black pudding, banger, ham, mushrooms, grilled tomato and fried bread

Pictured: shepherd's pie, peas and bread
As much as I love getting dessert at McCarthy's, I had to pass because my meal was so filling. I did buy an assortment of scones to take home. Like everything else, they were very tasty.

It's been a while since I visited England, Wales and Scotland, but eating at any of these three places reminds me of one of the reasons I enjoyed visiting there so much. Food doesn't have to be fancy to be good, it just has to be prepared well.