The rich landscape of the Forest of Dean and the Cotswolds makes Gloucestershire primarily a rural county, dotted with a handful of prosperous towns like Cheltenham. The River Severn is famous for its salmon and elvers (young eels as thin as spaghetti). These are an exceedingly rare treat, but worth looking out for.

The county's cheesemakers are an inventive bunch, and we mustn't forget the now-famous Gloucester Old Spot pig - a breeding success story and a delicacy eagerly snapped up by chefs across the land.