Although Malta is little more than a three-hour hop on the plane from the UK, it can feel like it’s a million miles away if you’re craving home.
Here’s where you can go in Malta to get that little taste of Britishness that you’re craving, to cure your homesickness.
Take afternoon tea
There’s nothing quite so quintessentially English as an exquisite afternoon tea, complete with delicate finger sandwiches, freshly-baked scones (with jam and clotted cream, of course), delectable cakes and a pot of your favourite tea, all served in the prettiest china crockery. Malta has a few establishments that claim to serve a proper British afternoon tea, but one of them is Flora’s Café in Naxxar.
Grab a pint
If tea is not your thing, perhaps another British institution of hitting the pub may be more up your street. Serving everything from real ales, specialist whiskies, to a classic pint of lager, there are a number of British-style pubs across Malta that can cater for your every mood. Whilst there are many Irish, Scottish and English pubs scattered throughout St Julian’s, closer still is the Bridge Bar at the Radisson Blu Resort, St, Julian’s where you can get a refreshing taste of home in the comfortable and welcoming surroundings.
Eat British breakfast, lunch and dinner
Like the Maltese, the British have a number of dishes that are essential parts of the culture and indulging in this comfort food will transport you home like little else. Many of Malta’s cafes and restaurants offer a classic English breakfast that includes bacon, sausages, eggs and baked beans, for starters. For lunch you could have a traditional bangers and mash or battered fish and chips which feature widely on menus across Malta, and why not have a classic roast dinner in the evening, with meat, roast potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire puddings, gravy and all the trimmings, available at most British pubs, particularly those in St Julian’s and Bugibba.
Hit the shops
To beat the homesick blues, a shopping trip in Sliema could be just the remedy. The British High Street, typically teaming with shops of all kinds that offer bargains as well as high-quality goods, is an image that is synonymous with British culture. Malta can help you here too. Sliema is regarded by many as Malta’s British High Street, with a pedestrianised street that includes many familiar shops that can also be found in the UK.
Stroll through the gardens
Britain is well-known for its plentiful public gardens, that are beautifully maintained and may be adjoined to palaces or stately homes. Luckily, Malta also has several gardens fitting this description. To feel like you’re in the British summertime, take a leisurely stroll through San Anton Gardens in Attard, a vast public garden that sits in the grounds of the stunning San Anton Palace, and is home to the President of Malta as well as Queen Elizabeth II whenever she visits the islands. How’s that for close to home?
