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History of Bath's Food & Drink
Hospitality has been the "raison d'etre" of Bath since Roman times. In the city's Georgian heyday bustling coaching inns welcomed visitors and offered a base while they found lodgings to stay for the season and the demand for locally produced food and drink soared as the population grew to 30,000. Today's visitor has the same high expectations and the pubs, restaurants and hotels do not disappoint. Located in one of the UK's richest farming areas, chefs are able to use the freshest seasonal ingredients.
There is nothing to compare with the Roman Baths. This sprawling Roman leisure centre includes relgious shrines, temples and the baths themsleves still steaming from the natural spring water as they did for the Romans. The baths were more than just a public bathing place, they were a social centre where friends and family gathered to talk and eat. There is evidence from the writings of Seneca, the Roman philosopher, that the baths resounded with the sound of noisy cake sellers, the sausage man and the confectioner.
Two thousand years after the Romans built their magnificent baths, modern day visitors can dine on the terraces around the steaming Great Bath for the two week durations of the Music Festival in May and during the month of December. On balmy summer evenings in July and August the Roman Baths offer extended opening hours so visitors can soak up the atmosphere by torchlight and then enjoy dinner in the Pump Room next door.
The Pump Room tells an equally fascinating story of life in Bath's Georgian heyday. This elegant room has been at the social heart of the city since 1795. The grand interiors have recently been totially refurbished to restore them to their former glory. With the Pump Room trio playing gently in the background, visitors can take afternoon tea in genteel style. The Pump Room is open throughout the day for light refreshments and the "pumper" is on hand for those who wish to sample the famous spring waters with its potent mix of health giving minerals.
The spring waters can also be drunk at the newly opened Spa Visitor Centre at the Thermae Bath Spa. In the Spa's Springs Cafe and Restaurant, the food is not only designed to be healthy and nutritious but also reflects the Roman origins of the city.
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