Monday
- Poha with peas, curry leaves and limeturmeric flattened rice · curry leaf and pea · lime and peanut
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Leicester: its food, and a week to cook at home.
Gujarati and Punjabi sweet shops on the Golden Mile, and the cheese and pies of the county around it.
The photograph is AI-generated.
What people eat here
Dishes from Leicester
No. 1
The Golden Mile
Belgrave Road is lined with Indian restaurants, sweet shops and sari shops. Its Diwali lights are one of the largest Diwali celebrations outside India.
No. 2
Indian sweets
Barfi, jalebi and gulab jamun are bought by the box for Diwali and weddings.
No. 3
Red Leicester
A mild, orange cheese first made on Leicestershire farms, coloured with annatto.
No. 4
Melton Mowbray pork pie
Made in and around the Leicestershire market town. It is a protected food name.
What grows here, and when
Squash and root vegetables in autumn, for warm dals and sabzi.
Leicestershire is dairy and farming country; Stilton may be made here too.
Seven days, seven menus
A sample week from our recipes
A week to cook at home that suits Leicester and its seasons, using only recipes on this site. Each day reads in the order you eat.
Tuesday
- Besan chilla, savoury gram flour pancakesgolden gram flour · tomato and red onion · fresh coriander
- Kachumber saladcrisp cucumber · ripe tomato · lemon and cumin
Wednesday
- Punjabi chana masala with basmati ricespiced chickpeas · slow tomato gravy · fragrant basmati
- Soft wholemeal chapatiwholemeal atta · puffed on a hot pan · soft and warm
Thursday
- Crisp onion bhajiscrisp red onion · spiced gram flour · lemon
- Rajma, Punjabi kidney bean curryslow cooked kidney beans · tomato and ginger · kasuri methi
- Jeera rice with toasted cumintoasted cumin · long grain basmati · fresh coriander
Friday
- Ploughman's plate with quick pickled onionsmature cheddar · crusty bread · pink pickled onions
Saturday
- Tarka dal with jeera ricegolden lentils · sizzling garlic tarka · cumin rice
- Cucumber and mint raitacool cucumber · toasted cumin · garden mint
Sunday
- Roast chicken thighs with leeks and potatoesgolden chicken thighs · sweet roast leeks · crisp potatoes
- Garlicky spring greens with lemonspring greens · golden garlic · lemon
- Gajar halwa, slow cooked carrot puddingslow cooked carrot · cardamom milk · pomegranate
Our gajar halwa is a classic Indian sweet for Diwali. We have no recipe yet for pork pie.
Meal plans that suit Leicester
Nearby
Facts checked on 27 October 2026.