I asked the people of Birmingham what their favourite local dish is & got some tasty replies

Birmingham has a rich culinary offering. Nowadays hosting a wide range of restaurants celebrating food from across the world which often take centre stage - with exciting dishes from Korea, Japan, Syria and France to name just a few of the international cuisines avaialble on our doorsteps.

But Brum and the wider the West Midlands region also has it’s own cullianry heritage dating back centuries. There’s faggots, grey peas and bacon, orange chips, Shrewsbury cakes, pork scratchings and bacon cakes - and, of course, the balti.

I visited the streets of Birmingham City Centre to find out what local dishes local people like best - and also to find out, if an eatery dedicated to the West Midlands cuisine were to open here, would Brummies frequent; or are they happy to stick to more exotic options?

Sarah says: “So fish and chips in a good bread roll - not a barm, not a cob - a bread roll or a bap at a push. Preferably lots of salt and vinegar, preferably wrapped in newspaper, preferably from somewhere in Harborne because I reckon they do the best in the city. But there’s loads of good food around Birmingham.”

Lauren says: “Pork scratchings is one of my favourites, I absolutely love that I remember as a child going into social clubs and different places with my parents and, you know, being treated to something like pork scratchings. So definitely that would be something that reminds me of my childhood and something that’s, you know, familiar to me.”

Tony says: “People like to have a good balti, in the Balti Triangle in Ladypool Road and even as far as Sutton, lots of amazing curry houses that cater for Birmingham people. And so, people love to eat an Indian curry, very Birmingham, Birmingham Balti!”

Des says: “Well, funnily enough, if a restaurant like that (one dedicatd to Birmingham food) opened, I would treat that as a night out. Like the Black Country, for instance - and I know I’m going out of Birmingham now - but the Black Country, the Pie Factory, we like to go there.

“And the Sausage Factory. Yeah, we like to go there for a night out. I know it’s different cuisine, but it’s different. It’s not something we have daily. So yes, I would go to that restaurant. It’d be a treat for the family.”