Food
The food on the islands is very British in character with much use made of the homegrown vegetables, local lamb, mutton, beef and fish. Portions are habitually on the generous side with smoko – homemade cakes and biscuits with tea or coffee – being enjoyed in the gaps between meals. Diddle-dee jam and teaberry jam can sometimes be found, the latter being more seasonal and the former often sold in the shops in Stanley. Homemade soup with fresh homemade bread is a common meal at lunchtime and is often welcome after a morning spent wildlife watching.
For those looking for something a little different upland goose pâté is available as a starter in some restaurants with toothfish (Patagonian sea bass) also a popular choice for a main course. Other fish options can include locally caught trout and mullet. Outside of Stanley there is nowhere to eat out other than the lodges and the larger guesthouses, and then only by prior arrangement. The range of places to go out for a meal in Stanley is changing all the time, from à la carte through to fish and chips and bar lunches.
Drink
All lodges across the islands are licensed and stock a good range of beers, wines and spirits. The same can be said for the hotels in Stanley. There are also six pubs in Stanley, which are open between 10.00 and 23.00 on Monday to Thursday, between 10.00 and 23.30 on Friday and Saturday and between 12.00 and 14.00, and again between 18.00 and 22.30, on Sundays.
Most alcohol is imported into the islands and, despite the transport costs, drinks are not as expensive as might be expected owing to the differing tax levy between the islands and the UK, the main source of the imported drink. Draught beer is now brewed on the islands by Falkland Beerworks again after a short-lived brewery in the late 1980s. This Stanley-based brewery opened in 2012 and has been producing four beers: ‘Rock Hopper’, a natural blonde at 4.2% ABV; ‘Longdon Pride’, a best bitter at 4.2% ABV; ‘Peat Cutter’, an oatmeal stout that is a little stronger at 5.5% ABV; and ‘Black Tarn’, a dark mild at 3.4% ABV. More recently, they have added ‘Iron Lady’, an IPA (India pale ale) at 5% ABV to their list. Some of these are available on draught in the Victory Bar and at the Malvina House Hotel in Stanley, with bottled beers available at the Waterfront Hotel. Stocks can run low after visits from the larger cruise ships to Stanley.