London water is hard. It offers all kettles an abundance of limescale and your clothes get harsh treatment in the laundry. Having said that, London’s water is actually drinkable and, dare I say it.... TASTY to drink. (hey, I like it, and it’s my blog)
London water is supplied by a few companies, mainly Thames Water. It is sourced from the River Thames and the River Lea, also from underground sources. There are tons of walks and talks about rivers in London, but that isn’t the purpose of this particular blog.
I’m here to talk about drinking water in London. First of all... yes you can. It’s perfectly safe and generally causes no problem to drink. (this isn’t Mexico or India, you will not get a stomach ache from it)
When you are in a restaurant, you may want to drink water. I like drinking water because I’m frugal and I need to stay hydrated, and I am currently counting calories, so I don’t need to drink any more sugar. You need to make a distinction between what kind of water you want. Still or Sparkling? Tap or bottled?
Tap water is free. It’s required to be served when asked, so if you want to drink free water in a restaurant, you need to ask for TAP WATER. If you want bottled water, you can specify STILL BOTTLED or SPARKLING BOTTLED water. You will generally not find free sparkling water. (if you dine at Yo! Sushi, you will see they have still and sparkling water on tap at your fingertips. It is not free.)
Often in a pub, I will decided not to drink alcohol, and I will order something a bit more festive than just tap water. In this instance, I will ask for A PINT SODA WATER and I will offer a hand gesture that looks like I am using the fountain tap. I do this because otherwise I may get bottled soda water.. which is served in small quantities. You will be charged for this, so make the most of it and ask for a splash of LIME CORDIAL or BLACKCURRANT. It’s tasty!
If you are want to remain hydrated, you can carry a bottle with you and fill it up around town. In The City, there are many fountains that are available to fill up. However, they are sometimes hard to spot. I have often asked a coffee shop to fill up my water. There is a scheme around town to help encourage businesses to offer tap refills, but I have found that a smile and a polite request will often get you a free refill of London tap water, especially if you are eating/purchasing something else.
If you happen to make a cup of tea in a hotel kettle, don’t look in the kettle. The limescale residue will put you off. Also, if you leave the tea in the cup for a while, you may see limescale floating on top. It’s not glamourous, but it isn’t poisonous either. Drink up.... you’re a Londoner now!