British Food is Bad - A Myth or Reality
That British food is bad has long been the butt of jokes for its supposed poor food, lack of imagination, stodgy puddings and weak tea. Not anymore. By exploding some of the myths surrounding it you'll discover - British food rules!
With a history of wartime rationing, industrialization and now, the dominating giant supermarkets it is no surprise where the false impression of British food comes from.
Like anywhere else in the world, there is good and bad. French ex-President Jacques Chirac’s comment “One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad” may have been his personal view on British food; in response, I have even found bad food in France (sacre bleu). The delusion that our food is bad comes from misconceiving what passes off for British food, not what British food is.
The Brits only eat fish and chips and roast beef and the Scots, porridge and haggis? The Irish live on potatoes and the Welsh, leeks.
Yeah, well some of it’s true we do, but we also eat many other foods. British food is flooded with other goods; meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, breads, fresh fish and seafood. The repertoire of British food includes glorious puddings, pies, pasties, breads, soups, stews and who was it that invented the sandwich and where else will you find a delicious Afternoon Tea?
All of this culminates together in a cuisine steeped in history with a strong food heritage. British food is also diverse. It has encompassed and absorbed the food of many other cultures; Chicken Tikka Masala is considered the 3rd national dish of England.
In recent years the need to know the provenance of our food has become a major factor in choosing and cooking British food. The explosion of cookery programs on TV, cookbooks, celebrity chefs (love them or hate them they do get the message out there) has also raised the profile of British food and cooking.
The British only eat carrots, peas, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.
Oh and let’s add to that, the misconception that we also cook each of them for a minimum of 30 minutes and usually mash them before eating.
As both Great Britain and Ireland are mainly agricultural countries we do produce more than just the above.
Here’s just a few
Artichoke | asparagus | aubergine | beetroot | broad beans | broccoli | brussels sprouts | butternut squash | carrots | cauliflower | celeriac | celery | chicory | courgettes | cucumber | fennel | French beans | garlic | jersey royal new potatoes | jerusalem artichoke | kale | kohlrabi | leeks | mangetout | marrow | new potatoes | onions | parsnips | peas | peppers | potatoes | purple sprouting broccoli | radishes | rhubarb | rocket | runner beans | sorrel | spinach | spring onions | swede | sweetcorn | turnips | watercress | wild mushrooms | apples | apricots| blackberries | blueberries | cherries | chestnuts | cranberries | damsons | elderberries | elderflowers | figs | gooseberries | grapes | greengages | kiwi fruit |loganberries | melons | nectarines | oranges | passion fruit | peaches | pears | plums | pomegranate | quince | raspberries | redcurrants | strawberries | tomatoes | walnuts.
Enough said!
As for the cooking of the above. Back whenever (too long to remember) it was a national joke that before the Sunday roast was placed in the oven the vegetables would be put on to boil. Thankfully those days have gone and you will find most veg are now steamed, or have the minimum amount of cooking to keep their freshness and nutritional value. Thank goodness for education.
It may have been true 30 years ago, British restaurants consisted of mainly steak houses with the ubiquitous steak, chips and onion rings but thankfully those days are long gone. And it’s not just in London. Throughout the British Isles and Ireland great places to eat are everywhere and the best way to find them is in a recommended guidebook.
Dropping on a good place to eat will still need luck so best to let someone else do the research for you.
The great British pub sadly is in decline. Most publicans find that sales from drinks alone no longer pay the bills. Many have turned into gastro-pubs where food is the emphasis, and the community spirit which held a pub together has moved away making room for more tables. But through the UK and Ireland decent proper pubs can be found and again, if you don’t know a good local use one of the good Pub guides to find one.
I agree this one is confusing and to add to the confusion, it varies across the British Isles. The choice of which word is often considered an indicator of social class in Britain.
Here’s a quick translator of British mealtimes.
- Breakfast – also called brekkie, the same everywhere.
- Elevenses – morning coffee break
- Lunch - in some areas called dinner. Sunday lunch is also often called Sunday dinner, lunch in schools in also referred to as school dinner.
- Afternoon Tea – traditionally eaten around 3 – 4 o Clock.
- Tea – eaten early evening and the main meal of the day (dinner) and is considered a mainly northern working-class term.
- Dinner eaten from early to late evening
- Supper – an evening meal and a snack before bedtime.
- An invitation to supper would mean the arrangement is more casual than an invitation to dinner, which is usually more formal.
