You hear it and see it so often. From the outright slanderous attack to damn with faint praise. You hear it from citizens of the world comfortable in their trendy fusion food moverments but also from the British themselves. British food is terrible. Or that is what we are all meant to think.
Recently someone did one of those lighthearted ‘poles’ on facebook asking “what cuisine would you eat for the rest of your life if could only choose one” . For me the answer was simple. I love the various Indian cooking traditions, enjoy Thai, Vietnamese, and American BBQ, I love the Belgian blend of French precision and Flemish heartiness. But really the answer had to be British. A life without fried breakfasts of bacon and black pudding? Unthinkable, no more slow roasted lamb shoulder and roast spuds and sprouts? No way, an end to toad in the hole? Steak and ale pie? Poached salmon and new potatoes? Bloody hell no.
But ofcourse I was the only one. As they say no one ever says they are going out for British, or English or Scots for that matter. Wellington does have a very longstanding Welsh restaurant although I have still never heard anyone say they are going out for Welsh. Everyone has a tale about bad British cookery, overdone dried up meat with boiled till its grey veg , but I can also tell you about stodgy pasta with flavorless ragu , sweet spiceless butter chicken, and Thai green curry that tastes of coconut milk and nothing else. Every cuisine can be done badly.
When I was in England earler this year the food was great. If you look at those travel posts on this site you will see I didnt go to flash restaurants , well just one, I mainly eat in pubs, greasey spoons and from sandwich bars. To do so travelling my own country would not result in nearly as positive an eating experience. But the story is set , the narrative well worn, my countrymen and women will continue to blithely repeat it , British food is terrible .