Why is British food so awful?

British food does not have a good reputation. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, during the Industrial Revolution (150 years ago), many people moved from the countryside to the cities to work in factories. Men and women went out to work, and worked long hours.

There was not much time to prepare food at home, so many of the British food traditions from the countryside were forgotten. Instead, people started to eat ‘meat and two veg’ - simple meals with one portion of meat and two portions of vegetables. Take-away food such as fish and chips (see photo above) and steak and kidney pie with mashed potatoes ('pie and mash') also became popular.

Secondly, during World War 2 food there was very little fresh food. Tinned food (meat, vegetables and fruit in metal cans) became popular. After World War 2 Britain was also influenced by American fast food and frozen food, so people ate less fresh food.

However more recently, many British people have started to travel during their holidays and have become interested in foreign food, especially French and Italian. Britain also has a large number of Indian, Chinese and Turkish restaurants and take-away shops.

People have now started to cook better food at home and it is possible to buy many types of foreign food in British supermarkets. They are more aware of healthy eating habits, so fresh food has become more popular.

What’s the most popular dish in Britain today? Chicken Tikka Massala, a Indian-style dish.