Is English cuisine as
bad as its repuation?

candid analysis
 

My impartial
assessment of
English cuisine

Pre-Industrial Revolution

The average English citizen ate laudable home-cooked food until the Industrial Revolution in the early 1800s.

Migration to cities

Over the next two centuries, numerous country folk moved from their farmhouses to the big cities to work in low-paying factories. They soon lost touch with farmhouse cooking and began eating citified dishes that didn't take long or much money to prepare. This resulted in stodgy, bland, overcooked dishes.

Blame

The problem lay not with agriculture and animal husbandry because England is blessed with enviable farmland and pastures that yield excellent vegetables, fruits, meats and dairy products. The culprits were lackluster cooks and undemanding diners.

In recent decades

The overall English cuisine has improved remarkably because a growing number of home and restaurant cooks are becoming more skilled, passionate and creative in the kitchen.

Educated palates

And, the public at large has become more culinarily discerning because of increased foreign travel fostered by low international airfares. Other factors include the Modern British Cuisine movement, the improved food coverage in newspapers and magazines, the advent of the information-rich internet, and the emergence of celebrity chef TV shows.

Room for improvement

Although the good-food revolution in England has made a significant impact, we must recognize and accept that it has yet to be embraced by the majority of English cooks and eaters. I'm confident this will someday change.

Links to other
English cuisine pages

Famous specialties
English cuisine home page

Test yourself

How many of these major
world cuisines do you know well?

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