English cuisine has for a long time been ridiculed and degraded by those on the European continent. Much of the criticism is fair in the sense that France, Italy and Greece have a culture of making meal times sociable, imaginative and pleasurable. It could be said that in those countries, meals are part of enjoying life, rather than something which has to be fit into a busy schedule.

It isn’t really surprising that England is low down in the standings of the European cuisine league table. There is a link between the culture and the food. England, similar to USA, has a hard working culture. People work long hours, with only short breaks. France has long lunch breaks. Three hours isn’t unheard of. There is more time set aside for eating. This in turn leads to more creativity and greater development of cooking skills.

There is a lot of history which has contributed to where England stands in terms of its food culture.

British Empire

Of course much was learned about in other countries such as tea from China, and curry from India.

Industrial Revolution

The shift towards mechanical industrial methods of production led to many moving to the urban areas. Food often had to be transported long distances from the rural areas. This cost a lot of money and food was expensive for the workers. There was a definite quality issue, with food bulked up with questionable substances. The workers would typically work 12-14 hours each day. Meals would be eaten whilst working, it was not a particularly sociable activity. In contrast, France changed at a slower pace, therefore, their society was better able to adapt. To some degree, things improved in England towards the latter part of the revolution, as wealth “trickled down”, but still, the situation was far from great.

Two World Wars

England, along with the rest of Great Britain, is an island. It was difficult to transport food from abroard during the two World Wars. Merchant Navy ships would have been easy targets. Food was rationed, indeed, this carried on until 1954.

Multiculturalism

Since the 1950s, people came to live and work in Britain, from other continents. This brought about an increase in different eating establishments, such as those offering Chinese and Indian cuisine. These establishments have been embraced, and although not part of English food in the traditional sense, have become regular to the typical eating pattern of English people.

Cultural direction

There has been some effort by celebrity chefs and TV cooks to try and positively influence the understanding and adventure of people in a culinary sense. This has had limited effect. However, through education, people are becoming more aware of the health benefits of eating, for example the Greek mediterranean diet. The obesity epidemic affecting both USA and England is the most important reason why people need to reconsider their eating habits. This is gradually happening, and with it more creative and talented minds will be the result.