Tom Youngman

An Hypothesis on British Food Culture

British food is pretty shit. We have to admit it: as a nation, our national eating habits are poor. Roast dinners and shepherds’ pie can only take you so far, and even these dishes rely heavily on potatoes which haven’t been in the British Isles all that long. It wouldn’t be that bad, but from my perspective is has seriously exacerbated the environmental impact - and quality - of food in the United Kingdom.

As culture became globalised in the 20th century, people began to experience and consequently covet the way people ate in other parts of the world - especially the Mediterranean diet. The caveat to this is that the Mediterranean diet relies on fresh produce and on high-quality, in season goods - produce that just doesn’t grow well in Britain. Resigned to the fact that British food was appalling, British produce was abandoned too, with different fruit and vegetables shipped in from across the world.

On top of the massive carbon cost of this, this causes this food to lose the critical factor that makes the Mediterranean diet so appealing - it’s freshness. Rather than trying to recreate that element with the resources we had at hand we attempted to recreate the Mediterranean food quite literally.

Luckily this trend is now reversing. Farmers are seeing traditional British vegetables, such as squash, become increasingly popular as people become aware of the environmental impact of what they are consuming. A rise in food quality is inevitable.