NATION OF NOSH

Once the culinary laughing stock of Europe, Blighty's come a long way since the prawn cocktail. To celebrate our first ever UK issue, we meet the farmers, chefs and game-changers putting British fare on the map

Britain’s time as the culinary pariah of Europe is over

Once upon a time, atop the rolling hills of Britain, there was a local restaurant. If you could look beyond decor reminiscent of your nan’s living room and a menu where 85% of the dishes could be described as ‘stuff in breadcrumbs’, you might have been lucky enough to enjoy three courses of the kind of fare you could have made at home. Yes, we can take credit for the Spice Girls, Stormzy and sarcasm, but when it comes to cuisine, the British have endured decades of being the butt of the joke. Eating out invariably involved chicken floating in a mush masquerading as ‘korma’, fish and chip Fridays were tainted with the residue of inky headlines and the most divisive debate in the culinary arena was whether scones should be topped with clotted cream or jam first. But a quiet revolution has been taking place in UK kitchens. World-renowned cookery schools are churning out chefs hungry for innovation, and years of immigration have given us one of the most diverse food scenes in the world. The Great British menu is being rewritten – and we’re having the last laugh. ‘In the past, British food was certainly seen as a bit of a joke,’ says Stefan Chomka, editor of Restaurant magazine. ‘But today, we have one of the most vibrant and eclectic restaurant scenes internationally.’ The proof is in the pudding. When it comes to Michelin stars, the UK now rates fifth globally, and some of the world’s greatest chefs are flocking to these shores for a slice of the action. Don’t believe us? Take your taste buds on a trip through Blighty to find the best that the nation’s food scene now has to offer.