To think traditional English food is overrated?

Since prior to the 19th century? A lot of what people class as traditional English food pre-dates this.

Also yes if we think about non trad foods on a thread about traditional foods the possibilities are endless...

Whoever says English food is rubbish, never had decent English food. And I say this as a Mediterranean that the first thing we were taught about England/UK was The Queen and the terrible food.
For me, English is the most delicious comfort food, perfect for rainy weather. A beautifully done pie, the roast, the breakfasts!!!!
And I’m not even going to mention the puddings and desserts.

Importing not being a thing? When?

In the industrial revolution entire towns were built on 'King Cotton' something not grown in the UK.

Rice pudding? Kedgeree?

A lot of things we think of as traditional Mediterranean food isn't traditional. Tomatoes, like potatoes originate in America.

I agree with it being (mostly) bland and stodgy.

But the puddings do make up for It 😉

I agree with this, in no way shape or form is it overrated!

I like it, it's back to basic meat & 2 veg often which in the land of highly processed additive filled food i guess can seem bland. It also incorporates seasonal foods because importing wasn't a thing when it was developed, and yes it's 'stodgy' because the country is cold and damp for a fair amount of the year...

I much prefer Mediterranean food. Pasta, seafood, fresh tomatoes…

No - I love many traditional British dishes. They're no worse or better than other cuisines. They're just largely forgotten, looked down upon by pretentious people and frequently badly done in restaurants.

I love French and Italian food, Mexican dishes and food from the Indian sub-continent. Personally the smell of Thai food makes me retch - I literally have to decline invitations if Thai food is involved. And it all tastes the same!

Different strokes.

I was going to say that's nothing like what Henry VIII ate (potatoes are a good example).

He ate things like spit roasted meat, whale, offal, peacock, grilled beavers tail (good luck getting hold of that) and swan.

Aside from a hog roast at a wedding these traditional offerings simply aren't what we eat now mainly wasnt invented.

Henry also didn't have access to sugar and spices because they'd yet to make it to England, but these became widely available during the Victorian era.

I don't think it's overrated because it's routinely slagged off all over the world.
Compared to some places I've been though, British food is nectar and ambrosia.

Yep I was going to say the same. It’s just a heritage of what has traditionally been grown in England plus wartime added in. The reason Italian & Spanish food is full of Mediterranean veg & olive oil is because it the ingredients grow there. The reason Thai food is so deliciously spicy & fragrant is that the ingredients grow there. And so on. Global trade means ingredients can now be bought & used in food all over the world, and are, but ‘traditional English’ is so because we are on an island with a temperate climate where potatoes & meat were staples.

It entirely depends on the cook. Nothing to do with what country the dish is associated with. I think the "stogyness" that some associate with our food is just down to the fact that we live in a cold climate. And the fact that British classics were originally the food of working class folk, who back in the day, needed more calories as manual workers.

I think the problem is that pretty much all our meals are based around meat, root vegetables and potatoes, so everything tends to look and taste fairly similar.

Everyone has written long lists of food they love but it’s they’re basically the same ingredients mixed up in a different way - not unpleasant, but also not particular exciting either.

Omg! Have we fallen back into the 70s where everyone is knocking 'British food' because we're bored?
But yes, tete de veau, andouilette, quenelle de brouchet, are very tempting areen't they....

English food is bland and boring. I much prefer other cuisines.

I’m not from the uk (Irish) but I actually think the opposite. I think it’s under rated. You can’t really beat a roast dinner or fish and chips. And cheddar cheese is undoubtedly the best cheese ever in my opinion. I actually think French cuisine is a bit over rated. Portugal has some of the best food in Europe and it is under rated too in my opinion.

I still remember that 20 or so years ago my friend came to the UK for the first time to visit me and she was so excited to try the famous fish and chips.
She was so disappointed and underwhelmed, bless her, when in turned out to be just some giant fish finger and potatoes. I don’t know what she thought it’s gonna be tho, but I think she was just excited about the fact to finally try the famous and well heard about British food.

I think English food is underrated.

You're cooking it badly.

If it isn’t cooked well, it is bad. That is the same for all cuisines in the world.

Is English food overrated or do some people have no imagination?

I find British food delicious! And over taking the French these days, particularly in London. Expand your culinary experience op!

It's stodgy because it was created to fill hungry people doing hard manual work in shitty damp, cold weather. It can be done badly and blandly and also very tastily and well.

Do you piss all over other countries traditions and culture in such a xenophobic way or is it only the English who are fair game?

Lisa Faulkner's cauliflower cheese. Simply sublime.

Food is all about good ingredients and how it's cooked.

Henry VIII never ate a potato.

I think we sort of forgot how to cook during WWII due to rationing and shortages.

Shepherd's / cottage pie used to be made with left over meat from the previous day's meal, not mince.

Start with good ingredients and then you can cook something better.

We have fabulous cheeses, dry cured meats, fish both sea and river. If you go to a butcher you will get much better meat. Proper sausages are a thing of beauty.

No one makes pickles and chutneys as well as we do.

If you are buying cheap sausages and mince then your food will be bland.

The rest of the world agrees with you OP