Apropos this thread I broke the habit of a lifetime and cooked a roast in August. We had roast chicken, goose fat roast potatoes, green beans with almonds and garlic, cavolo nero, carrots cooked in butter, sausage meat stuffing, bread sauce, and gravy. I even made a plum and raspberry crumble with homemade custard for pudding.
It was truly delicious. I think those being a bit sniffy about British food just haven't had decent food cooked for them. No-one is sniffy about Italian food, but it's essentially very simple food that celebrates the ingredients, and British food done well does the same.
My chicken was free-range organic from a farm down the road, all my vegetables and fruit came in my veg box from a local farm, the sausage for my stuffing was also locally produced. Likewise the milk, cream and butter I used.
Britain has suffered in some ways over the last 60 years from an industrialisation of its food processes, people have become more reliant on packaged food, but that's not just a British problem.
There's a huge resurgence in slow, local food in this country, we have some world-class ingredients and when done well, traditional British food is as interesting and delicious as French or Italian, or any other country's native cuisine.
We also do fusion very well, we don't tend to stick to a very rigid and classical idea of our food heritage. We are a culinary melting-pot.
I agree it's easy to get poorly cooked food here, but it is the world over if you don't do your research.
Britain is considered to be one of the best food destinations in the World, you just might not always be eating traditional British food, but all the world-class restaurants here are certainly using British ingredients. Open your mind!