To think traditional English food is overrated?

[ThatJoyousCyanReader]

I’ve always heard people say English food is bland or uncreative, and to be honest, I kind of see their point. Apart from a good roast dinner or fish and chips, what actually stands out? AIBU to think that other cuisines just do it better?

Overrated? That implies that British food is held in high regard which is clearly not the case.

Not fan of the average quality of food you can get in the UK, but it is the price you pay for relatively low prices (in comparison to a lot of EU countries food in the UK is reeeeally cheap) - a lot of it is mass produced and the original recipe has been changed to cut cost at the expense of flavor.

There are a lot of really good recipes and products. What I enjoy in particular:
-different types of pies
-sausages, especially herby ones
-cheese (I looove good cheddar)
-different sandwich fillings
-beer

I am not English. I think that the people who don't like British food have met a lot of lazy cooks or they are lazy cooks themselves. Getting the good stuff takes time and effort whatever the cuisine. A lot of people can't be bothered with the effort it takes to make a good meal and then take a lot of shortcuts. The end product looks similar to the original but is lacking in flavour.
I like flavour and spices, I also like British food.

I agree with some pps that it depends on the ingredients and how it's cooked. I've had some amazing roasts and some terrible ones. Some amazing sausages and some that are a crime against food. Similarly with fish and chips, chocolate cake, curry, pizza... Anything.

I love English food but also love Indian, Chinese, Greek, French.... But I've had bad versions of all of them.

How can it be overrated if everyone thinks it's shit?

I live abroad and I miss proper bacon, Cornish pasties, English sausages - Bratwurst is fine but I would love a proper, good quality English sausage for a change!
I love cottage pie and make it quite often. Not sure why a well made cottage pie is any worse than lasagne or moussaka? I love both of those but I've definitely eaten some very bland lasagne!

Spices. Where are the spices ? Everyone has difference palates. Mine craves spice and interest so English food is far too bland for me.

Roast shoulder of lamb is comforting and can be delicious but is it exciting ? Unfortunately not and I like my food to excite my palate.

I genuinely don’t think any country apart from maybe the French can compare with British baking (I include the Austrians in that) or puddings. For mains, yes, some other countries do it better but that doesn’t mean British staples aren’t delicious and varied - it just sounds like you haven’t tried much!

@HelloPossible

yes. Sounds boring and bland.

With any it was needs good quality, fresh ingredients

Re spices - not everyone likes spices. I don’t. Some peoples taste buds have been wrecked by spices and can’t taste the nuances of tasty food.
Due to a medical condition I have no sense of smell and very little sense of taste. This means if I eat a spicy dish I only get the heat (to me it’s a burn) and not any of the flavour. So to me a lot of spice ruins a meal for me. I like a veg biriani as that’s not spicy.
What I don’t understand is that the French are not pilloried for preferring their cuisine to others yet if I say I prefer English/British food I’m often mocked or worse - people feel sorry for me in a patronising manner.
My kids love lots of different dishes including spicy foods but still love my dinners.

Has no one mentioned any traditional Scottish dishes yet? I love Cullen skink, stovies (made with square, not links or leftover roast beef... side eyeing Aberdeen) and, skirlie and black pudding. I'm not a huge fan of haggis but not because I'm squeamish about what it's made from, I just find it a bit rich!

As for English food, I'm not a massive fan of a roast dinner, I just find it a bit plain.
Shepards pie and fish and chips are delicious.

Absolutely detest a trifle, summer pudding, bread and butter pudding or any others of a similar nature

We do loads of good foods - often stodgy due to our history of food scarcity and because of what grows well here.

A good Steak and ale pie.
A good - not a carvery - roast dinner.
Sticky toffee pudding
Scone with cream and strawberry jam
Rabbit pie
Stilton
Proper cheddar
In fact any of our cheeses - of which there are a LOT.
Sausage roll
Treacle tart
The sandwich
A crispy jacket potato
Cornish pasty

There are some amazing Scottish foods, but the OP specifically said English food is crap so presumably actually likes Scottish and Welsh cuisine.

There's lots of herbs in there. It was a Spring menu, if I'm cooking British food in spring, I wouldn't use spices, plenty of lovely fresh herbs though. I was looking for clean, fresh flavours.

But that doesn't make @BritishFoodFan's meal terrible cooking. It just isn't to your taste.

I dislike shellfish, but the rest of her menu sounds amazing.

Perhaps eating spicy food all the time has dulled your tastebuds to the extent that you simply can't taste more subtle flavours?

I think British food is underrated actually. I have been to France many times, yes their food is refined but of all the French cheese I have eaten, extra mature cheddar is still king.

Our baking is top tier too. Traditional food (roast, toad in hole, pies) can be amazing if done well.

Also, what’s important is our cuisine evolves to include dishes from other nations. So, I would say that British food these days also includes; Thai green curry, Indian curry, pizza, spaghetti Bol and Mexican as well as other dishes.

Sometimes people like to taste the actual food not just cover it up with spice.

All of those foods have lots of flavour already - herbs, garlic, stock, shallots etc.

YABU. English food done well is good, English food done badly isn't. But that's the same with most cuisines.

I'd say Asian and African food is the most overrated. Curry for instance is awful, it's just a lazy slop. Any dish with rice is disgusting. Sushi I can handle but equally I'd be fine with never having it again. I'd be interested in trying whale meat if I was in a country where it was legal but that in itself doesn't mean much, since I live in a country where it is banned and I've never tried it.

I think British, German and American food is the most underrated, mainly because it's not fashionable to support anything that originates in those places.

I don't remember 'English' food just being roast dinners and cottage pie when I was growing up in London, my Mum had this English cook book and I had quite a few savoury dishes with cream in them e.g chicken and pear casserole made with cream. Pork chops and homemade apple sauce but also a pork and cider casserole and another pork and cream dish. I had more fish than the average British household because of the scandi influence on my Grandma's side.

My Dad grew lots of vegetables and some fruits like Rhubarb so I remember lots of stewing of that and boiling of beetroot, lots of mackerel, crab in the summer.

I think the issue is that the "flavouring" of most of these English dishes is carbs/fat/salt or carbs/fat/sugar. Which absolutely can hit the spot when you're in need of comfort food but ultimately that isn't flavoursome. Other cultures that have been blessed with a wider variety of foods, spices etc thus have more interesting flavour profiles to their food than do the "traditional" English dishes.

Amazing to me people find in season vegetables like Jersey Royals boring and bland. Fresh produce is the key for me. I do cook things with spice but in season quality produce is what I love the most. Have eaten some of the best tomato’s ever last summer - on the vine British ones.

Beef stew with dumplings with creamy mashed potatoes and green veg is heaven on a plate. Especially if made with ox cheeks

I agree.

I can’t eat spicy food. Even mild savoury spices are a real problem to me. I also can’t eat pasta. This means I mostly eat British food. I find that when poor quality ingredients are used, the go to fix is to add savoury spices. This is a lazy way to overcome a lack of flavour. “Bland” is a subjective adjective and most seem to use it to describe something that isn’t spicy. It’s definition is unseasoned and mild tasting and if you’ve had a decent stew, that doesn’t describe it. Adding red wine, stout etc gives a real depth of flavour as can using sweet spices such as cinnamon. As a non savoury spice eater, I’ve had to get creative in the kitchen. Nothing I cook is bland.

People complain it is carb laden and stodgy. Italian food relies heavily on pasta and bread. Indian food is rice based with the addition of breads on the side. Chinese food is largely noodles and rice. Mexican food uses a lot of corn based items along with all those beans. Carbs are vital to a balanced diet and aren’t all evil all the time. If you are eating stodgy pastry and dumplings, you aren’t cooking them right.

Our local produce is really good quality and when cooked right will give you excellent food.

The flavouring in English foods tends to be more herbs rather than spices and sometimes fruits/berries.

(As well as the carbs and fats salts and sugars)