The UK was once famous for being food lover's graveyard. Steakhouses, baked beans on toast and tinned spaghetti were the order of the day. 

Food has never been of great interest the average Briton. Pile up a plate of chips some meat and possibly a few peas and that was enough. Food is after all fuel so what was the point of spending hours in the kitchen marinating rabbit, a blanching mange tout and shuffling a soufflé when a tin of mushy peas and a powdered custard would suffice.

Then came the eighties, the poll tax, Mrs. Thatcher, mange tout, Sunday supplements, Dehlia Smith along with a legion of TV chefs and boom, the UK has become a "foody's" paradise. Of course the UK's agricultural system is still based on the fuel concept of food. Consequently the range of local produce is dramatically less than one would find in France and Italy but the supermarkets have seen the potential to earn super profits by selling international produce and although expensive you can get a wide range of fresh fruits at the local supermarket..