Have a traditional English breakfast,
I’ll have fish and chips,
With Scone’s afternoon tea,
A Sunday roast sustains seven days of satisfaction…
Perhaps this is the whole image many people have of British food.
But in fact,
It’s more British than that.
Cheese is a force for good When you think about cheese, mozzarella and Parmesan, that’s probably the first thing that comes to mind about cheese. But in fact, the UK has one of the most sophisticated cheese markets in the world.
And it’s not just the British love affair with cheese — as well as producing all sorts of cheeses, the UK is also home to some of the most British cheeses, such as Cheddar and Stilton, which are very popular in the international market because of their fruit flavours. Some British cheeses won eight super gold Awards at the 2018 World Cheese Awards.
The development of the dairy industry in the UK depends on the excellent animal husbandry conditions in the UK. On the one hand, the milk production in the UK ranks among the top ten in the world and the top three in Europe. Not only does British cheese taste good, it’s also packed with protein, vitamin A, zinc, calcium and other nutrients. It not only achieves the combination of high quality and good flavor, but also makes British cheese popular in the global market.
In 2018, UK cheese exports to China increased 126% to nearly 2 million tons, with the value of exports up 82% to more than 56 million yuan.
Seafood is the perfect experience
Britain’s long coastline is home to countless delicacies that satisfy diners’ desire for rich choice and ultimate delicacy.
Besides breaded crab, scallops and lobster, which are highly prized by diners, cold smoked salmon is also a great British taste to be missed. British cold-smoked salmon is traditionally produced in a unique way: rock salt is applied to the fish by hand and it is smoked for a long time at a low temperature.
In the pursuit of delicious at the same time, timeliness is the biggest guarantee for the delicious seafood. Britain’s fishing fleet is one of the few in the global fishery that can make it back to port on the same day. Fresh seafood is flown to China as soon as it is caught, arriving in Beijing or Shanghai before being distributed across the country and served on tables. The rest of the seafood is frozen and processed locally in the UK before being shipped to China in six to seven weeks.
The UK Government also encourages Fishing vessels to sign up to the Responsible Fishing Scheme, adhering to the following principles to ensure the quality and safety of seafood: • Seafood as food must be safe, of good quality, hygienic and of clear origin; • Concern for the environment and reasonable fishing; • Encourage innovation and compliance with standards through training and professional development;
Meat starts with farming
The quality of British meat is guaranteed when it is farmed.
In response to growing antimicrobial resistance, the UK has introduced strict controls on the use of antibiotics in livestock production. Governments, veterinary professionals and the pig industry are also advocating to phase out routine prophylactic use of antibiotics.
Legislation was passed to prohibit the stall-and-tether system, to prevent livestock from being kept in cramped cages, and to provide the pigs with haystack and toys such as footballs to satisfy their basic habit of eating and playing.
Animal welfare is the key to the development of the industry, and the gold standard is set from the time of farming to ensure the health and safety of the meat.
gin
Across time, the classic British love affair with gin dates back to the early 17th century. The Dutch concocted the original gin in 1660. Later, King William III of England announced that gin would be used as a palace drink, which also made gin quickly popular in England.
Gin is also known as the “heart of the cocktail”, as 60% of cocktails are based on gin. The word juniper, the main flavor of gin, comes from the Latin Juniperus, meaning “to give youth.” Slightly bitter and crisp taste, seems to perfect interpretation of the taste of youth.
After hundreds of years of heritage and development, English gin has not only retained the classic gin taste, but also some innovation and ingenuity. For example, “color-changing” gin, salty gin, pink gin, etc., young and bold winemakers blend tea leaves, summer orange, mustard, etc., into the gin, creating unique and surprising flavors.
