Contemporary UK cooking offers a mouth-watering variety of foods, drawing on e menu of international styles and culinary traditions. British cuisine has changed drastically the past few decades. Chinese, Indian, Italian and French cuisine is now as popular in the UK as the typical culinary traditions of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi restaurants have been joined by Lebanese, Persian, Indonesian, Spanish, Mexican, and Thai restaurants in most cities.

As the UK has welcomed people from all over the world, it has also imported their culinary styles, foods, sauces and recipes. Where once you might have or thought fish and chips, you can now choose, tortillas, curries. Supermarkets offer vegetables, fruit, spices and other ingredients from all over the world, and numerous smaller shops specialise in international foods.

There is a growing interest in food and its preparation.

Even traditional British food is much more varied than you might realise and different parts of the UK have their own specialties. In England, for example, you will find black pudding and Yorkshire pudding (a thick, savoury pudding made out of batter, usually served with beef). Scotland is famous for such distinctive foods as, shortbread and oatcakes. In Wales, you can find laver bread (a seaweed pancake), Northern Ireland offers (potato and spring onions). And of course, just across the English Channel - a short journey by ship, plane or train - you can also sample the delights of European cuisine.

Eating out

Eating out in the UK is truly an international experience - you can find restaurants serving almost any kind of food you would like to try, especially in cities and larger towns. Most restaurants display their menu outside so that you can check what they have to offer before you go in.