Food festivals
Multiculturalism in the UK is celebrated through British food festivals promoting locally produced food and international flavours.

Popular demand, supported by high profile campaigns from celebrity chefs, has led to the growth of locally produced food, purchased by ethnically diverse communities.

In an attempt to change the way the British view their cuisine, food and drink related events have been promoting local cheese, whisky, fish and other products. According to a study published on the BBC website, these events help the local tourist industry flourish.

Favourite Dishes
In research, published in The Guardian, children include in their favourite top ten dishes, curry and sweet and sour chicken, but chips still remain an all time favourite.

Terrence Webster, an 18-year-old from Manchester says, ‘British cuisine is not bad, but if you see cooking from other cultures it makes you think,’ adding, ‘curry goat is my favourite dish’.

Healthy Eating
Jamie Oliver, a 30-year-old celebrity chef has made the nation realise the importance of healthy eating through his hugely popular programme, ‘Jamie’s School Dinners’. The impact has been so great that the Education Secretary Ruth Kelly has called for a total ban on ‘Junk Food’.

Yvonne Smith, a 30-year-old mother of two says, ‘More people are eating junk food nowadays but after Jamie’s show people are realising that they are unfit and are suffering from high blood pressure and need to be fit. There is a lot of obesity’.

Yvonne, whose family originates from the Caribbean, says, ‘she does prefer to cook Caribbean food for her children using rice, chicken and fish, but as a family they have pasta at least twice a week’.

Promotion of multiethnic food
Multiethnic food is so popular that the Post Office has produced a set of Special Stamps, created by Swiss student Catell Ronca from the Royal College of Art, to promote changing tastes in Britain.

Valentini
December/January 2005

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