Britain can cook up a storm to rival the Italians

SIR – Perhaps the Italian “carbonara purists” who accuse Nigella Lawson of ruining the classic dish (leading article, June 6) are jealous of the remarkable improvement in British cuisine in recent years.

Having borrowed from the Italians (and many others), British cooking is now highly rated and is equal to, or has displaced, Italy in some world rankings. This is a far cry from the post-war era, when Britons despised “foreign muck” (garlic) and thought pasta grew on trees.

Anne Jappie

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

A model of the Rialto Bridge made from Italian staple foods, pictured on display in London