Britain not a nation of ‘foodies’, says leading chef

Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett has dismissed the notion that Britain has become a “foodie nation”, saying people do not even know how to shop.

The former head chef at The Connaught, who trained under Gordon Ramsay, criticised Britain’s food culture and said it was all “about money”.

Hartnett, 49, who first honed her skills by making bread and pasta with her Italian grandmother, said it was “wrong” to “patronise” people on low incomes about organic food.

“When people say we are a “foodie nation, we have a food culture, I genuinely don’t think we do,” Hartnett told BBC Radio 4.

“I don’t think we’re like the Italians or the Spanish where everyone from the person who lives in one flat (to the) villa will go and buy a chicken and everyone can afford that chicken.

“Our food culture is about money. People who have money can afford good food in this country.

“When you haven’t got any money (and) you’re living on a low income, to patronise and sit there and say ‘you’ve got to have an organic chicken’ is wrong.”

Hartnett, who is passionate about food waste, added: “We’ve lost home economics in a lot of schools. People aren’t taught to shop.

“People don’t have the time to shop and the time to cook. Everyone says we’re a more unhealthy nation than ever and yet we’re not doing anything about it.”