English C2 CPE

Although stereotypes (0) OF British food have tended to focus on two apparently endemic problems — its poor quality and its (1) ............ — by the beginning of the twenty-first century Britain had apparently developed into one of the leading culinary centres in the world, (2) ............ the highest number of top restaurants. It has surpassed even France, (3) ............ as the birthplace and home of taste and good cooking. Just as importantly, Britons, and (4) ............ all Londoners, now have a bewilderingly diverse (5) ............ of foods available to them both in restaurants and shops. While the quality and range of British food may have changed recently, assumptions (6) ............ quality and diversity need questioning in a historical context. But before dealing with these assumptions, we need to tackle more fundamental issues regarding the very basis of the concept of British food which, in (7) ............, raises questions about the authenticity of all national cuisines. During the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as nationalism developed into the (8) ............ signifier of identity, it encompassed all aspects of life for individuals within specific nation states.