Britain's tolerance to humanity gave it the core of gastronomic excellence that we see today. Without crossing more that a couple of hundred metres, you can sip sake with sushi, warm your tummy with an Indian curry washed down with salted lassi, swig red wine with fine pizza, tingle your mouth with a tangy, spicy Fom Yan Ghoon prawn soup from Thailand, enjoy sophisticated French food or go into a pub and enjoy fish and chips.

This once sceptic isle is now a gastronaut's paradise.

A Taste of Europe In 1951 Elizabeth David's French Country Cooking changed perceptions about French cuisine. Then as the Continent opened up to package holidays, new ideas from Italy, Spain, Turkey and Greece entered the national menu.

Indian Innovation Legend has it that a diner at a Glaswegian Indian restaurant asked for gravy with tandoori chicken; the chef created a sauce from spices and a tin of tomato soup and Chicken Tikka Masala was born.

A Flavour of the Orient The first Chinese cafés opened in ports, just over 100 years ago, but the 1950s consumer boom put Chinese restaurants and takeaways on the high street.

New People, New Taste Experiences Immigrants from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean have brought new and often exotic foods to Britain. Modern refrigeration and food preservation methods make a visit to the supermarket a culinary adventure.