By Grace Bowman
With the increasing culture of 'foodies', London's food culture is threatened by the imminence of Brexit and the impacts it will have on immigrants contributing to the cuisine of the country.
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In the vast overpriced expanse that is London, one thing sticks out, and it's not the staggering social gap between the richest and poorest, or the make it or break it attitude adopted by many, or even the extortionate price tags attached to the most basic level homes. Instead it’s the colourful graphic signs advertising restaurants, cafes and bars that sell new ‘exotic’ foods.
In 2020 London, there exists a vibrant growing culture of ‘foodies’. A foodie is defined as a person who has an ardent or refined interest in food and they eat food, not only out of hunger, but due to their interest or hobby, according to Wikipedia. Despite the fact that many people in London either rely on benefits or have barely enough money in order to afford to pay their rent, there is no shortage of these ‘foodies’. With the rise of people eager to try new cuisines, many new restaurants have opened up in London. In 2016, it was the American/burger restaurants that were the fastest growing eateries in Britain. This number has now decreased as the number of health-conscious ‘foodies’ soars. Instead, the once popular American brand has become the fastest declining food brand in Britain. More people are beginning to opt for more exotic cuisine instead. In 2018 London, the fastest growing restaurants were Japanese, Asian, Turkish, Mediterranean, Lebanese, African and Greek with Vegan and Vegetarian restaurants bringing up the rear.
As the rise of health conscious Londoners goes up, so does the number of plant based restaurants in London areas. Vegan and vegetarian food is the UK's fastest growing sector of the takeaway market, with a 388% growth in vegan takeaway orders between 2016 and 2018. Vegan meal orders from takeaways are on the rise in London, increasing over the past two years by an absolutely astonishing rate of growth. There are around 840,000 vegans in London – which would be about 10% of London's population, a figure significantly higher than it has been in the past 10 years. London was actually ranked as the top city globally for vegan and vegetarian restaurants. At the moment, London has currently 152 vegan restaurants and it was the first city on HappyCow to have more than 100 completely vegan restaurants in 2017. London boasts the world’s first vegan chicken shop as of 2017 and continues to expand the vegan market with the first UK vegan cheese shop La Fauxmagerie.
The shift to plant based cuisine in London has spurred a chain reaction in the UK as more than 3,800,000 people are vegetarian or vegan with a predicted rise still to come.
Each year, roughly 283,000 immigrants arrive in the UK and with them they bring thousands of new recipes for exciting, exotic foods they intend to share with the UK. London, in particular, is a hub of foriegn activity with over 36.7% of people in London being foreign born. The rise of immigration in London has enriched the UK’s changing food culture for the better, so much so that the majority of British meals are now inspired by countries both in and out of Europe.
Not only has immigration strengthened London's food culture, but it has also contributed to cultures outside of London as more and more people from foriegn countries are able to find work in the rest of the UK. The most popular cuisines in London still remain Italian, French, Indian, American, Chinese, Mexican and Greek however, many other overlooked foods are gaining more popularity, including Ethiopian food which is gaining more ‘cult followers’ thanks to the unique coffee produced.
London's food culture is under threat however as Brexit threatens many people with roots in London. This includes many of the workers in foreign restaurants that the UK relies on to maintain the developing food culture in London and the rest of the UK. After 1 January 2021, free movement will end and EU and non-EU citizens wishing to move to the UK will be met with the new restrictions put in place. It remains unclear what Britain’s new immigration system will look like however it will definitely impact London's rapidly expanding food culture.
Despite the threats of Brexit and the unpredictable nature of Britain's food preferences, London’s food culture continues to expand and affect the whole of the UK. London fulfills its role as the capital city of the UK and capitalizes on the immigration and different cultures entering Britain. London's influence on the rest of Britain is substantial as many areas of the UK start to implement the cuisines that are popular in London. In the future, London's changing food culture will hopefully encourage the people of Britain to be more accepting of new cultures and cuisines. Until then, London can continue to enjoy a culture of fantastic flavours and exciting new foods.
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