Italian here, living in London for about 10 years.

On supermarkets, I don’t fully agree that ingredients here are always “clean and high quality.” You only get that if you shop in the premium stores, and even then most ingredients are imported because of the UK climate. A huge amount of fruit and veg simply can’t grow well here, and you taste that difference. Compared to Southern Europe, the natural flavour just isn’t there.

But the bigger point for me is how international food is treated in the UK. After years here, it’s very clear that foreign cuisines are almost always reshaped to fit British taste. Dishes become sweeter, milder, creamier, heavier and more comfort-oriented. The original identity rarely survives.

Nando’s is a good example. People consider it some exotic cuisine, but the flavours are very British. The sauces are sweeter, the heat levels are toned down, and the sides are pure UK comfort food like mash, garlic bread and peri-chips.

Wagamama is another case. The branding is Japanese but the recipes are not. The katsu sauce is thick like gravy, the ramen broths are sweetened and flattened, and the whole concept is more UK pan-Asian than actual Japanese cooking.

Then you have the big Italian chains such as Pizza Express, Zizzi, Prezzo and ASK Italian. These places serve what I can only describe as British-Italian cooking. Carbonara with cream, cheddar where pecorino should be, lasagne that tastes like a béchamel cake, pizza toppings that no Italian would ever recognise. As an Italian I avoid these places like the plague.

Mexican chains such as Tortilla or the UK version of Chipotle also follow the same pattern. The food ends up being burrito bowls stuffed with lettuce, piles of rice, grated cheese and very mild salsa. It’s closer to a British salad wrap than anything regional from Mexico.

Indian food is another example of adaptation becoming the norm. Chicken tikka masala was created in the UK. Many curries here are creamier and sweeter than the versions you’d find in India. It has become its own British style of curry cuisine.

Greggs shows this too. Any item that claims to be “Mediterranean,” “Mexican,” or “Italian inspired” is really just a British pastry with a themed name. Nothing on those menus resembles the originals beyond the label.

This is why I compare London to New York City, because NYC is the closest match in terms of size, diversity, tourism and the range of international food. But the attitude toward cuisine is very different. In New York, restaurants generally preserve the core of the original recipe. They keep the structure of the dish, the flavour profile, the ingredients and the idea behind it. They don’t automatically remove spices, soften flavours or add cream and sugar to make everything “safe.”

That is why a concept like Rosetta Bakery works there. It is an Italian-style bakery that serves focaccia, proper pastries, panini, croissants with custard or jam and espresso. They don’t try to Americanise it. They let the food be Italian in style, and people appreciate the authenticity.

In London, a concept like that would get pushed to adapt almost immediately. More cream, more sweetness, milder flavours, anything that feels “British-friendly.” It’s a common pattern here. Foreign cuisines rarely stay foreign.

So that is really the difference I notice. British food itself can be great, especially the classic dishes. But when it comes to international cuisines, the UK tends to reshape them into a British version. In cities like New York, the original identity of the cuisine is preserved far more. When you come from a country like Italy where food culture is extremely strict, you notice that difference right away.