When I was taught to cook professionally I learned classical French cuisine. 

“Sous Vide” was a method of cooking that didn't require a machine like it does today and the French, who thought that English cooking was stodgy and tasteless, were the benchmark. “Escoffier” wrote the book, the Roux brothers were at the top of the game and everyone wanted to be the next Raymond Blanc.
We all wanted to cook like the French.

I was, and still am, proud to have been taught in this traditional way; the old school way, the correct way with no cowboy habits, you got to learn those later “in industry”. It wasn't an easy industry to be a trainee in, and anyone who has read “Kitchen Confidential” by Anthony Bourdain will attest to that. A lot of today’s best chefs have come from the very same background.

It was good then but today the food industry is an even more exciting place to be. So, why then, the demise in French cooking? 

There are tons of talented chefs from all nationalities and the culinary world has moved on to new heights. Fads, trends and diets of the past are gone and cuisine is at a new level. Today’s food is fun, attractive, inventive and downright tasty; well mostly anyway. Chefs are proud to be associated with this revived industry and many are finally being well paid for it.

In almost every market and supermarket in France you can find an array of misshapen, colourful and wonderfully alluring produce which when cooked provides everything you thought it would. Pre-packaged food is a minority and microwave dishes are a new thing.

So it’s a shame that with all the beautiful fresh produce out there many businesses don’t seem to find the time to use it. 
I understand that times are tough but it still shouldn't be an excuse for serving up crap dishes for big money. 

Last week we were invited over to a French neighbours house for dinner. We had a wonderful evening with beautiful fresh food cooked perfectly. We had Duck breast with a Roquefort sauce, Lyonnaise potatoes and tinned vegetables. 
Yep, you got it, tinned veg! I couldn't figure it out, why tinned freaking veg? 

The markets right now are adorned with root veg of all kinds and of course in France there’s lettuce all year round that actually tastes of something, so why tinned? I couldn't ask. 
It’s taken 4 years to get an invite and asking about the soggy veg would bar me for life. I couldn't mention the instant coffee at the end either.

It’s not the first time that’s happened, the tinned veg thing. It’s happened more than a few times and I still can’t figure it out. I thought the French were all mange tout and haricot verts but something is seriously amiss in the veg department and it isn't just limited to the restaurant trade. It seems that this is a countrywide phenomenon that was carefully hidden from me when I first started out. 

There is a plethora of choice in the UK right now food-wise, and because eating out is popular, the quality is excellent. The reported stodgy, tasteless English food has gone, traditional dishes have been revived and are oozing with freshness and flavour at a cost that won’t see you bankrupt.

In Europe, Spain has amazing food and I’ve never eaten just an average meal there (I can only vouch for the northern parts lately). In Italy last month I ate incredible dishes at equally incredibly low prices and was never dissatisfied with the quality.