"This is because it is never really very cold in England. It is drizzly, and the wind will blow; hail happens, and there is a breed of Tuesday in January in which time creeps and no light comes and the air is full of water and nobody really loves anybody, but still a decent jumper and a waxen jacket lined with wool is sufficient for every weather England's got to give."

~Zadie Smith

Maybe that's why the food is so bad--amazing foods seem to correspond with actual extremes in weather. See: India, Thailand, and all cold countries that invest in proper stews.