Chinese Food in the UK

 

A Chinese Sage is Offered Food in a Garden
unknown artist
Photo Credit: Wellcome Collection [Public Domain]

Growing up in a Chinese takeaway, I saw first-hand how Britain's  relationship with Chinese food was changing. My parents' business, Lucky Star, in Beddau, in the south Wales valleys, was more than just a place to grab a meal - it was the heart of our community and the backdrop to my childhood.

From the 1960s to the 1990s, Cantonese cuisine from southern China - particularly Guangdong province, Guangzhou and Hong Kong  - held a special place in the hearts and stomachs of Brits. A new cuisine evolved: sweet and sour chicken, egg fried rice and chow mein. 

But this classic Chinese takeaway is in sharp decline... So are the British really falling out of love with Chinese food? One factor behind the decline is more choice. Where the high street was once dominated by fish and chips, Chinese and Indian options, now we have Thai, Vietnamese and Korean too. We're better travelled and our tastes reflect that.

A certain snobbishness has emerged, with westernised Chinese dishes such as crispy seaweed or chicken balls and sweetcorn soup often dismissed as "inauthentic" I see things quite differently. For me, a dish such as prawn toast represents a fusion of cultures, survival and adaptability. Made using the ingredients available at the time it is testament to the immigrant experience.

Tastes are changing... Years ago, finding Chinese restaurants serving regional dishes such as wood ear mushroom salad, hand-pulled belt noodles, xiao long bao soup dumplings or Sichuan hotpot was rare. Today, palates have become more sophisticated

The food writer Fuchsia Dunlop says China's rise as a cultural and political force has pushed regional cuisines such as Dongbei, Hunanese, Xi'an, Yunnanese and Sichuanese into the spotlight.

Amid rising costs and changing tastes, some established names have struggled to adapt... Generational dynamics within the Chinese community have also played a significant role in forcing restaurants and takeaways to close. Many children of owners, myself included, have pursued careers outside the family business.

Those second-generation Chinese who do go into the food industry tend to be a lot more business and tech savvy. Take Hoko, a Hong Kong diner in Brick Lane [London] that opened after the Hong Kong protests, or Noodle and Beer, a thriving Sichuan noodle place set up in Aldgate to cater to London Metropolitan University students.

Yet last year, a Best for Britain poll showed that Chinese food remains the nation's favourite takeaway, with 26 per cent naming it as their top choice...

As our tastes continue to evolve, let's not forget the role of Chinese restaurants and takeaways in shaping the nation's palate - a symbol of community, hard work, and the delicious possibilities that arise when cultures collide.

(Angela Hui, The Sunday Times, 2025)

We are, undoubtedly, extremely lucky in this country to have such a wealth of eating opportunities and Chinese food has always been held in high esteem. May it long continue!