Journey of Chinese Food Culture in the UK
The Cathay Restaurant, London's first mainstream Chinese restaurant located at 4 Glasshouse Street.
Maxim's, the first Cantonese Restaurant on the corner of Wardour Street and Gerrard Street, Westminster. The Cathay Restaurant, London's first mainstream Chinese restaurant located at 4 Glasshouse Street.
Lao She (Shu Qing Chun 舒庆春, 1899-1966), is one of China’s most widely read twentieth century authors. In his novel, Mr Ma and Son: Two Chinese in London (Er Ma 二马), Lao She explored the effects on his protagonists of popular anti-Chinese prejudice which was common in the UK in the first half of the twentieth century.
The Housing Act of 1930 obliged local councils to clear all remaining slum housing.
Regional dishes of Ningbo, Fuzhou, Hainan, Shantou, Shanghai, etc. were served by ex-Chinese seamen in Liverpool.
Nanking Restaurant run by the chef of Mr. Fung Saw at 4 Denmark Street. It welcomed many youthful of the budding Parliamentarians, together with composers and song writers, their publishers and film artists.
Shanghai Restaurant, located at 6 Greek Street, published a recipe cookbook – the Shanghai Restaurant Chinese Cookery Book, adapted for the home kitchen.
Created within the Architect’s Department of the London County Council (LCC), the bomb damage maps record cumulative damage by air raids and V weapons during the Second World War. Sheet 64 covering Stepney; Limehouse.
13 men from the Home Office, the immigration department, Liverpool Police, Foreign Office and the Ministry of War Transport attended in Whitehall, for “Compulsory repatriation of undesirable Chinese seamen”.
The first Chinese restaurant in Newcastle was the Marlborough Café on Scotswood Road.
Regional dishes were extended by the former Nationalist Chinese embassy staff who remained in Britain and changed to the catering industry after the Communist revolution.
Chinese restaurant typically served pies, chips and buttered bread along with heavily anglicised Cantonese fare. They also introduced Western-style three-course meals.
End of food rationing.
Lotus House became Britain's first Chinese takeaway in Bayswater, London.
A wide range of soy sauces and tinned vegetables and fruit was marketed by Amoy.
With the arrival of a newly affluent population of young movers and shakers, eating out became a popular and frequent pastime for ordinary people.
The Association of Chinese Restaurateurs was founded to maintain the industry’s good reputation and recruit more restaurant workers from Hong Kong.
The Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 was passed, the immigration of Commonwealth citizens on or after that date will be subject to control, and those coming for employment will require employment vouchers.
The Chinese ambassador's former chef, Kuo Yuan was the first to serve Pekinese dishes, including Peking Duck at his eponymous restaurant in 217 Willesden High Road, north west London. Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon came to eat, pushing the cuisine into spotlight and making it fashionable for the first time.
Loon Fung, Asian Supermarket. “For the Chinese in you” states Loon Fung’s motto. The very first of four Loon Fung’s in London, Chinatown’s store has been selling Far Eastern goods since 1965, serving the Chinese community and Londoners alike. Customers can choose from thousands of selected Asian foods, including exotic fruit and vegetables, sauces, snacks and frozen goods. Freshness is within an arm’s length at Loon Fung, with an in-house butchers and fishmongers.
Michael Chow (son of Peking Opera Grant Master, Zhou Xing Fang) opened his first restaurant, Mr. Chow in Knightsbridge London.
The London Chinatown in Soho was established as the heart of London’s Chinese community.
Woon Wing Yip O.B.E and his brother Sammy Yap opened their first specialist Chinese grocery store in Birmingham.
Kenneth Lo organised Chinese Gourmet Club.
The Immigration Act of 1971 has been instrumental in shaping the modern landscape of UK immigration law, setting the stage for the control mechanisms and policies that would follow.
Brothers Stanley and Tony Tse established their first supermarket, the SeeWoo Food Ltd. at 19 Lisle Street in London’s Chinatown.
Chinese cookery became a popular pastime for the British public. The rise in vegetarianism, international travel and the work of high-profile chefs like Kenneth Lo and Ken Hom fuelled a growing British interest in Chinese cuisine.
Regional Chinese food (notably Pekinese or other North Chinese-style food) increased, whose majority customers were said to be European.
Blue Dragon's stir-fry sauces in sachets became its most popular innovation.
Convenience foods in the form of prepared meals e.g. Crispy Wontons were supplied to Marks & Spencer by Amoy.
The development of Chinatowns across the UK in the late 1980s became a manifestation of this particular understanding of ethnic groups. City spaces became valorised for socio-economic development and tourist consumption, with the culture of immigrant groups, manifested particularly in ethnic businesses, turned into an economic resource for cities.
Birmingham’s Chinatown (sometimes referred to as The Chinese Quarter) bridges the gap between Grand Central Station and Gay Village. The area naturally grew in the 1960s and 70s as immigrants moved in around Hurst Street and was officially recognised in the 1980s.
In Prince Wen Hui’s Cook, the theory and use of diet were introduced as part of a healthful way of life and as an integral part of the powerful and effective theories of Chinese medicine.
Sino-British Joint Declaration.
London’s Chinatown was officially recognised by the British government, and the late Princess Diana visited Chinatown. Chinatown became a hub for the community and a visitor attraction.
The symbolic birth of Manchester Chinatown culminated in 1987, when the Chinese Imperial Arch – a gift from Wuhan, Manchester’s twin city in China –which physically marked the area’s association with the Chinese community, was erected on Faulkner Street.
Manchester’s Chinatown boomed, when, in the span of less than 10 years, and key community organisations and societies were set up in the quarter: the Chinese Cultural and Education Centre in 1979, the Tung Sing Chinese Housing Association in 1984, the Chinese Arts Centre in 1986, the Wai Yin Chinese Women’s Society in 1988, and the Chinese Health Information Centre in 1987.
Businesses along Stowell Street in Newcastle were allowed to have signs in Chinese as well as English as part of a masterplan to develop the centre.
Lobster, Monkfish and vegetarian set meals were available at more sophisticated and expensive Chinese restaurants, in response to urban development, increasing affluence, greater mobility, and the growth of vegetarianism.
Luxury ingredients, celebrated chefs, noodles and imaginative vegetarian dishes, and the noughties marked by organic produce and healthy eating trends. Coffee and wine are massive growth sectors, and the 'Gastropub' becomes king.
The UK joined other EU nations in signing the Maastricht Treaty on European integration. This granted all EU citizens equal rights, with freedom to live in any member state they chose.
The Chinese Friendship Arch in Liverpool is the largest Chinese arch built outside of mainland China. Erected on Nelson Street in 2000, it was shipped piece-by-piece in five, huge containers from Shanghai, Liverpool's twin city. The Arch is made of marble and wood and features 200 hand painted dragons.
'Regionality' was replacing 'authenticity' as the selling point. Singaporean and Malaysian foods were also included in this context.
65% of British households owned a wok.
5 A Day. 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day is recommended by the government. Restaurants are starting to think about offering healthier menus.
Hakkasan Hanway Place became London's first Chinese to be awarded a Michelin star . London’s culinary scene also underwent a profound transformation into international fine dining.
Chinese Arch in Newcastle. An 11-metre high Chinese Arch (built by Shanghai craftsmen and funded by grants from the Newcastle City Council, One North East and the Lottery) was erected on St Andrew’s Street, flanked by two Chinese guardian lions and facing St James’ Park football stadium.
Eating out is by now a fully endorsed leisure activity. The hospitality industry is ranked as the fourth largest in the UK by the midway point of the decade.
Annual net migration to the UK was 252,000 - the highest calendar year figure on record. The emigration of British citizens was at its lowest since 1998 at 136,000. Emigration was at its lowest for 10 years with just 339,000 people leaving the UK.
Brexit referendum, UK voted to leave the EU by 52% to 48%. EU immigration has fallen, although more EU citizens still arrive in the UK than leave.
"Eat Out to Help Out" scheme was introduced as part of the British government's Plan for Jobs Strategy.
A new visa is available to Hong Kong British National (Overseas) citizens (BNOs) and their close family members. The UK government estimates that 5.4 million Hong Kong residents will be eligible to move to the UK and eventually become British citizens.
The rising cost of living made it more difficult for consumers to prioritise sustainability. Foodservice operators needed to offer incentives to consumers to eat out sustainably.
Taste and price are non-negotiable for consumers when it comes to food and drink, even industry faces pressures to keep improving its sustainability credentials.
Birmingham’s Chinese Quarter has been renamed as Birmingham Chinatown.
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