Game has always had a central role in the British diet. This reflects both the abundant richness of the forests and streams and an old aristocratic prejudice against butchered meats. Formal feasts were built around venison, rabbit, and game birds. This preference can still be seen today on the menus of good English restaurants. Being an island makes fishing easy for the Brits.
Fish are central to the English diet.
Eel, also common, is cooked into a wonderful pie with lemon, parsley, and shallots, all topped with puff pastry. The English are justifiably famous for their gardens, and the kitchen garden has long been a source for herbs and vegetables. But much of the flavoring in British cooking comes from further horizons than the garden out the back door. The Brits have long incorporated exotic spices. Before the arrival of cane sugars, honey and fruit juices were the only sweeteners.