>>"This is the best country in the world"

Well, it does have some of the best geography in the world. Super productive agricultural areas not far from a riverine network perfect for transporting bulk goods. This has made the country consistently more wealthy than other nations - to the point that it has been able to afford to support 'the global order' ('44 Bretton Woods Accords) since WWII. No potentially aggressive land neighbors.

I ate a bit of British food in the early 70s (holidays from Normandy where I was going to school). It wasn't *French* level, but what is?

Also, speaking of large portions, I have to mention the first thing I ever ate there - a 'ploughman's lunch' that involved a pint of some of the best ale I'd ever had and a giant wheel of stilton, hunks of sausage and some bread and pickles plonked down in front of me. There might have been a pickled egg as well.