Every migrant to our shores brings with them the flavours and dishes of home, every trader searches for exotic and exciting new taste sensations. Britain’s culinary history has been shaped by migration, trade and empire.

How curry, exploration and empire building are linked

At the end of the Tudor period developments in navigation and ship building led the merchants of England to begin to explore and develop trade routes by sea. They were following in the footsteps of the Portuguese and the Dutch. Different groups of merchants set up consortiums to finance exploration and spread possible losses. This was the time of the merchant traders. There were a number of companies, the names of which show how trade was developing across the world. The first such group was the Company of Merchant Adventurers to New Lands, granted a charter by Mary Tudor in 1551...