I am back in beautiful Devon this week and it’s hard to avoid the food, even if you wanted to although we’ve always been so full up at all times that we haven’t even attempted to force a cream tea between our lips.  Not even a ‘wafer thin’ one, to quote Mr Creosote.  Last night’s dinner was a fabulous Indian meal, detailed review available on Tripadvisor as it’s Saturday and it will give you an excuse to delay doing all those chores ….

We have also been talking about food – we never spend an idle moment – and trying to decide which country has the best food.  Obviously NOT France.  So very last year, last century in fact, as they haven’t had an idea since Escoffier died.  Germans go for quantity over, over everything really and haven’t tried anything new since a pig fell into a sausage maker.  Switzerland scores surprisingly high with me.  I love cheese and potatoes, their bread is without any question the best in the world and they produce fabulous wine, almost none of which manages to leave the country.  The snag is that there isn’t a lot else so if you’ve a low boredom threshold, and you are not seriously rich, it may not be for you.

Lebanon is also a bit monotonous – day one is great but they serve exactly the same things three times a day until you never want to see them again.  They are also quite often having a war which tends to deter the casual diner.  However, like Switzerland, they score highly on the wines.  Pop out and get something from the Bekka valley if you’ve never tried it.  Greece sinks close to the bottom of the rankings because the food is similarly dreary and the wines are undrinkable.

Don’t even toy with the idea of Russia.  A vegetarian nightmare.  Meat soup followed by meat with meat and meat ice cream to end.  They may even put meat in the coffee.  What kind of meat is, worryingly, lost in translation.  Possibly wisely.  We ate nothing but Italian during our visit and very good it was but you’d do better to go to Italy where the weather is nicer and the people aren’t entered for the ‘Most Surly Race on Earth’ award.

Despite a liking for the odd bit of sushi I could live without ever eating Japanese food again.  I’ve never felt really satisfied by a bowl of brown water with two bits of spring onion floating in it.  People rave about Thai and Chinese food but there’s not much to them except chills and lemon  grass in the former and to my untrained eye, the latter’s fabled  Dim Sum are just a procession of wet dumplings which all taste the same.

So our final three and America gets the bronze.  It’s not all burgers and chips.  There are tiny green shoots out there and it is one to watch.  Sweden, which did have the Best Restaurant in the World title for about twenty years running, is my number two.  Amazing, mouth watering food marred only by the eye watering prices and the fact they eat at very peculiar hours.  Go into a restaurant for lunch at one and all you’ll find is a waiter sweeping up and turning the lights out.

And now, at number one is … the United Kingdom, although this is achieved by denying the Eurovision viewers a vote, and not before time.  If it’s food you’re after, from top quality ingredients prepared with constantly changing ideas, you need never worry about Brexit again.  There really is no place like home.