Roasting meat was something at which the British were, indeed are, supposed to excel. An 18th century visitor to England from Sweden, Per Kalm, remarked that 'the English men understand almost better than any other people the art of properly roasting a joint'. Admittedly, he qualified the compliment by observing that the English art of cooking did not extend much beyond roast beef and plum pudding, but still it was a compliment; and the French term rosbifs for Englishmen may also be taken as including at least a touch of affection, although usually derogatory.
Davidson, Alan (2009) The Penguin Companion to Food, London, Penguin