Because while the Italians were twisting pasta into new and exciting shapes, and the French were getting pissed up on 400 types of wine, the British were at sea or in the laboratories and workshops, busy conquering the globe and inventing the modern world.
We don't need our own sophisticated food culture because thanks to our international trade routes and economic dominance, we can import anything we like, including food from other cultures. Tea, curry, chocolate etc.
Having said all that, we do make a lot of different cheeses.