It’s an age-old trope that Britain doesn’t make anything anymore, and as Brits dive head-first into Brexit, people are worried about how the country will cope on the world market stage. How will vital things come in, and what will be offered in return? Unsurprisingly, quite a lot. Here are 27 British companies that are leading the way in everything from tech and food to fashion and motoring.

Brompton Bicycle has been a welcome solution to frustrated bikers across Britain for over 40 years. The company solved the woes of heavy and bulky frames with a simple fix – bikes which fold-up. Since it was founded in 1976 Brompton has licensed its design to manufacturers across the world, and in 2018 was exporting 70% of its bikes. In 2017 turnover reached £32.7 million, and it is believed that it will continue to grow after Brexit. 

There’s nothing quite like a Pimm's in the summer. The internationally-known tipple was invented in 1823 when James Pimm, a farmer’s son turned oyster bar owner, cooked up the beverage as a digestion cure for his customers. Since then, British multinational Diageo has bought Pimm's and added it to a long inventory including Smirnoff, Baileys and Guinness.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has become one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies since it was established in 2000 when two smaller companies merged, and had a turnover of £30.2 billion in 2017. Emma Walmsley became the first female CEO of the company in 2017, and she is making sure GSK is heard when it comes to Brexit. GSK believes that a tight relationship with Europe needs to be maintained to secure the UK’s pharma industry, patient safety and medicine supplies. 

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BP is one of seven major oil and gas companies in the world. It was founded 110 years ago in 1909 and now operates in over 70 countries to produce 3.6 million barrels of oil a day. In recent years activists have put pressure on the company after a number of environment-threatening oil spills, but it continues to grow in size. CEO Bob Dudley has said BP is "deeply committed" to keeping its headquarters in Britain despite what Brexit may bring. 

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Specsavers was launched in 1984 by Doug and Mary Perkins, a married couple with a goal of improving the vision of British people. In the last 24 years the company has grown, and in 2016 it made up 38.7% – the highest share – of the UK optical market. With stores across the world and a whole host of designers creating specs for the company, it’s not a surprise global revenue rose to £2.61 billion in 2017/18, up 7% on the previous year.

Another multinational with British roots, Compass Group works in more than 50 countries to serve over 5.5 billion meals in schools, hospitals and war zones every year. It was founded by Jack Bateman in 1941 as Factory Canteens Limited, and over the years it saw many owners and name changes. Now, the company is worth more than £22.5 billion.

Vodafone is the fourth largest phone network in the world with 313 million customers recorded in 2018. It operates networks in 25 countries, and is worth nearly £43 billion. Former chief executive Vittorio Colao left Vodafone in early 2018 after a decade in the role, but warned that Brexit could cost Britain tech innovators unless the country gets visas right. 

In 1856, Thomas Burberry left his apprenticeship with a draper to open his own store in Basingstoke. The 21-year-old’s business grew quickly, and now it is one of the many great fashion houses that Britain boasts. The instantly recognisable check patterns are adored by stars across the world, and with over 500 stories in 50 countries Burberry believes its trade potential is “enormous”, especially post-Brexit. 

It hasn't always been plain sailing for Burberry, though. Read From bust to boom: brands that came back from the brink

Luxury four-wheel drive manufacturer Land Rover is a company that embodies Britain. The company was granted a Royal Warrant by King George VI in 1951, and the Queen still drives Land Rovers today. It has had a complicated past of owners, but has now merged with Jaguar and is registered in Britain, and brings in a revenue of nearly £26 billion. However the company has announced it is cutting 5,000 jobs from its UK workforce, as part of a £2.5 billion cost-cutting plan. China remains Jaguar Land Rover's most profitable market, despite a dip in sales recently.

Lush Cosmetics has been creating vegetarian and vegan creams, make-up, soaps, shampoos and scrubs for the last 23 years. The company's eye-catching colourful bath bombs helped it to grow from a small store in Poole into an international company which campaigns on numerous issues, including animal cruelty and recycling. In 2017, Lush saw global turnover rise by 26% to £498 million, while total turnover including franchises reached £743 million.

Durex has been providing contraception and protection from STIs since 1915, by what was then known as The London Rubber Company. The brand name Durex was formed in 1929, and while the product is no longer produced in Britain, there’s no question about it’s importance as a British company. With a 30% hold in the market, Durex is one of the best-selling condom brands globally.

Sir James Dyson created his household tech company in 1991 and made sure it became a household name. In 2017 the company saw sales of £3.8 billion, while Dyson's personal net worth has reached £4 billion. Not bad for someone without an engineering degree. Dyson backed Brexit, but has received criticism for opting to open a new electric car plant in Singapore rather than the UK, a decision the company says was made because of Singapore’s “advanced manufacturing expertise”.

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BAE Systems is a company that specialises in defence, security, and aerospace. The British company is the third largest of it’s kind in the world, and rakes in just over £18 billion in revenue. It is the biggest manufacturing employer in Britain, with 34,000 employees. Despite fears about what manufacturers will do after Brexit, BAE says “it’s just not that big a deal”.

Johnson Matthey has specialised in providing chemicals and sustainable tech since it was founded in 1817. It moves over two billion lbs of goods between the UK and Europe each year, a deal which helps towards its £3.85 billion annual revenue. However, with looming tensions over Brexit the company is making sure it is “prepared for everything”.

Online travel search firm Skyscanner was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2003 by student Gareth Williams, who was fed up of trying to find the cheapest flights. The start-up soon transformed into the hugely successful business it is today, and when it was snapped up by Chinese company Ctrip for £1.4 billion in 2016, it boasted 60 million active users a month, worldwide.

Rock gods, film stars and sports icons have all worn the Harrington jacket. Behind the look is British brand Baracuta. The company was started by John and Isaac Miller in Manchester to produce goods for the likes of Burberry. However, the brothers developed their own brand and 80 years on the company still produces it’s high-quality jackets in Britain.

British American Tobacco was birthed when UK company Imperial Tobacco Company and the American Tobacco Company agreed to merge. Since that moment in 1902, the firm has gone on to dominate the tobacco market in over 50 countries. Despite a revenue of £21 billion, shares in the company fell in 2018, which experts believe is due to Brexit and the rise of the vaping market. 

It wasn't the only one to lose shares. Read 15 companies that boomed in 2018 and 15 that tanked

Hydro Industries is inventing new ways to make sure everyone has access to clean water. Its British-made products can be sent to the communities that need it most, a venture which has been backed by big companies including Shell and Anglo American.

Unilever is the world’s largest food and drink producer. It has 400 brands under its belt including Dove, Hellmann’s and Knorr. The British-Dutch company merged in 1929 and has a revenue of nearly £50 billion. It recently scrapped plans to move its HQ from London to Rotterdam, citing pressure from investors.

Online retailer Asos was founded in 2000 and now stocks clothes, shoes and beauty products from over 850 brands. Now worth £3.46 billion, Asos ships to over 200 countries. Chief executive Nick Beighton has said the business is “well prepared” for all outcomes of Brexit. 

Operating in over 40 countries across five continents, legal firm DLA Piper is one of the largest and most well recognised law firms in the world. With its headquarters in London, DLA Piper is providing Brexit solutions by working with businesses that are worried about the future.

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The Scottish craft beer brewery began when two 24-year-old friends (and a dog) risked everything to start brewing their own beer in 2007. It paid off, within a year they were already exporting their 'punk' IPA to Sweden, Japan and America. They have come a long way since then, opening up their own BrewDog bars. People say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and in 2013 a fake BrewDog bar was even set up in China. The global company had a turnover of £112 million in 2017.

The car of choice for everyone's favourite fictional spy, James Bond, Aston Martin is one of Britain's most recognisable, and best loved, exports. However, formed in 1913 the company had a shaky start and financial problems caused it to close in 1925. Luckily a group of investors saved the car brand in 1926, and nearly 100 years later in 2017 Aston Martin recorded its highest-ever revenues of £876 million.

The most successful Formula 1 team in history was founded by New Zealander Bruce McLaren, when he was a works driver for British team Cooper. The UK-formed team has gone on to propel drivers such as Ayrton Senna, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button to victory. It even launched a road car in 1993.

Not an actual insurance company, but rather a market for insurance members, Lloyd's of London is the oldest active insurance marketplace in the world where underwriters have covered the costs of a fire in Boston, America in 1872, and in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. More recently, the marketplace has allowed the insuring of actress Jamie Lee-Curtis's legs for £1.6 million following her role in a stockings advert and Irish dancer Michael Flatley's legs for £30.5 million.

The British life insurance and financial services company works across the globe, with 26 million customers. Founded in Hatton Garden, London in 1848, the company soon dominated the British market, before expanding into agencies across the world in the 1920s, followed by branches in the 1930s. In 2017, Prudential reported an operating profit of £4.7 billion.

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Aviva came into being as a result of a merger between two British insurance companies in 2000: Norwich Union and CGU plc. The new company gained the name AVIVA in 2002, and has gone on to be the UK's largest insurer, with a combined history that reaches as far back as 1696. It is now on the global stage and had an operating profit of £3.1 billion in 2017.

This merger paid off, but now discover the mind-boggling mega-mergers that were stopped in their tracks