Having been told what English food was like,they decided not to spend their holiday in England.

Having been told what English food was like动名词短语作状语,意思是：在（他们）已经被告知英国食物的状况（以后）.
整句可译成：在被告知英国食物的状况以后,他们决定不去英国度假.what English food was like 这句中并没有看出有什么状况的意思, like 是什么意思,是的，直译可以是：在被告知英国食物是什么样的以后。like直译就是像什么、这么样的，如what is it like?很认真啊！