Description

An absolute gem Sunday Times
A mouthwatering history The Guardian

In this delicious history of Britains food traditions Diane Purkiss invites readers on a unique journey through the centuries exploring the development of recipes and rituals for mealtimes such as breakfast lunch and dinner to show how food has been both a reflection of and inspiration for social continuity and change

Purkiss uses the story of food as a revelatory device to chart changing views on class gender and tradition through the ages Sprinkled throughout with glorious details of historical quirks trial by ordeal of bread a fondness for small beer and a wartime icecream substitute called hokey pokey made from parsnips this book is both an education and an entertainment
English Food explores the development of the coffee trade and the birth of Londons coffee houses where views were exchanged on politics art and literature Purkiss introduces the first breeders of British beef and reveals how cattle triggered the terrible Glencoe Massacre We are taken for tea to the icehouse the pantry and the beehive We learn that toast is as English as the chalk cliffs We bite into chicken plainly poached or exotically spiced We join bacon curers and fishermen at work We follow the scent of apples into ancient orchards
A rich and indulgent history English Food will change the way you view your food and understand your past
The table is set have a seat and tuck in