Consumed

'Harry Wallop is one of the sharpest and funniest journalists writing in Britain today. He has an instinct for the killer detail that truly brings a story to life.' - Jay Rayner This is the story of how we became defined by what we consume. Discover what the thickness of froth on your morning coffee or where you buy your jeans really says about you, and the role of retailers and big business in this new class system. In this revealing account, award-winning journalist and consumer affairs expert, Harry Wallop takes a fresh look along society's dividing lines and uncovers how our lifestyles and consumer choices are the new determining factors of class and social status in modern Britain. Find out which new social categories you and your friends belong to in today's modern consumer world. Are you an Asda Mum, Wood Burning Stover or Sun Skittler? Do you know a Portland Privateer or Rockabilly? And exactly who are the Hyphen-Leighs? Insightful and engaging, consumed will completely change the way you think about your shopping habits. The book is about everyone, by definition. It shares the appeal of Anglo-centric books like Kate Fox's Watching the English, Stuart Maconie's Adventure's on the High Teas and Bill Bryson's Notes on a Small Island, pop-cultural theory titles like Oliver's James's Affluenza and Owen Jones's Chavs and the popularity of post-War social history and memoirs. Harry is a feature writer and was previously the award-winning Consumer Affairs Editor at The Daily Telegraph. He also co-presents Ch4's SuperScrimpers and prime-time magazine show Food: What's Goes in Your Basket. Harry has also filmed a Dispatches documentary on pound shops for Ch4 (airs end of 2012).