Tasting the Past

The many influences of the past on our diet today make the concept of "British food" very hard to define. The Celts, Romans, Saxons, Vikings, and Normans all brought ingredients to the table, as it were, and onwards the Crusades spread all manner of spices. The Georgians enjoyed a new level of excess, and then of course the world wars forced everyone into the challenge of making meals from very little. The post-war period brought convenience foods, and health issues which are being felt widely now. This is the first study of the rich history of British food, its fads and its fashions to be combined with a practical cookbook of over 200 recipes from each age for use today.

The many influences of the past on our diet today make the concept of 'British food' very hard to define. The Celts, Romans, Saxons, Vikings and Normans all brought ingredients to the table, and the country was introduced to all manner of spices after the Crusades. The Georgians enjoyed a new level of excess and then, of course, the world wars forced us into the challenge of making meals from very little. The history of cooking in Britain is as tumultuous as the times its people have lived through. Tasting the Past: Recipes from the Second World War to the 1980s documents the rich history of our food, its fads and its fashions to be combined with a practical cookbook of over 120 recipes from the Second World War onwards. Jacqui Wood guides us through the nutritious and pragmatic recipes of wartime Britain, which juggled rationing and shortages to produce delicious food and keep morale high; through the era of convenience food and television chefs in the 1960s; and finally the yuppies and stacked food of the 1980s.

The many influences of the past on our diet today make the concept of 'British food' very hard to define. The Celts, Romans, Saxons, Vikings and Normans all brought ingredients to the table, as it were, and onwards the Crusades gave us all manner of spices. The Georgians enjoyed a new level of excess and then of course the world wars forced us into the challenge of making meals from very little. This book, one of three volumes, documents the rich history of our food, its fads and its fashions to be combined with a practical cookbook of over xxx recipes from antiquity. Offerings include tasty beach BBQ ideas from Celtic times, a hearty Roman Army lentil stew and ideas for festive feasts of ancient times.

The many influences of the past on our diet make the concept of 'British food' very hard to define. The Celts, Romans, Saxons, Vikings and Normans each brought ingredients to the table, and the country was introduced to all manner of spices following the Crusades. The Georgians enjoyed a new level of excess and then, of course, the world wars forced us into the challenge of making meals from very little. The history of cooking in Britain is as tumultuous as the times its people have lived through. “Tasting the Past: Recipes from George III to Victoria” documents the rich history of our food, its fads and its fashions, combined with a practical cookbook of over eighty recipes from the reigns of George III and Queen Victoria. Jacqui Wood introduces the meals that made up the bread-and-butter of Victorian and Georgian cuisine, their seasonal specialities in the form of Christmas recipes, and the curious take on 'Indian' cooking that the imperial endeavours of the Victorians brought back home.