Annie Gray

English food has always been a moveable feast

There has never been a golden age or even a very stable one, says Diane Purkiss, in a serious consideration of how English food has changed over time

A Victorian tea shop and confectioners, illustrated by F.D. Bedford, 1899. [Bridgeman Images] 
issue 21 January 2023

There is a lot to like about Diane Purkiss’s English Food. It’s a hefty thing, packed full of titbits to trot out down the pub, but also a serious consideration of how English food has changed over time, and of the perils of assuming there has ever been a golden age, or even a very stable one.

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