British Food - (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary H) by Colin Spencer (Hardcover)

About the Book

This delectable volume traces the rich variety of foods that are inescapably British and the thousand years of history behind them. Colin Spencer's masterful and witty account of Britain's culinary heritage explores what has influenced and changed eating in Britain--from the Black Death and the Reformation to the Industrial Revolution, the rise of capitalism, and the current pervasiveness of prepackaged and fast foods. The book also shows that in the twenty-first century, British food is experiencing a glorious resurgence, fueled by television gurus and innovative restaurants with firm roots in the British tradition.

Book Synopsis

Until the middle of the nineteenth century, English cuisine was known throughout Europe as extraordinarily stylish, tasteful, and contemporary, designed to satisfy sophisticated palates. So, as Colin Spencer asks, why did British food "decline so direly that it became a world-wide joke, and how is it now climbing back into eminence?" This delectable volume traces the rich variety of foods that are inescapably British--and the thousand years of history behind them.

Colin Spencer's masterful and witty account of Britain's culinary heritage explores what has influenced and changed eating in Britain--from the Black Death, the Enclosures, the Reformation, the Age of Exploration, the Industrial Revolution, and the rise of capitalism to present-day threats posed by globalization, including factory farming, corporate control of food supplies, and the pervasiveness of prepackaged and fast foods. He situates the beginning of the decline in British cuisine in the Victorian age, when various social, historical, and economic factors--an emphasis on appearances, a worship of French cuisine, the rise of Nonconformism, which saw any pleasure as a sin, the alienation from rural life found in burgeoning towns, the rise and affluence of the new bourgeoisie, and much else--created a fear that simple cooking was vulgar. The Victorians also harbored suspicions that raw foods were harmful, encouraged by the publication of a key cookbook of the period, Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management.

However, twenty-first century British cooking is experiencing a glorious resurgence, fueled by television gurus and innovative restaurants with firm roots in the British tradition. This new interest in and respect for good food is showing the whole world, as Spencer puts it, "that the old horror stories about British food are no longer true."

Review Quotes

British Food describes the glories--and the decline--of the nation's cuisine over the centuries... Spencer traces the country's lamentable decline in cuisine through the Reformation, Puritanism, and the Industrial Revolution... Modern Britons would not recognize the impressive lists of ingredients their ancestors used.-- "Library Journal"

[Spencer] ably covers a millennium and more, reflecting intelligently on the dramatic, and often sudden, dietary developments wrought by political and economic change... Spencer's rich lode of information about British food justifies his subtitle's claim that its present vigor caps off 'an extraordinary thousand years of history.'--Claire Hopley "Washington Times"

A book so absorbing it may even stop the reader from falling asleep after Christmas dinner.-- "London Times"

A stimulating work.... What did the Brontës dine on at Haworth Parsonage? How did Jane Austen's family cook prepare the sauce? Colin Spencer will tell you. His book is a joyous, lively mine of information.-- "Times Literary Supplement"

Never has there been such a breathtakingly comprehensive, wide-ranging and fascinating food history as this stonking great tome by Colin Spencer. The amount of research involved makes the brain boggle.-- "Daily Mail"

One of the most fascinating and riveting reads this year. Go buy.-- "Scotland on Sunday"

Spencer's interesting book is a worthwhile addition to the food history literature. Recommended [for] all levels.-- "Choice"

Sure to become a classic.-- "The Independent Magazine"

Ten reference books every food lover should own...#10 British Food-- "Waitrose Food Illustrated"

About the Author

Colin Spencer is an author and playwright and was food editor for The Guardian for thirteen years. He is the author of Vegetarianism: A History and co-author of The Faber Book of Food.