The English Table

The English Table, Our Food through the Ages, is an account of the culinary history of food in England from earliest times until the present day.  Essentially this was the food of the rich; the poor managed as best they could with a few vegetables, and if they were lucky,  a pig or a poached rabbit. This started to change in the 18th century as farming improved and food was more widely available to workers and labourers, but it didn’t last.  As farmers used more machinery, the poor were driven into the cities to work in the new industries, most notably the mills of northern towns. Poverty and hardship were worse there than in the villages. The 19th century also saw the birth of the middle class, who entertained to impress their friends.  They employed cooks, kitchen staff, and waiters to serve elegant dinners. More chefs wrote books, including some for poorer people. By the mid 20th century, England had several noted food writers, foods were  widely imported and eating out in a restaurant became common;  men and women took to the kitchen and cooked foods from all over the world. Organic farming increased, concerns about food miles grew, and now insect foods may well be the next food adopted here.