Eating England

The stories of why the English eat their favourite foods, including roast beef, fish and chips, liquorice allsorts, marmite and curries. They explore how individuals, from farmers to restaurateurs, have shaped the national cuisine. Also included are 300 recommendations for places to shop and eat.

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What is English food? Hattie Ellis looks into the stories behind why the English eat what they eat - from roast beef, fish and chips and sticky puddings through to Liquorice Allsorts, Marmite, frozen peas and curries - and travels around the country in search of culinary roots. Eating England explores how people with independence and passion - farmers, food producers, shopkeepers, restaurateurs and home cooks - continue to make real food and drink. It looks at the impact of English institutions, such as the pub, the cross-currents of global trade, the impact of industrialisation and the way native ingredients relate to English landscapes. It considers the role of organic farming, vegetable box schemes and other trends in the contemporary food scene and argues how delicious, distinctive foods - national, regional and local - can survive in a world of global branding. At the end are personal recommendations for more than 500 places to shop, drink and eat around the country, that offer quality, individuality and value for money.