The fascinating history of the people, the ideas and the dishes that have fed - and starved - the nation, by the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Scoff. Whose responsibility is it to make sure there is something to eat on every table? To make sure that children get milk and cereal, eggs and toast to keep hunger at bay? To feed key workers, whether they be NHS nurses, or soldiers fighting abroad? And do we all have the right to good food? This story of our changing customs and laws around our food, from prehistory to the present, reveals how every generation has fought to feed the family and the nation; and how battles over farmland, the kitchen, or the restaurant, shape the food we eat It is a tale of the yeasty magic of bread and ale, the thrill of sugary treats, the pies and puddings that punctuate the year and our strange love-hate relationship with fish, vegetables and cheese.

Take a seat at the Regency dining table and share food enjoyed by Jane Austen’s much loved fictional characters, written by Sunday Times bestseller Pen Vogler. Inspired by the novels and letters of Jane Austen, this collection of recipes is based on authentic recipes from the Regency era, which have been fully updated for modern-day cooks and are taken from the author's original book, Dinner with Mr Darcy with a renewed focus on the dinner parties that featured in Austen's novels. Menus featured include Mrs Bennet’s Dinner to Impress (from Pride & Prejudice), An Old-fashioned Supper for Mr Woodhouse and his Guests (from Emma) and Christmas with the Musgroves (from Persuasion). The book includes menus for lighter fare, such as Fresh Pea Soup, Baked Sole and Everlasting Syllabub, to the indulgent Roast Leg of Mutton Stuffed with Oysters followed by Buttered Apple Tart. The original recipes are given alongside, so you can compare them and appreciate modern time-savers all the more!

Enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of cake with Britain's favourite novelist Inspired by the novels and letters of Jane Austen, this collection of cakes, bakes and pastries is based on authentic recipes from the Regency era, which have been fully updated for modern-day cooks. In Jane Austen's day, tea and cakes were usually served after dinner, or to evening guests, but these rolls, buns, tarts, and biscuits will be equally welcome at breakfast, with mid-morning coffee, or for afternoon tea. Recipes featured in the book include: English Muffins, based on the muffins served with after-dinner tea in 'Pride and Prejudice'; Buttered Apple Tart as offered by Mr. Woodhouse to Miss Bates in 'Emma'; and Jumbles, inspired by the biscuits enjoyed by Fanny in 'Mansfield Park'. From Plum Cake and Gingerbread to Ratafia Cakes and Sally Lunns 'Tea with Jane Austen' has all the recipes you need to create the finest tea time treats, and the original recipes are given alongside, so you can compare them and appreciate modern time-savers such as icing sugar, dried yeast and electric mixers all the more!

***THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*** A Book of the Year in the Daily Mail, Independent, Spectator and The Times & Sunday Times Finalist for the Guild of Food Writers Food Book Award 2021 'Sharp, rich and superbly readable... Fascinating' Sunday Times 'Utterly delicious' Observer 'Superb' 'Book of the Week', The Times 'Terrific' 'Book of the Week', Guardian 'I loved it.' Monty Don 'A brilliant romp of a book.' Jay Rayner Avocado or beans on toast? Gin or claret? Nut roast or game pie? Milk in first or milk in last? And do you have tea, dinner or supper in the evening? In this fascinating social history of food in Britain, Pen Vogler examines the origins of our eating habits and reveals how they are loaded with centuries of class prejudice. Covering such topics as fish and chips, roast beef, avocados, tripe, fish knives and the surprising origins of breakfast, Scoff reveals how in Britain we have become experts at using eating habits to make judgements about social background. Bringing together evidence from cookbooks, literature, artworks and social records from 1066 to the present, Vogler traces the changing fortunes of the food we encounter today, and unpicks the aspirations and prejudices of the people who have shaped our cuisine for better or worse. 'With commendable appetite and immense attention to detail Pen Vogler skewers the enduring relationship between class and food in Britain. A brilliant romp of a book that gets to the very heart of who we think we are, one delicious dish at a time.' Jay Rayner