Plenty and Want: A Social History of Food in England from 1815 to the Present Day

Name: Plenty and Want: A Social History of Food in England from 1815 to the Present Day
Price: 69.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780415008624

✍️ Burnett, Proffessor John

Reader Score

4.4

(1 review)

$69.99

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Food Writing & History

📚 EDITORIAL REVIEW

“If you love food history and want to understand how industrialization shaped the English diet from Queen Victoria's era onward, this book is for you. Casual home cooks looking for quick dinner recipes will be disappointed, as this is a rich historical study rather than a practical cookbook.

— Editorial Team

Author

Burnett, Proffessor John

📚 all books by this author →

🏛 Routledge 📅 1989 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9780415008624

📝 Description: Plenty and Want: A Social History of Food in England from 1815 to the Present Day

What did Queen Victoria have for dinner? And how did this compare with the meals of the poor in the nineteenth century? This classic account of English food habits since the industrial revolution answers these questions and more.

💎 Expert review

“

🍳

Eatbook Family editorial team

Cookbook desk

While intellectually robust, this volume is not for casual cooks seeking inspiration or practical advice. It appeals strictly to those interested in academic food studies and social history. Casual readers expecting narrative flair or recipe adaptations will likely find it dry and overly theoretical. It demands patience and an appreciation for dense historical analysis over engaging storytelling. Those seeking a light read on English cuisine should look elsewhere.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Eatbook Family —

⭐ eatbookfamily.com editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

If you love food history and want to understand how industrialization shaped the English diet from Queen Victoria's era onward, this book is for you. Casual home cooks looking for quick dinner recipes will be disappointed, as this is a rich historical study rather than a practical cookbook.

Reader rating

4.4

Based on 1 reviews

Eatbook Family editorial team

While intellectually robust, this volume is not for casual cooks seeking inspiration or practical advice. It appeals strictly to those interested in academic food studies and social history. Casual readers expecting narrative flair or recipe adaptations will likely find it dry and overly theoretical. It demands patience and an appreciation for dense historical analysis over engaging storytelling. Those seeking a light read on English cuisine should look elsewhere.

❓ Frequently asked questions

No, this is a social history book examining historical eating habits and diets in England rather than a traditional recipe collection.

The publisher description highlights historical food habits and social context rather than visual photography.

📖 Who should read this

📜 Historical context

This classic text explores the social history of English food habits and dietary changes since the industrial revolution. Rather than focusing on a single culinary tradition, it investigates the stark contrasts in what people ate across different social classes throughout England's modern history.