In 1903, the Manchester Guardian told readers of mangoes, grapefruit, custard apples and other ‘strange’ fruit arriving at British ports.
Coverage in the 1930s informed us about the growing number of vegetarian households in the UK.
When war broke out in 1939, rationing led to great hardship (essentials like sugar were limited in supply until 1953 - eight years after the second world war ended).
By the 1960s, the availability of food wasn’t a problem, it was our lack of time to prepare it, so said the manufacturers of pre-cooked meals.
Food industry claims aside, our palates told us that some food such as fish and chips was best served fresh.
In the 1980s the popularity of the suburban dinner party seemed to take hold. Thankfully, the novice hostess could turn to the lifestyle pages of the Guardian for tips on how to successfully entertain at home.
Advice alone isn’t enough sometimes, what’s needed is a step by step video on how to prepare food. This 2011 Guardian film showed how to deep-fry a turkey, a method sometimes used for Thanksgiving in the United States. Warning: This video carries important advice on how to avoid fire hazard.
For those with more delicate tastes, the temptation to eat out instead of cooking at home was made easier by flicking through The Good Food Guide, the foodies’ bible.
