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The English Table: Our Food through the Ages
272 pages, Hardcover
Published January 16, 2025
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About the author
Jill Norman
94 books15 followersJill created the Penguin Cookery Library in the 1960s and 1970s, bringing many first-class authors to the list. She has since become a Glenfiddich trophy winner in her own right, and is a leading authority on the use of herbs and spices. She is the literary trustee of the Elizabeth David estate, and worked with Mrs David for many years.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 21, 2025
Overview of history of English food. Bit dull.
January 11, 2025
Exploring all aspects of English cuisine!
The English Table tells the history of all aspects of English food from ancient times to the present day. Readers learn what the English ate, how they prepared it, when they ate, and the social context of meals. There is also related history and its effect on food, e.g., wartimes that prevented importing food from abroad. Social issues with impact on food are also discussed. For example, I was a bit shocked to read that it was not acceptable for women to go to restaurants without a male escort until the end of the nineteenth century.
I expected that what people ate during different eras would be of interest, but I found it rather surprising just how BAD the diet was, especially for the poor. There were a lot of fascinating surprises, too, such as the fact that white sugar was expensive and considered a delicacy for a very long time. Poor people who wanted to sweeten their food used honey! There were also surprising varieties of food, like black carrots and purple carrots. Some innovations are much more modern than I would have expected. Tinned food did not come out until the early 1800s, and tea came to England much later than I would have guessed.
Other interesting topics were meals and mealtimes, which varied more than I had expected, e.g., two meals per day was the practice in many eras. Multi-course meals seem to be much more common than I would have predicted.
There are two special additions to the narrative that I particularly enjoyed. At the end of each chapter are recipes from the pertinent era. It was very interesting to see not only what they ate in those times but how it was prepared. The second nice touch were photographs showing food shopping, preparation, and eating from long ago. These were enjoyable enough that I would recommend a hard copy of the book rather than an electronic one.
Given how ambitious the scope of the book was, it is not really surprising that I found it somewhat uneven. The first chapter in particular was disappointing, probably because there was less information available about the earliest times. I felt that a lot more non-food-related history was provided than was necessary or than I wanted to read. I am more interested in some aspects of the subject than others, which is probably true for most readers. If the topic of the book appeals to you, I expect you will find a lot to enjoy and recommend you simply feel free to skim over sections that are not in your realm of interest. After all, you will not be tested at the end!
I received an advance review copy of this book from Edelweiss and the publisher.
The English Table tells the history of all aspects of English food from ancient times to the present day. Readers learn what the English ate, how they prepared it, when they ate, and the social context of meals. There is also related history and its effect on food, e.g., wartimes that prevented importing food from abroad. Social issues with impact on food are also discussed. For example, I was a bit shocked to read that it was not acceptable for women to go to restaurants without a male escort until the end of the nineteenth century.
I expected that what people ate during different eras would be of interest, but I found it rather surprising just how BAD the diet was, especially for the poor. There were a lot of fascinating surprises, too, such as the fact that white sugar was expensive and considered a delicacy for a very long time. Poor people who wanted to sweeten their food used honey! There were also surprising varieties of food, like black carrots and purple carrots. Some innovations are much more modern than I would have expected. Tinned food did not come out until the early 1800s, and tea came to England much later than I would have guessed.
Other interesting topics were meals and mealtimes, which varied more than I had expected, e.g., two meals per day was the practice in many eras. Multi-course meals seem to be much more common than I would have predicted.
There are two special additions to the narrative that I particularly enjoyed. At the end of each chapter are recipes from the pertinent era. It was very interesting to see not only what they ate in those times but how it was prepared. The second nice touch were photographs showing food shopping, preparation, and eating from long ago. These were enjoyable enough that I would recommend a hard copy of the book rather than an electronic one.
Given how ambitious the scope of the book was, it is not really surprising that I found it somewhat uneven. The first chapter in particular was disappointing, probably because there was less information available about the earliest times. I felt that a lot more non-food-related history was provided than was necessary or than I wanted to read. I am more interested in some aspects of the subject than others, which is probably true for most readers. If the topic of the book appeals to you, I expect you will find a lot to enjoy and recommend you simply feel free to skim over sections that are not in your realm of interest. After all, you will not be tested at the end!
I received an advance review copy of this book from Edelweiss and the publisher.
November 20, 2025
This book connected loads of leaps and changes with what and how the English have eaten over the past millennium really well.
I especially liked the way the link between greater industrialisation and the decrease in food quality and cooking skills was made. The speed of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, moving people from growing and breeding their own food even at the poorest end of the social spectrum to towns and cities with dreadful housing and no cooking facilities, and then the problems of getting fresh good food into those cities really explains the loss of skills and knowledge and a country wide shift in cuisine.
Saying that I wish there was less straight British history. Social history yes, but I feel the potted history of the Tudors etc could have been left out.
I especially liked the way the link between greater industrialisation and the decrease in food quality and cooking skills was made. The speed of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, moving people from growing and breeding their own food even at the poorest end of the social spectrum to towns and cities with dreadful housing and no cooking facilities, and then the problems of getting fresh good food into those cities really explains the loss of skills and knowledge and a country wide shift in cuisine.
Saying that I wish there was less straight British history. Social history yes, but I feel the potted history of the Tudors etc could have been left out.
April 8, 2025
Good overview, not as in depth as others I've read.
June 20, 2025
Very high level overview. I enjoyed what I learned, but the writing is very basic.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews