EATING IN THE UK IN THE FIFTIES

[Dave54]

Foreign food came courtesy of VESTA ,(not sure if that was 50s but close.)

Bit later I think. '62 or '63 I remember having a Vesta chow mein with my mum, she said it was a new thing. Must have been about then.

. . . And another vote for "No" to turkey. A big decent quality chicken and a decent piece of pork for us. We changed several years ago after yet another dry, bland turkey.

 

[dhutch]

. . . And another vote for "No" to turkey. A big decent quality chicken and a decent piece of pork for us. We changed several years ago after yet another dry, bland turkey.

Just put down my works christmas meal choices, Braised Beef, alternatives being Turkey with Pigs&blankets, Leg of Pork with CiderGravy, Salmon and Asparagus, or Mushroom and Spinach Lasgne!

At home we often have Duck or Goose, knowing the Butcher helps.


Daniel

 

[dhutch]

Coronation chicken?

Coronation chicken (1953) may have been inspired by jubilee chicken, a dish prepared for the silver jubilee of George V in 1935, which mixed chicken with mayonnaise and curry.

Been around a while.

 

[Biguns]

and all fish and chips were fried in beef dripping Mmmmmmm! before insipid vegetable oil was invented

 

[Deleted member 174758]

and all fish and chips were fried in beef dripping Mmmmmmm! before insipid vegetable oil was invented

As I said before - go to Dublin. A lot of "chippers" there still cook them that way

 

[Harbourwoodwork]

I think people had less money in the day, but seemed to have better quality products either because they had no access to crap or did not aspire to own it peoples clothes were made of wool cotton leather shoes brogues and the like food was always fresh ,no choice and plenty of good local shop's,and that's another story,come the 60s all the crap products came in **** processed food ,synthetic of the peg suit's plastic shoes,and guy's changed from supping good real ale to chemical ,gassed up beer such as Watney's Red Barrel and Skol lager ,every body just rolled over and accepted everything they were sold it was a bit of a shame

 

[securespark]

Coronation chicken?

Coronation chicken (1953) may have been inspired by jubilee chicken, a dish prepared for the silver jubilee of George V in 1935, which mixed chicken with mayonnaise and curry.

Been around a while.

Agreed. My point was that curry and spices was around in the 50's.

every body just rolled over and accepted everything they were sold it was a bit of a shame

But since then, there has been a backlash and there are more producers of "proper" food, ie organic-grown produce, traditional methods resurrected and "real" ale.

To my mind, "real" ale and organic produce is only how it would have been produced in the good old days.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I think people had less money in the day, but seemed to have better quality products either because they had no access to crap or did not aspire to own it

You might want to ponder how and why the Co-op started, then. Part of it's raison d'être was to supply "wholesome and unadulterated produce" which many retailers of the day (1844) did not do.

 

[Dave54]

I think people had less money in the day, but seemed to have better quality products either because they had no access to crap or did not aspire to own it

You might want to ponder how and why the Co-op started, then. Part of it's raison d'être was to supply "wholesome and unadulterated produce" which many retailers of the day (1844) did not do.

Yes but I think that you'll find "wholesome and unadulterated produce" meant something different then. I read / heard somewhere that some unscrupulous traders at that time were doing stuff like putting sawdust (and worse) in bread and so on.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I think people had less money in the day, but seemed to have better quality products either because they had no access to crap or did not aspire to own it

You might want to ponder how and why the Co-op started, then. Part of it's raison d'être was to supply "wholesome and unadulterated produce" which many retailers of the day (1844) did not do.

Yes but I think that you'll find "wholesome and unadulterated produce" meant something different then. I read / heard somewhere that some unscrupulous traders at that time were doing stuff like putting sawdust (and worse) in bread and so on.

And bulking-out processed foods with salt, sugar, starch and flour (all of which started in the 1950s) isn't? The adulteration has changed over time, but it's still there. Another thing worth considering is that in the 50s and 60s there were some really nasty chemicals (over-)used in food production. The most obvious one was DDT and that has had long term genetic effects

The odd thing is that research has shown that the popluation of the UK was probably at it's healthiest in 1945 after 5 years of war and a near-starvation diet. Perverse, in a way

 

[dhutch]

Yes but I think that you'll find "wholesome and unadulterated produce" meant something different then. I read / heard somewhere that some unscrupulous traders at that time were doing stuff like putting sawdust (and worse) in bread and so on.

Which is about what were doing now, we have just got paperwork signed off to say the grade of sawdust used is 'safe' to eat....

 

[Dave54]

I think people had less money in the day, but seemed to have better quality products either because they had no access to crap or did not aspire to own it

You might want to ponder how and why the Co-op started, then. Part of it's raison d'être was to supply "wholesome and unadulterated produce" which many retailers of the day (1844) did not do.

Yes but I think that you'll find "wholesome and unadulterated produce" meant something different then. I read / heard somewhere that some unscrupulous traders at that time were doing stuff like putting sawdust (and worse) in bread and so on.

And bulking-out processed foods with salt, sugar, starch and flour (all of which started in the 1950s) isn't? The adulteration has changed over time, but it's still there. Another thing worth considering is that in the 50s and 60s there were some really nasty chemicals (over-)used in food production. The most obvious one was DDT and that has had long term genetic effects

The odd thing is that research has shown that the popluation of the UK was probably at it's healthiest in 1945 after 5 years of war and a near-starvation diet. Perverse, in a way

No doubt at all that most processed food is bulked out with something, even if it's only water.

I wonder if that's why a lot of it always tastes like cardboard to me?

You can't beat fresh food, freshly prepared.