Scoff

A History of Food and Class in Britain

By: Pen Vogler

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Paperback | 5 August 2021

At a Glance

Paperback
480 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
19.8 x 12.8 x 1

Paperback

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The entertaining story of British cuisine and the hidden role it plays in all our lives.

A Book of the Year in the Daily Mail, Independent, The Times & Sunday Times

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

About the Author

Pen Vogler is the author of Dinner with Mr Darcy and Dinner with Dickens and curated the exhibition Food Glorious Food at the Charles Dickens Museum. She edited Penguin's Great Food series, writes and reviews on food history for the press and has recreated recipes from the past for BBC Television.

Industry Reviews

'Sharp, rich and superbly readable... Vogler is sensitive to language, and she wields it brilliantly herself. Bons mot jostle with the kind of truth-skewering opinions that win reputations for restaurant critics... Ultimately, Vogler reveals why we eat what we do today - and it is fascinating. ' - Sunday Times

'Utterly delicious... I can't remember the last time I read a food book so interesting and so lively... The range of Vogler's reading is extraordinary... She has cooked up a banquet, and everything on the table is worth tasting at least once.' - Observer

'This excellent history is full of fascinating facts about the food we eat... More tellingly, it pricks the pomposity of many of our social conventions surrounding eating.' - Daily Mail

'A rich, persuasive diet of social friction, anecdotes and witty observation... It's a book to make the reader both think and salivate.' - Financial Times

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