Michael Henderson suggests

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My, How the World Changes

Tuesday, 1st April 2008

Or, at least, how Britain changes.

A group of more than 1,400 families were questioned on the meals they cooked most often. Almost a third (30 per cent) prepared roast chicken most regularly, with spaghetti bolognese (27 per cent) and stir fry (12 per cent) the next most popular. Then came sausage and mash at 12 per cent, followed by curries (10 per cent) and pork chops (7 per cent).

50 years ago, even after the end of war time rationing (sweets were, I think, still rationed into the 50s?) only two of those dishes would have been regulars on a British household menu: the sausage and mash and the pork chops.

Elizabeth David's books had only just started to come out and she was still recommending looking for olive oil in pharmacies rather than groceries. The spag bog was thus still a wildly exotic dish. Curries were better known but still restricted to that part of the population that had served in the Empire and their offspring. Stir fries almost unheard of outside those who again, had come across them while abroad.

And roast chicken? Yes, well known but fearsomely expensive, more so than beef. Intensive rearing techniques had only just been imported from the US and broilers were still uncommon.

So things have changed wildly: but I do wonder. What would have been the 6 most popular home cooked dishes in 1958? Mr. Google isn't telling me on a simple search: I would assume variations on meat, potatoes and veg, but does anyone actually know?

Corned beef and cabbage?

Stews?

But when Britain's acting community produced a book of its favourite recipes more than half a century ago, it was a simpler, more innocent age. It came up with dishes such as ginger cake and corned beef hash, spotted dick and stew.