English Food

Diane Purkiss is a Professor of English Literature at Oxford and fellow of Keble College. She is the author of the much-admired The Witch in History, Troublesome Things, and the acclaimed history, The English Civil War.

Praise for English Food :

'An absolute gem... English Food is a fabulous read. I devoured it with gusto... My review copy will find a permanent place on my bookshelves... a richly entertaining and enlightening social history of England... Superb' Sunday Times, Christopher Hart

'Every page brings astonishing revelation... acerbic, witty, opinionated and devoid of pomposity... This book is about food, but it's more importantly about how food defines us' The Times, Gerald DeGroot

'A mouthwatering history... A sumptuous survey of English cuisine leaves no morsel untasted... liberally seasoned throughout with literary references, from Anglo-Saxon poetry to Michael Ondaatje... fascinating... There's an awful lot of good stuff to get your teeth into here' The Guardian, Felicity Cloake

'What a delectable banquet of a book this is... This magnificently readable and engaging book (which is also very generously illustrated) sets the record straight and should whet appetites for the attentive, seasonal cooking and gamier flavours of the past' Literary Review

'[A] fantastic book' Evening Standard

'A remarkable book, scholarly, entertaining and fascinating. Purkiss is extraordinarily well read, articulate, and writes beautifully. She goes under the skirts of convention to strip bare the many presumptions that surround what we eat and why. Mandatory reading for anyone involved, however peripherally, in food and what we now refer to as the food chain. Simply a brilliant work'
The Guild of Food Writers Food Book Award judges