Ben Ebbrell
Founder & chef of Sortedfood. A drive to inspire people through food and being inspired everyday in return. World's largest food and cooking community.
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Ben Ebbrell
“Remarkable how many of the concerns in the book we've seen unfold over the last few weeks/months, given it was published in 2020 and, with the depth of academic reasoning, must have taken a while! Heading towards #cop26... Shifts in our thinking will have to kick in.” (from X)
Once famous mostly for being brown and bland, British food has changed remarkably in the last half century. As we have become wealthier and more discerning, our food has Europeanized (pizza is children's favourite food) and internationalized (we eat the world's cuisines), yet our food culture remains fragmented, a mix of mass 'ultra-processed' substances alongside food as varied and good as anywhere else on the planet. This book takes stock of the UK food system: where it comes from, what we eat, its impact, fragilities and strengths. It is a book on the politics of food. It argues that the Brexit vote will force us to review our food system. Such an opportunity is sorely needed. After a brief frenzy of concern following the financial shock of 2008, the UK government has slumped once more into a vague hope that the food system will keep going on as before. Food, they said, just required a burst of agri-technology and more exports to pay for our massive imports. Feeding Britain argues that this and other approaches are short-sighted, against the public interest, and possibly even strategic folly. Setting a new course for UK food is no easy task but it is a process, this book urges, that needs to begin now.