World War II didn't only devastate the lives and homes of the British people, it was also a culinary disaster for Britain. On top of the strict rationing the government limited people to spending up to five shillings per meal. The Ministry of Food looked for cheap proteins so meats like snoek and whale were served in restaurants. Caterers weren't honest with their customers about the meat and the service was generally poor.
Raymond Postgate, left-wing historian and author, was frustrated. He wrote articles criticising the caterers and set up the Good Food Club where anybody could write in with suggestions of decent places to eat. In 1951 he published the first Good Food Guide with over 500 recommendations marking a new era for British catering.
The Bad Food Guide features archive material, menus, and interviews including Sir Clement Freud, who opened his own restaurant after the war; Elizabeth Ray, one of the first Good Food Guide inspectors; and Oliver Postgate inventor of the Clangers and Ivor the Engine and youngest son of Raymond Postgate.
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