Food

1940s

Cockle collecting at Leigh-on-Sea, 1948

BBC Newsreel cameras captured cockle-collectors collecting, carrying, cleaning and cooking cockles at Leigh-on-Sea

Potato harvest on the Isle of Arran, 1949

Newsreel footage of the potato harvest, from the island situated off the west coast of Scotland

Cooks on parade, 1949

Army cooks today are experts, whose ideas range far beyond the old cliché of bully beef and biscuit

1950s

RAF Mess Hall, 1950

The RAF station Boscombe Down had a fancy new kitchen installed, so Newsreel went for a nosy around

Where the praties grow, 1952

Backbreaking work never looked so beautiful than in this film about potato farming in Ireland

Cooking With Jacquie Rose, 1955

Have you ever wanted to know how to make eggs with top hats, all very egg-citing

Tinned food experiment, 1958

Would you eat Army rations that date back as far as the Boer War?

1960s

Average annual food consumption, 1960

What your diet would have consisted of in 1960.

Fanny Cradock pork warning, 1965

The celebrity chef had a very serious message for home cooks

Chinese food and headaches, 1968

Hypothesis: Chinese food gives you headaches. Method: Send James Burke to an all-you-can eat. Conclusion: ...

Exotic foods become popular in Britain, 1969

The long-repressed English palate was dabbling in the exotic. But what on earth were these 'sweet potatoes', and how do you cook them?

1970s

Greggs' seconds shop, 1974

Whey aye, a half-price pie!

Skyrocketing sprouts, 1976

"Millionaire prices? Well it is, innit, you gotta be a millionaire - buy a bit of veg today"

1980s

Burger boom, 1981

Newsround Extra investigates the influx into Britain of American fast food restaurant chains

Brown bread's not dead, 1986

Join the flour power revolution by trying the latest foodie craze

Linda McCartney's pumpkin pie, 1989

The famous vegetarian shows Judy Spiers how to make a Halloween treat

Roald Dahl on chocolate, 1989

The author displays an encyclopaedically scrumdiddlyumptious knowledge of all things chocolate

1990s and beyond

Dunking with scientific confidence, 1998

Just the biscuit, science has the solution to all your dunking problems

Full programmes

Fanny Cradock Invites You To...A Cheese and Wine Party

Join Fanny Cradock at home and share in her party preparations.

Fanny Cradock Cooks for Christmas

Fanny Cradock's recipes for a successful Christmas.

Delia Smith's Cookery Course

Delia Smith's classic 1970s series featuring basic, foolproof recipes.

Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery

In his first TV series, Ken Hom introduces the classic techniques of Chinese cooking.

Floyd on France

Keith Floyd nips over the channel to savour the best of French cuisine.

Madhur Jaffrey's Flavours of India

Madhur Jaffrey shows how to prepare delectable dishes from six Indian states.

Rick Stein's Seafood Odyssey

Series exploring places and flavours that have influenced the cooking of chef Rick Stein.

Caribbean Food Made Easy

Caribbean cookery series with Levi Roots.