‘Bingeable’ – The Telegraph

‘A book for our time’ – The Spectator

‘[Barnett’s] an indefatigable researcher’ – The Mail on Sunday

A rich and entertaining story about the preservation and waste of food in Great Britain from the Elizabethan era to the present day. At a time when one third of the food we produce globally is wasted, Eleanor Barnett opens a window into the everyday experiences of ordinary people from the past, revealing how factors such as religion, class, and gender have historically shaped attitudes towards food waste.

"Leftovers" uses a broad historical perspective to connect the many ingenious methods our ancestors employed to extend the shelf life of food – including the management of Tudor households, Victorian public health initiatives, and the two World Wars – with contemporary concerns such as climate change, globalization, scientific progress, poverty, and inequality.

Pages: 352, Year of Publication: 0729, Dimensions: 12.8x12.8cm