100-year magazine study reveals ‘narrowing’ of UK seafood recipes

A century of recipes published in the magazine Good Housekeeping reveal how the variety of seafood presented to UK readers has “narrowed”, new research shows.

Dr Ruth Thurstan, from the University of Exeter, studied seafood recipes published in the magazine from 1923 to the present day.

Over that time, a diverse range of seafood recipes gave way to today’s “big five” – cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns – which now make up about 80% of seafood eaten in the UK.

Dr Thurstan said: “For decades, British cooks have turned to published recipes for inspiration about what to put on the dinner table. I wondered whether these everyday sources could tell us how our relationship with fish has changed over time.

“To find out, I examined issues of British Good Housekeeping, first published in 1922. I extracted fish and shellfish recipes from selected issues, eventually collating 1,192 recipes published over the course of a century.”

The results reveal three broad phases:

• Pre-1970s: Diverse mix of species in recipes. No single group dominated but flatfish, herring and oyster were prominent. Recipes emphasised domestic skills, economy and preparing whole fish.
• 1970s shift: A decline in diversity of fish species in published recipes, with increased focus on the “big five”. In this period, catch in UK waters declined and imports increased, alongside the rise of supermarkets, frozen foods and standardised products.
• 1980s-present: “Big five” present in well over half of recipes, with a decline of other species – though they are not lost entirely. Aspirational recipes (based on value and status) and convenience-focused products became increasingly prominent.

“The results reveal a striking story of change,” said Dr Thurstan, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

“This wasn’t simply a case of fewer species being available – herring, oyster and lobster can all still be bought – but it reflects a genuine narrowing of what readers were being shown and encouraged to cook, at least within the pages of this magazine.

“This shift didn’t happen by accident, or because British tastes are naturally conservative. Instead, it reflects decades of interacting changes in fish supply, trade, and supply chains, which shaped what domestic cooks came to see as familiar and desirable to eat.

“Recipes are not a direct measure of consumption or preference, but they show what people were expected to recognise, access, and want to cook at a given time. This makes them a valuable window into how food cultures change.”

Dr Thurstan said her work shows current diets aren’t “fixed or inevitable” – but can change, and are shaped by multiple factors including supply, price, history and culture.

She added: “Today, the UK exports most of the diverse fish caught here, and imports most of the narrow range of fish we eat.

“If we want to change that, and make our seafood consumption healthier and more sustainable, understanding this mix of factors will be a key ingredient.”

Century of seafood

The study also gives a fascinating glimpse into the recipes of the past – as well as other aspects of British life over the decades:

• Recipes have included oyster soup and halibut steaks in milk (1920s and 30s); fish pasties and jellied herrings (1940s); and tuna soured cream quiche, herring snips and salmon trout in aspic (1970s).
• The 1940s – when rationing was in force due to World War Two – featured recipes by the Ministry of Food explicitly encouraging the consumption of fish and alternative protein sources – including a recipe for curried whale meat.
• More “aspirational” dishes in the 2020s have included golden hasselback salmon, Gochujang sticky cod and miso prawn skewers.

The study was funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, via a grant to the SEACHANGE project.

The paper, published in the journal People and Nature, is entitled: “Declines in the diversity of fish represented in British domestic recipes over the past 100 years.”