The East Anglian Film Archive, the UK's first regional film archive, offers a unique record of the East of England's social and cultural history. As part of the University of East Anglia, we continue to lead moving image heritage research and inspire audience participation through community projects and events. Our collections represent a broad range of amateur and professional creativity, from 1896 to the present day.
Bletchley Receives EEC Free Beef
(About Anglia)
Bletchley becomes the first town in Europe to receive free beef from the EEC food surplus.
Surplus beef is delivered to Bletchley Day Centre from an EEC intervention store in Northampton. After an emphasis on mass producing cheap but not necessarily high-quality food in Europe, a combination of lower than predicted population growth and changing consumer demands in the 1980s led to 'food mountains': large quantities of surplus food.
MP Michael Jopling explains to reporter Peter Lugg that this scheme to distribute surplus beef was devised only two weeks ago, and that he is impressed with how charities have been able to respond to the decision. Beef will be cooked for pensioners at the Day Centre and sent out by Meals on Wheels. June Coleridge from the British Red Cross says that the food will help elderly people who may struggle over winter.
This film was produced for inclusion in the Anglia Television evening news/magazine review programme, About Anglia.
If 'we are what we eat', then we're definitely not who we used to be...
The British diet has come a long way since the days when lard, suet and condensed milk were the staple of every kitchen, and when 'takeaway' invariably meant a fish supper. We still love our fish & chips - and our Sunday roasts, full English breakfasts, sausage & mash and neeps and tatties. But today our supermarkets stock food and ingredients from six continents, and our comfort food may just as likely be curry, sushi, risotto, chilli con carne or peri peri chicken.
This selection of cookery shows, news reports, adverts and debates gives a taste of how our appetites and our palates were transformed, as well as highlighting some of the food fads and fears that simmered up along the way. So take a seat, browse the menu, and remember: watch what you eat!
