State-Sponsored Communal Dining in Britain in the early twentieth century: the National Kitchen and the British Restaurant compared

Evans, Bryce (2024) State-Sponsored Communal Dining in Britain in the early twentieth century: the National Kitchen and the British Restaurant compared. Cadernos do Arquivo Municipal. ISSN 2183 - 3176 (Accepted for Publication)

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Abstract

This article explores the British experience of state-supported commensality in the early twentieth century, focusing specifically on the major initiatives emerging during wartime: National Kitchens (1917-1919) and British Restaurants (1940 – circa 1954). In both cases, local authorities in British towns and cities – either on their own initiative or following lobbying by residents - could apply for a capital grant from central government to establish a social eating venue. If successful, the venues would employ a paid staff administering price-capped and nutritious meals to the general public, with the proviso that they could continue in operation only if they broke even.

This marked an important departure in British social history in general and in the history of British public feeding in particular. This article compares these two major episodes in mass dining on a national scale, capturing their scale and dynamics. It scrutinises the British experiment in government-led public feeding against five key questions, 1) does the British example constitute radical commensality? 2) what was the role of women in these schemes? 3) what were the nutritional considerations? 4) were they genuinely popular, and what was the impact on morale? and 5) what were the reasons for the decline in state-led communal dining in Britain?

Item Type:	Article
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Creative Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities
Depositing User:	Bryce Evans
Date Deposited:	02 Aug 2024 13:52
Last Modified:	08 Nov 2024 11:38
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/4335

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