When Food Was Fun

An ode to a time before #wellness and the cult of the sourdough loaf had us in a chokehold.

Photography by Louise Hagger

Words by Danielle Pender

If you grew up in the UK during the 80s and 90s there are certain food-related touchpoints that will be ingrained in your memory forever.

This was a time before Ottolenghi, before #wellness, before the sourdough had a hold on our necks; when sandwich fillings came out of a jar and aching teeth were the sign of an intensely satisfying sweet binge.

This was an era when the British public was heavily influenced by the bright and gaudy brands of their American counterparts. It was a time of convenience, of micro-wave meals, of blissful ignorance – when our taste buds and appetites were driven by what was fun, bright, sweet or mouth-wateringly sour rather than what was “good for us”.

I can still remember the joy of spending a morning in the six-weeks holiday eating bowl after bowl of Frosties whilst watching a full five hours of kids' programmes on TV. These cereal sessions would be followed by a carefree afternoon in the park with friends throwing sticks at the climbing frame sustained entirely by cans of ice-cold Lilt, packets of Hula-Hoops, eaten off the tips of our fingers, and 20p mix-ups. 

Birthday parties were no frills. It was pass-the-parcel in your friend’s front room (not in a craft ale pub or brewery) followed by the most basic but delicious burgers and birthday cake. There were no piñatas, possibly some balloons, and absolutely no “entertainment”.

The creamiest hot chocolate topped with squirty cream and mini marshmallows punctuated a visit to your nans. It was a distraction while the adults gossiped about the neighbours or other members of the family. Carnation milk was poured on everything, fruit salads from a tin included luminous glacier cherries and if you stayed for tea you’d be given a cheese sandwich on white bread accompanied by boulders of Branston pickle.

Even if the surrounding adults were causing drama with their affairs, subsequent divorces and other weird adult shit, the food was always fun. But, the party couldn’t last.

We all got a little older and a little wiser.

We came to understand the impact of a sugary diet and the benefits of a low GI existence but for a while, we had it good – even if our teeth were a little sore and our blood sugar levels were sky-high.

Credits:

Concept & Creative Direction: Louise Hagger & Lucy-Ruth Hathaway

Photography: Louise Hagger @louisehagger

Food Styling: Lucy-Ruth Hathaway @itslucyruth

Prop Styling & Set: Alexander Breeze @alexanderbreeze

Photo Assistant & Retouching: Sam Reeves @sam.peter.reeves

Food Styling Assistant: Hattie Baker @_hattiebakes_

Read the other stories in our FOOD edition.