Food Economy and Employment
Food and Drink Oral History ProjectThe catering landscape in Birmingham was vibrant and industrious, with 13,500 people employed in 1984 to prepare, cook and serve food to fuel the inner area of Birmingham, on par with the number employed in metal manufacturing. Often, shops were family-run, with generations of butchers, fishmongers, bakers, and chefs continuing the trade. It was not unusual for children to follow in their parents' footsteps, learning the ins and outs of the trade from an early age. These skills were typically passed down through hands-on experience, as children helped out during busy periods or whenever the need arose. By keeping the shop within the family, generational knowledge, skills, and traditions were often passed down, creating a rich legacy. This continuity ensured that each generation inherited not only the practical know-how but also the values and customs associated with the trade. As Arnold Brooke suggests, some people were pretty unmoving in their tradition:
Arnold Brooke Transcript
Arnold Brooke: There's quite a lot of individuality in the requirements of pie makers. And we make the dyes for the pie machines to the specification required by the pie maker. And it's quite common to find a pie maker insisting on having 23 crimps round the top of the pie, when our standard is 24, just because his grandfather always made it with 23 and he just will not be moved.
This exchange of knowledge can also be seen with family recipes, which go beyond mere instructions and embed stories, techniques and memories. These recipes hold both sentimental value and important culinary heritage.
Rise of Fast Food
One of the most significant changes in these interviewees' lifetime would have been the rise of fast foods. Post World War 2, the economic boom resulted in increased consumer spending, and the former luxury practice of eating out became a common occurrence. Workers and working families needed quick, on the go food, which rivalled the economic and time costs associated with cooking at home. Some of the original Birmingham fast food was a potato served off the back of a cart, pushed around Birmingham. Philip Allonzo remarks how they needed a permit to be stationary, so he was always on the move;
Philip Allonzo Transcript
Philip Allonzo: we used to go all round Ladywood, selling them you know [tipping them] round the sellers and people used to buy them and then you make perhaps 10 shilling like that, then we used to go home, have some tea, then prepare the potato—the roast potato machine then go out about five o'clock and go all round Farm Street, Hockley. All round there, Farm Street, [the Praise], Spring Hill, and stop outside public houses, cinemas, The Crown and all those places, and sell a few potatoes and you finish. then wait till the pubs turn out and then maybe they buy some to take home, 8p a bag by the way.
The food landscape changed dramatically with the arrival of new cultures into Birmingham during the 50s and 60s. New generations of people from Pakistan, Greece and China began setting up their food businesses, often preparing food to takeaway. In Birmingham, the first Chinese restaurants were established in the late 1950s, Tung Kong on Holloway Head, Kam Ling on Livery Street, and Tung Hing at 15 Snow Hill. Food was often an international language for new arrivals, with Harry Klerides discussing the welcome of Birmingham residents through food sharing practices, overcoming language barriers around food by drawing pictures, gesturing and food related vocabulary:
Harry Klerides Transcript
Harry Klerides: When the first Greek Cypriots came to Birmingham. They had a fish shop. And then most most of the Cypriots in Birmingham, they came as immigrants. Some minority like myself who came as students, and then they stayed afterwards. But most of them they came from Cyprus and they could hardly speak the language. A lot of them still don't. And they just- so by just having a fish shop, the vocabulary is very limited. They could get by just by, you know, just a few words fish chips, salt vinegar and the prices, things like that.
With the advent of Mcdonalds in the UK in 1974, fast food outlets increased exponentially - from 233 outlets in Birmingham in 1984 to 1058 in 2016.
Pub Food
As well as the evolution of fast food over the years, food served in pubs has undergone a significant transformation, reflecting broader changes in society. Initially, pub food was limited to bar snacks such as pickled whelks, and full meals didn’t really take off until the 1950, when the classic pairing of a pie and a pint was born. The rise of food in pubs had an effect on the clientele, attracting more women by creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment. Throughout this period, pubs remained a cornerstone of society, an important place for people to come together and socialise. Regular customers were common, which fostered social cohesion between the staff and customers, as described by Freda Cocks:
Freda Cocks Transcript
Freda Cocks: 3 piece usually: piano, violin and– and the drums. Because you don't– One of the mistakes they make today, they have music too loud. And my– my feeling and my husband's feeling always was that people come to pubs to talk. They want to chat and to talk to one another. Now, if you've got loud music going, they're shouting at one another. And, you know, after a bit, they peter out, and they just sit there like zombies drinking. Well, we felt that they wanted to talk, so we always made it a rule that the music was low up till– we closed at 10 in those days– up low till quarter past 9, and then from quarter past 9 to 10, they had a good old [??] sing song, and everybody joined in, because by then they'd had the chat and the talk. They were feeling mellow. They'd had a few drinks, and they all entered into the spirit. And that's when I went round with me collecting boxes because they were in the mood then to give. But it used to be– keep the– It used to keep it as a family. You know, all your customers were part of your family. I knew everybody's Christian name. I didn't know their surnames. I used to be able to know if the wife was ill, or the child was ill, or somebody passed an exam. You were part of a big family, and you were looked on differently then to what you are today. Then you were the gaffer and the missus, and they used to come to you with their troubles and their problems and sign the pension books for them, write letters for them, those who couldn't write very well, fill in forms, and you were, in a sense, in those days, your social service worker of the day. And they always trusted you. That was one thing that was very important, that you, you know, they had your trust. And that's what started me off on the council, because I– I– you know, I got the bug as it were, and thought, ‘Well, why not widen it out?’, you see. So that's really what started me off on being a counsellor.
Here it is also clear that the social role of the pub is essential to its popularity. Diversifying their function to host cultural events is a feature of contemporary pub spaces, often threatened with closure due to younger generations drinking less and socialising differently.
The experience of working in the food industry was not universal for all. The experience of women in catering spaces was often imbued with discrimination, about their appearance and age. Particularly in pub settings, women were hired for their appearance and objectified, a stereotype perpetuated by the barmaid image (Watterson, 2017).
Although it is now illegal for job advertisements to require women to be ‘attractive,’ gender and age discrimination remain persistent issues. The legacy of these outdated practices continues to influence the experiences of women in the UK’s food and hospitality industry. Today, women make up only 17% of professional chefs, and those who own and operate their own restaurants often encounter skepticism, limited investment opportunities, and ongoing sexism (Morgan, 2018).
Morgan, Z. (2018) 'Why are our professional kitchens still male dominated?', BBC News, 16 September. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45486646 (Accessed: 02 April 2025).
Watterson, K. (2017) 'Sexism in the kitchen: Female chefs speak out', BBC News, 6 November. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41892346 (Accessed: 04 April 2025).