Fish baked in custard, oyster soup and jellied herrings: Study reveals the forgotten seafood dishes Britons once ate before the 'big five' fish took over

From fish baked in custard to oyster soup and jellied herrings, Britain’s seafood menus were once far more adventurous than they are today. 

A new study has revealed that the dizzying variety of fish dishes enjoyed by previous generations has largely disappeared from recipe pages over the last century. 

Researchers pored over thousands of meals featured in the magazine Good Housekeeping from 1923 to the present day.

They found that Britons have given up on once-popular favourites such as lobster, oysters and herring.

In their place, the nation has become hooked on just five species: cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns.

Together these species now contribute about 80 per cent of all the fish eaten in the UK, despite most being imported from abroad.

Lead author Dr Ruth Thurstan, of the University of Exeter, says: 'The results reveal a striking story of change.

'This wasn't simply a case of fewer species being available, but it reflects a genuine narrowing of what readers were being shown and encouraged to cook, at least within the pages of this magazine.'

As food fashions changed, vintage dishes like the pilchard-filled stargazy pie have vanished from British plates 

The British edition of Good Housekeeping magazine has been operating since 1922, offering aspiring home cooks inspiration for recipes alongside tips for hosting.

That makes its 120-year archive of back issues an accidental time capsule of the country's changing tastes and fickle fashions.

'For decades, British cooks have turned to published recipes for inspiration about what to put on the dinner table,' says Dr Thurstan.

'I wondered whether these everyday sources could tell us how our relationship with fish has changed over time.'

In total, Dr Thurstan gathered 1,192 recipes spanning the course of a century, revealing how Britain's taste for seafood has changed in three distinct phases.

Prior to the 1970s, recipes typically included a diverse mixture of fish species.

While no single group dominated the nation's plates, flat fish, herring and oysters were prominent.

This data also revealed a strikingly different emphasis from today's magazines, with recipes prioritising domestic skills, home economy, and preparing the entire fish.

An analysis of 100 years of recipes from Good Housekeeping has revealed how Britain fell out of love with oysters, lobster, and herring

Prior to the 1970s, UK fish diets were more diverse and, although no species dominated, oysters and flatfish such as plaice were much more common

Recipes offered advice on dishes rarely seen, or even heard of today, such as oyster soup, jellied herrings, and fish baked in custard.

Throughout the 1940s, while rationing was in effect, people were actively encouraged to eat fish and alternative protein sources.

One magazine entry from the period even included a recipe for curried whale meat as supplies of protein dwindled.

However, after the start of the 1970s, Dr Thurstan noticed that things began to change rapidly.

From this point onwards, there is a sharp decline in diversity of fish used, with an increased focus on the big five species.

In their paper, published in People and Nature, Dr Thurstan notes that this coincides with a significant decline in fish catch in UK waters brought about by overfishing and, subsequently, regulations brought into effect to rebuild stocks.

At the same time, supermarkets, frozen foods, and standardised products started to become more common.

Throughout the 1980s and on to today, the big five are present in well over half of all recipes published in Good Housekeeping while other species decline.

The 'big five species' - cod, haddock, salmon, tuna, and prawns - now appear in more than half of all recipes, while all other species have declined in popularity 

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The researchers also noted that recipes became more 'aspirational', with dishes like Gochujang sticky cod and miso prawn skewers meant to impress or show off.

'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.'

While these recipes aren't a direct measure of fish consumption, they show what people were expected to recognise and want to cook at any given time.

However, since the big five are all either depleted or non-existent in UK waters, this also led to a huge increase in the amount of fish Britain needed to import.

Previous research has shown that, by 1985, imports had overtaken domestic landings as UK fish stocks fell and consumer tastes narrowed to a few species – triggering a massive change in UK diets.

The UK now imports more than six times as much seafood as in 1900, with fish coming from over 2,000 miles away on average.

'This shift didn't happen by accident, or because British tastes are naturally conservative,' says Dr Thurstan.

'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.'