All Consuming

The star food writer explores how our tastes have been formed and how they shape our lives

Over the past century our tastes have been transformed, pulled into supermarket aisles and seduced by Michelin stars, transfixed by MasterChefs and shaped by fads. How did food, once an important yet contained part of life, come to dominate our desires? And why are we drawn to the foods we hunger for today? From the rise of supermarkets and the golden age of ice cream innovation (including Viennetta and its sultry waves), to the unlikely adoption of bubble tea and advent of Instagram influencers, Ruby Tandoh's startlingly original exploration leads her to question - as we surely will, too - how our tastes have been shaped and how much they are, in fact, our own.