This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A century of recipes published in the magazine Good Housekeeping reveals how the variety of seafood presented to U.K. readers has "narrowed," new research shows. The research is published in People and Nature.
Ruth Thurstan, from the University of Exeter, studied seafood recipes published in the magazine from 1923 to the present day. Over that time, a diverse range of seafood recipes gave way to today's "big five"—cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and shrimp—which now make up about 80% of seafood eaten in the U.K. Thurstan said, "For decades, British cooks have turned to published recipes for inspiration about what to put on the dinner table.
I wondered whether these everyday sources could tell us how our relationship with fish has changed over time. "To find out, I examined issues of British Good Housekeeping, first published in 1922. I extracted fish and shellfish recipes from selected issues, eventually collating 1,192 recipes published over the course of a century." "The results reveal a striking story of change," said Thurstan, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall.
"This wasn't simply a case of fewer species being available—herring, oyster and lobster can all still be bought—but it reflects a genuine narrowing of what readers were being shown and encouraged to cook, at least within the pages of this magazine. "This shift didn't happen by accident, or because British tastes are naturally conservative. 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.
"Recipes are not a direct measure of consumption or preference, but they show what people were expected to recognize, access and want to cook at a given time. This makes them a valuable window into how food cultures change." Thurstan said her work shows current diets aren't "fixed or inevitable"—but can change and are shaped by multiple factors, including supply, price, history and culture. She added, "Today, the U.K. exports most of the diverse fish caught here, and imports most of the narrow range of fish we eat.
"If we want to change that, and make our seafood consumption healthier and more sustainable, understanding this mix of factors will be a key ingredient." The study also gives a glimpse into the recipes of the past—as well as other aspects of British life over the decades: Declines in the diversity of fish represented in British domestic recipes over the past 100 years, People and Nature (2026). DOI: 10.1002/pan3.70440 Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space.
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