Individual chapters reflect the enthusiasm of the contributors and do not cover the fall range of food in Britain. Readers may be inspired to take their own item of food and track its progress through the ages. A single dish can reflect the changing taste of a nation, from the use of a proflision of spices and a mixture of sweet and savoury, to a deliberate limitation of flavours and division of dishes into specific courses. As literacy grew, and printed books became easily affordable, the recipes took in the simpler meals of all classes of society. They also reveal the gradual incorporation of ready-made flavours and thickeners, and the industrial provision of food that leaves little for the cook to do.