Shoulder of Mutton Field

Original edition reissued in 2023 with new cover. This is a print on demand title and is not held in stock. The delivery leadtimes will be longer.

This book charts the growth and structure of the retail sale of meat, from a hawker simply upending a barrel by the roadside to the modern supermarket in the context of the changing social climate.

The story is not solely confined to statistics or even great events, but just as importantly the employees and customers, essential to their success. From Archbishops, apprentices, class, crime, inventors, insolvency, Royalty and rationing to the great names in meat retailing and beyond.

At a time when the meat consumption in these islands out stripped the world and the meat industry was only second in importance to the great railways - all is explored.

The findings, all interwoven with an enormous amount of detail, allow the inquisitive and knowledgeable reader alike an enjoyable meander on a journey of discovery revealing much that is still pertinent today.