Century of Good Housekeeping Recipes Reveals UK Seafood Variety Narrowed to Big Five

A century of seafood recipes published in British Good Housekeeping has revealed a dramatic narrowing in the variety of fish and shellfish presented to UK cooks, according to researchers at the University of Exeter. The study, published in the journal People and Nature, analysed 1,192 recipes that appeared between 1923 and 2025 and found that a once diverse culinary repertoire has been reduced to what the researchers call the big five: cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns. Dr Ruth Thurstan, from the University of Exeter's Centre for Ecology and Conservation on the Penryn Campus in Cornwall, led the work, which traced how recipes changed across a full century of the magazine, first published in 1922.

The research identifies three broad phases. Before the 1970s, recipes featured a wide mix of species, with flatfish, herring and oyster prominent, and instructions that emphasised domestic skills, economy and the preparation of whole fish. During the 1970s, species diversity declined sharply and the big five began to dominate, a shift that coincided with falling UK catches, rising imports and the growth of supermarkets, frozen foods and standardised products. From the 1980s to the present, the big five have appeared in well over half of recipes while other species have steadily declined.

The findings matter far beyond the kitchen. According to the Marine Stewardship Council, the big five now make up about 80% of the fish and seafood consumed in the UK, and the Exeter study shows that this dominance is reflected in the recipes that have guided British home cooks for generations. The paper, titled Declines in the diversity of fish represented in British domestic recipes over the past 100 years, was funded by the European Research Council under the EU's Horizon 2020 programme through a grant to the SEACHANGE project. It was published on October 13, 2026, with a DOI of 10.1002/pan3.70440.

The University of Exeter reported on October 13, 2026 that the narrowing was not simply a case of fewer species being available but reflects decades of interacting changes in fish supply, trade and supply chains. Dr Thurstan said she examined selected issues of the magazine and eventually collated 1,192 recipes published over the course of a century. The study was released by the university's news office in a release written by Alex Morrison.

Key Facts

The scale of the analysis is unusual for a food study. The Guardian reported on October 13, 2026 that 67 species had been included in Good Housekeeping recipes over the last 100 years, but that since the 1970s the big five have dominated, accounting for more than 60% of all mentions. Recipes featuring oysters, flatfish and herring have plunged. The Exeter release states that the 1,192 recipes represent an average of about 40 fish recipes per year and 3.3 per issue, with most recipes based on just 1.3 species on average.

The three phases are richly illustrated by the recipes themselves. In the 1920s and 1930s, readers could find oyster soup, oyster cocktail, lobster canapes and halibut steaks in milk. The 1940s, under World War II rationing, featured Ministry of Food recipes encouraging alternative proteins, including curried whale meat, and a 1947 Ministry of Food leaflet extolling herring. Fish pasties and jellied herrings also appeared. By the 1960s, recipes included plaice veronique and chilled prawn soup. The 1970s brought cod roe on toast and tuna soured cream quiche, while the 1990s offered herb-crusted salmon and prawn and peanut noodles. In the 2020s, recipes include golden hasselback salmon, gochujang sticky cod and miso prawn skewers.

The shift was not driven by British tastes being naturally conservative, Thurstan said. Phys.org reported on October 13, 2026 that she attributed the change to decades of interacting changes in fish supply, trade and supply chains. She noted that the UK exports most of the diverse fish caught here and imports most of the narrow range of fish we eat. Changing that pattern for healthier, more sustainable consumption requires understanding that mix, she added.

The environmental costs of the big five's dominance are also part of the picture. The Guardian reported on October 13, 2026 that Thurstan said cod, haddock and shrimp fishing can damage habitats, while salmon farming has come under intense scrutiny. The study's focus on domestic recipes offers a new way to trace those supply chain changes over time. EurekAlert! reported on October 13, 2026 that the release was tagged as a peer-reviewed publication from the University of Exeter and that the underlying paper appears in People and Nature.

Analysis

What this really means is that the narrowing of British seafood recipes is not a simple story of changing fashion. It is a record of how industrial fishing, international trade, retail consolidation and food technology reshaped what appears on dinner tables. When cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns account for about 80% of UK seafood consumption, the diversity of the sea is filtered through a supply chain that rewards volume, familiarity and standardisation. The recipes in Good Housekeeping both reflected and reinforced that filter, telling readers what was available, affordable and socially acceptable to cook.

The three phases identified by Thurstan map closely onto broader economic and cultural shifts. Pre-1970s recipes assumed a cook who could handle a whole fish, bone a herring or stretch inexpensive ingredients. The 1970s brought frozen foods, supermarkets and a focus on convenience, alongside declining UK catches and rising imports. From the 1980s onward, the big five became the default, appearing in well over half of recipes, while species such as oysters, flatfish and herring retreated to the margins. The result is a culinary landscape that looks diverse on supermarket shelves but is biologically narrow.

The study also challenges the idea that consumers simply prefer the big five. Thurstan's point that the UK exports most of the diverse fish caught here and imports most of the narrow range of fish we eat suggests that availability and trade policy, not innate taste, are the primary drivers. If the fish caught in British waters were more widely available to British cooks, recipes might look different. The research implies that any effort to broaden seafood consumption must address the entire chain, from fishing quotas and export markets to retail buying practices and recipe writing.

There are environmental stakes, too. Cod, haddock and shrimp fishing can damage habitats, and salmon farming has come under intense scrutiny. A diet concentrated on a handful of species can place pressure on those stocks and farming systems while leaving other abundant and nutritious species underused. The Exeter study does not prescribe solutions, but it provides a century of evidence that recipe books are not neutral documents. They are economic and ecological records, and they show how quickly a diverse food culture can narrow.

Why It Matters

The narrowing of seafood variety has implications for health, sustainability and food security. A diet based on five main species is vulnerable to stock collapses, disease outbreaks in aquaculture and supply chain disruptions. It also limits the nutrients available to consumers, since different fish and shellfish offer different profiles of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. The Exeter study shows that the recipes that shape everyday cooking have played a role in normalising this narrow range.

The research also highlights the cultural loss. Recipes such as oyster soup, jellied herrings and curried whale meat may seem unusual today, but they document a time when British cooks were encouraged to use a wider variety of proteins, including under wartime rationing. The disappearance of those recipes from mainstream magazines reflects a broader shift in domestic skills and food knowledge. As Thurstan noted, British cooks have turned to published recipes for inspiration for decades, and those sources can reveal how our relationship with fish has changed.

For policymakers, retailers and chefs, the study suggests that broadening seafood consumption is not just a matter of telling people to eat different fish. It requires making diverse species available, affordable and familiar. The big five dominate because they are convenient and well known, but the historical record shows that other options were once common. Reversing the narrowing would mean reconnecting the UK's seafood supply with its own waters and its own culinary history.

Next Up

The paper, Declines in the diversity of fish represented in British domestic recipes over the past 100 years, is published in People and Nature and is available via its DOI, 10.1002/pan3.70440. The research was funded by the European Research Council under the EU's Horizon 2020 programme through a grant to the SEACHANGE project, grant No 856488.

Thurstan has already tried some of the historic recipes herself, including a 1920s Fish baked in custard. She plans to try 1930s oyster soup and kipper cream. The study may prompt further examination of how recipe books, magazines and other everyday sources record environmental and economic change. For now, the century of Good Housekeeping recipes stands as a detailed record of what was cooked, what was forgotten and what became the big five.