History · Year 1 · Homes and Daily Life · Autumn Term

Food and Meals: Then and Now

Investigating the types of food eaten, how it was prepared, and mealtime customs in the past compared to today.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Changes within living memory

About This Topic

This topic examines changes in food types, preparation methods, and mealtime customs from the past to today, aligning with KS1 History standards on changes within living memory. Year 1 pupils compare diets like bread, potatoes, stews, and salted meats from 100 years ago to current supermarket options such as bananas, pizzas, and yogurts. They note preservation techniques before fridges, including drying, pickling, and storing in cool pantries, versus modern freezers and tins. Mealtimes moved from formal family gatherings with set courses to casual snacking or quick meals.

Pupils use sources like photographs, old recipe books, and grandparent interviews to spot similarities and differences. This builds skills in chronological ordering, descriptive language, and questioning evidence, while linking History to their own lives and topics like healthy eating in PSHE.

Active learning benefits this topic greatly. Hands-on sorting of food cards, tasting simple preserved items, and role-playing meals turn abstract timelines into concrete experiences. Pupils discuss findings in pairs, strengthening memory and critical thinking through play and collaboration.

Key Questions

1. How do you think people kept food fresh before refrigerators and supermarkets?
2. What do you think a family meal looked like a hundred years ago , how is it different from today?
3. What do you notice about how the food we eat has changed over time?

Learning Objectives

• Compare food items from 100 years ago with contemporary food items.
• Identify methods used to preserve food before refrigeration.
• Classify different mealtime customs from the past and present.
• Explain how food availability has changed over time.

Before You Start

Objects and Materials

Why: Students need to understand that different objects are made of different materials and have different purposes to compare historical and modern food storage items.

Living and Non-living Things

Why: Understanding the difference between living things (like fresh food) and non-living things (like jars or freezers) helps in discussing how food changes and is preserved.

Key Vocabulary

Preservation	Keeping food from spoiling so it can be stored for a long time. This used to be done by drying, salting, or pickling.
Refrigeration	Using cold temperatures, like in a refrigerator or freezer, to keep food fresh. This is a modern way to store food.
Supermarket	A large store that sells many different kinds of food and household goods, which is common today but was not 100 years ago.
Mealtime	The time of day when a meal is eaten. Mealtimes have changed from formal family gatherings to quicker, more casual occasions.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

People in the past ate exactly the same foods as today.

What to Teach Instead

Diets relied on local, seasonal items with less variety; sorting activities with picture cards help pupils visually compare and discuss limits like no imported oranges, building evidence-based reasoning through group talk.

Common Misconception

Food never spoiled before fridges.

What to Teach Instead

Preservation used salting or drying, which changed taste; tasting sessions let pupils experience differences firsthand, correcting ideas via sensory input and peer explanations during rotations.

Common Misconception

Past meals were quicker to prepare than now.

What to Teach Instead

Cooking over fires took hours; role-play with timers shows time contrasts, as pupils act out steps and reflect in pairs, clarifying through practical simulation.

Active Learning Ideas

Sorting Activity: Foods Then and Now

Provide picture cards of foods, tools, and meals from past and present. Pupils work in small groups to sort cards into 'then' and 'now' piles, then discuss reasons for changes with reasons written on sticky notes. Groups share one finding with the class.

30 min·Small Groups

Role Play: Mealtime Customs

Set up two areas with props: one for a past family meal with cloth and shared bowls, one for today with trays and individual plates. Pairs act out routines, noting differences in preparation time and manners, then swap areas to compare.

45 min·Pairs

Timeline Build: Food Changes

Create a class timeline on the floor with markers for 'past' and 'present'. Pupils add images or drawings of foods and methods at stations, walking the line to sequence changes and label key differences like 'no fridges'.

40 min·Whole Class

Tasting Station: Preservation Methods

Prepare safe samples like dried apple rings and fresh apples, or pickled veg versus tinned. Small groups taste, describe textures and tastes, and record on charts how past methods kept food safe without shops.

35 min·Small Groups

Real-World Connections

• Museum curators at local history museums often use old photographs and artifacts, like butter churns or ice boxes, to show visitors how people lived and ate in the past.
• Grandparents or older relatives can share personal stories and memories about the foods they ate and how families prepared meals when they were children, providing firsthand accounts of changes over time.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Show students pictures of different foods (e.g., bread, salted meat, pizza, banana). Ask them to sort the pictures into two groups: 'Food from a long time ago' and 'Food from today'. Discuss their choices.

Discussion Prompt

Ask students: 'Imagine you are helping your great-grandparent prepare dinner 100 years ago. What tools might you use to keep the food cold?' Listen for their ideas about pantries, cellars, or ice blocks.

Exit Ticket

Give each student a piece of paper with two columns: 'Then' and 'Now'. Ask them to draw one thing people ate or one way they stored food 'Then' and one thing they eat or one way they store food 'Now'.

Frequently Asked Questions

What foods did people eat 100 years ago in the UK?

Around 1920s Britain, typical foods included bread, porridge, potatoes, cabbage, cheese, and bacon, often preserved by salting or smoking. Meals featured stews or roasts from local sources, with less sugar and exotic fruits. Use photos of working-class diets to show reliance on home-grown veg and market buys, contrasting today's global choices.

How to teach changes in meals for Year 1 History?

Start with key questions on preservation and customs. Use visuals like timelines and artefacts for comparisons. Incorporate family stories for relevance, then extend with activities like sorting and role play to make changes tangible. Assess through pupil drawings of 'then and now' meals.

How can active learning help students understand changes in food and meals?

Active approaches like role-playing mealtimes or sorting food cards engage senses and movement, making historical shifts concrete for young learners. Pupils handle props, taste samples, and collaborate, which boosts retention over passive listening. Discussions during activities refine ideas, fostering skills like comparison and evidence use in a fun, low-pressure way.

Common misconceptions about historical food in Year 1?

Pupils often think past foods matched today's variety or stayed fresh easily. Address via hands-on demos of preservation and picture sorts, guiding peer talks to reveal seasonal limits and methods. Track progress with before-after drawings to monitor shifts in understanding.