When the Elizabethan travel writer Thomas Coryat introduced Italy’s new dining implement to Britain at the start of the seventeenth century, the latest addition to the cutlery box received a lukewarm reception. Why would anyone need a fork, folk wondered, when God gave us perfectly good fingers? It took around 350 years before the true importance of tines became apparent — without them, how else do you pierce the film lid on a microwave meal?
The truth is that a fork is the only utensil thousands of people will use to prepare their meals this evening. The British are by far the biggest bingers on ready-made meals in Europe — according to research by Mintel, we spent nearly £2 billion on them last year, with