Cheap Eats In London

Cheap Eats in London (1975) by Susan Campbell with Alexandra Towle
Publisher: Penguin Books | ISBN: 014046218X | Condition: Good (like a Wimpy burger after 11pm)
Graciously offered by Crappy Old Books

Step back to 1975, when London was a different culinary universe: avocado was exotic, microwaves were sci-fi, and the height of sophistication was ordering spaghetti bolognese without blushing. Into this brave new world waddled Cheap Eats in London, a Penguin handbook for the thrifty gourmand, armed with nothing but optimism, a notebook, and a willingness to chew through whatever the city dared to serve under £2.

Our copy is graded Good. Translation: it’s seen a few kitchen counters, possibly absorbed the faint tang of chip-fat, but it still holds together. Pages intact, spine functional, cover slightly more “patinated” than pristine—rather like London itself in the mid-70s.

Inside you’ll find recommendations for cafes, diners, and curious little joints that mostly no longer exist (because property developers discovered Shoreditch). Think fry-ups at Formica tables, “continental” menus where everything was boiled twice for safety, and a few daring vegetarian experiments that read like science projects. It’s both a survival guide and a time capsule, offering a glimpse into an era when “cheap eats” meant honest grub rather than ironic street food trucks charging £12 for tacos.

Why do you need this book?

• Because you’ve always wanted to know where Londoners in flared trousers filled their bellies without emptying their wallets.

• Because nostalgia tastes best with a side of baked beans.

• Because a slightly worn paperback from 1975 is the only authentic garnish for your reclaimed-wood dining table.

So here it is: a battered but Good companion to a vanished London, still dishing up quirky recommendations from a city where “cheap” really meant cheap, and “eats” really meant edible.

Keep browsing: See more Travel books Other books by Susan Campbell with Alexandra Towle