Few people are aware that in the first half of the 20th century the British government helped establish a huge number of popular canteens, serving food to everyone who wanted it during war time and afterwards. These British Restaurants, as they became known during World War II, were, at their hight, more numerous than today's McDonalds and Wetherspoons combined.

Lewis Bassett speaks to Bryce Evans, a Professor of History at Liverpool Hope University, about British restaurants and their relevance for food bank Britain today.

Bryce's book is called Feeding the People in Wartime Britain. A cheaper paperback edition will be available in November. He has written widely on the subject, including here.

Mixing and sound design from Forest DLG.

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