It is a curious thing but the characters in Love on the Dole do not seem to buy much food – indeed there is pretty light reference to shops in the novel, yet in Greenwood’s short story collection, The Cleft Stick, largely written before the novel but published after it, there are some major stories about the shopkeepers and food shops of Hanky Park. This article looks at those characters – Mr Hulkington the grocer and Mrs Babson the Fish and Chip-shop owner – and at the the food buying of the working and non-working people of the area. After all for these very poor people, knowing where your next meal was coming from was surely a major pre-occupation, as was the question of whether you could squeeze any more credit out of the local shopkeepers.
See: Grocers and Chippies: Walter Greenwood’s Small Shopkeepers (1933-1967)
Happy New Year! Chris.
Walter Greenwood: Not Just Love on the Dole 
Dear Chris,
Many thanks for your fine piece on food in Greenwood’s work. Had no idea about fish and chips being a working-class thing with such a difference between shop prepared meals and home-cooked meals. Also, never heard of Robert Roberts’ excellent book. It was a really rewarding read!
Hope you and Lisa are enjoying Christmas holidays,
Wishing you both all the best in the New Year,
With best wishes from Zagreb,
Martina
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Hello Martina – Happy New Year! Glad you liked this piece – it struck me that buying food must be important for poor families and Greenwood noticed the role of small shopkeepers in his first go at Hanky Park, but reduced their presence in his later version. We are all well – hope things good with you in Zagreb – best wishes Chris.
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