30 years strong

Cast your mind back to 1974 and what do you think of? On the football front Germany beat Holland in the World Cup and Liverpool won the FA Cup. In fashion kipper ties and flared trousers, and tottering platform shoes ruled. Meanwhile, ‘Tricky Dickie’ and his Watergate scandal was all over the newspapers, vying for column inches with our home-grown scandal, Lucky Lord Lucan and his vanishing act.In the world of food, McDonalds opened its first outlet in the UK. Peppers, courgettes and mangoes were exotic produce. Pineapple and cheese on sticks was the height of sophistication and Cadbury’s Smash was the last word in convenience. Eating out was, for the majority, a special occasion. Oh, and the traders of Covent Garden made the short, but life-changing trip south to New Covent Garden, a state-of-the-art wholesale centre in Vauxhall. thirty years on, Tommy Leighton reports.