HOUSEHOLD HINTS. After decades of plenty, we are now seeing signs that the good times might not last forever and that change is urgently needed. But if we cast a glance backwards to the 1940s and 50s it is surprising and enlightening to discover that our grandparents and parents, forced into austerity by the Second World War and its aftermath, were resourceful, thrifty and a rather dazzling shade of green. In our age of globalisation, climate change, unprecedented consumption and limited resources, the good news is that we do not have to look far back in our own history for a handy lesson in making seismic lifestyle changes. Our grannies can show us the way. They wasted almost nothing; they recycled; they bought locally; and, they 'dug for victory' and grew their own veg. Theirs was not a disposable culture. "Sucking Eggs" is a colourful, comparative history, full of insights into the austerity years and the lessons we can learn from them today.