Fish fingers, photography and family values

In what’s essentially a charming advert for frozen food brand Birds Eye, photographer Martin Parr is showing 30 new photographs of people at dinner time.

In truly revelatory scenes, we see how some have their dinners off trays in front of the telly; others in a more formal family setting, and some true eccentrics even make it on a campfire. A few rather modern yuppie types even manage to forge a communal dinner time via Skype.

However for all this mild sarcasm the show, entitled Birds Eye View (of course) is a rather nice project. Parr’s images are wonderful as ever, offering a snapshots of life in his typically reportage-like, non-judgemental manner.

To create the works, Parr spent four months touring Britain to nosey into different mealtime routines, visiting places such as Kent, Cornwall, Norfolk, Yorkshire, Merseyside, London and Birmingham.

The exhibition of the photographs is only up for one day, though the central London gallery will be opening until 9pm to ensure most people will get the chance to nosey into the dinnertimes of others.

Martin Parr says: “Each photograph tells a story and reveals a fascinating insight into people’s lives – not only how we eat with others but also on our own.

“My aim with ‘A Birds Eye View’ was to champion the many food traits and behaviours Brits have in a way that makes us appreciate each other for our different and wonderful ways of living.”

Birds Eye View is on show on 1 October at Pics Gallery, 18 Newman Street, London, W1T 1PE