'Food Bags: a personal journey' is an (introductory) essay from issue five of To Have & To Hold - one of a series of portfolio publications which aims to celebrate the design and consumer cultures of paper bag ephemera. The essay introduces the reader to the design and history of over 60 paper bags 'ranging from the early 1900s to the present day' from the 'local corner shop to the high street department store.' Triggs reflects on her experiences of American and British food cultures. She first arrived in London during the 1980s from Austin, Texas, where the daily routines of food consumption were remarkably different to London’s. For example, Austin's plentiful 'farm to table' culture contrasted with London's paucity of fresh veggies. The essay highlights how bags offer an alternative and visual narrative to the received version of branding history. A series of musings on different London paper bags elicits food memories including cafe culture at Patisserie Valerie, the politics of citrus distribution at Tesco and other stores, and how to sample proper fish and chips at Fryer's Delight. The essay concludes that environmental concerns - resulting from the 1990s predisposition for using plastic bags - has prompted a return to the paper bag and with it a particular space for branding designers to make their mark.