There are many ways of seeing the way in which society changes. We have learned tomes produced by earnest academics describing how peoples' way of living has changed over the centuries. We have old films and photographs which show how things were and, of course, museums. All of these stand some chance of being inaccurate, of giving a distorted or partial view. Academics often have an agenda they wish to promote, not to mention royalties to earn from their books. Old films and photographs are to a large extent self-selecting. The Black Country museum and similar recreations of times past are necessarily limited by what is still available to be seen. Obviously we need a more mathematical approach to our history to go with these things and so give our ideas more rigour. And that's just what the Office for National Statistics (ONS) can do for us. The ONS publishes the inflation figures and, of course, to do so, it has a collection of (650) goods and services, the prices of which are assessed each quarter to so how they have changed. But not only does it look at the prices regularly, the ONS also updates its 650-strong 'basket' of goods and services annually, to better reflect public spending habits. And the latest changes have just been published. The shifting of goods and services in and out of the basket gives a valuable insight into the changing nature of shopping habits and the evolution of life in the UK. So, what specifically can we see from all this?  Well, to deal with the important items first - lip gloss and electrical hair straighteners have replaced lipstick and hair dryers in the basket of goods used to calculate inflation. The 2010 basket sees the entrance of small bottles of mineral water that reflect our obsession with hydration. This has replaced the fizzy canned drink as consumers become more health-conscious. Our personal health and eating habits are also a factor in the introduction of cereal bars and allergy tablets. "Cans and jars of baby food have been removed since spending on these items is less than on powdered baby formula," the ONS said. Eyesight tests, now free in some areas, have been taken out of the basket. Changing technology is indicated with the introduction of Blu-ray disc players and also of of computer games and accessories. With many people taking their photos on mobile phones or on digital cameras, the disposable camera makes way. At home, the rather dubious maintenance policies, such as those taken out for televisions or central heating systems - enter the basket. In the bathroom, liquid soap has replaced individual bars of toilet soap.

But what about the historic perspective? Well, when it started in 1947 and then on into the 1950s, the mangle, crisps, camera film, toilet paper and dance-hall admissions were all included, but candles and swedes were removed. It is interesting that candles, which were kept in a drawer ready for when they were required for power cuts, have since re-emerged as decoration, a way of creating a pleasant atmosphere and reducing stress. Swedes have come back too, although probably not to the same extent, mainly because they don't reduce stress. Likewise, we lost frozen cod fillets in the 50's and hake in the 70's. Does this mean that we eat less fish now or have our tastes become more sophisticated'?

In the 1970's, we had the emergence of cassette recorders and more importantly, the dried mashed potato as a force to be reckoned with - particularly Cadbury's Smash: For mash get Smash' - voted the second best advertisement of all time. At the same time, we became more continental when yoghurt and duvets made it onto the list. With the rise of the car, bicycle tyres left the index. It is only relatively recently that bicycles have come back into fashion, as a health thing, although not chez Buckingham. It is surprising that it was only then that the very uncomfortable shirts with loose collars were finally regarded as outmoded. I know - I used to wear them when I went to Court. In the last decade, mobile phones have come to the fore, but 35mm camera film has finally gone. Fruit smoothies and muffins have come in but Top 40 singles, slippers and gin have all gone. Clearly, fings ain't what they used to be.