The British Food History Podcast

The podcast will return for its 8th season later this month and there are some great episodes coming up for you. I’ve got a new book out called Knead to Know a History of Baking is out on the 12 September published by Icon Books I will be doing a free Zoom talk at 7pm (UK time) on 10 September. To book your spot, please click this link to the Eventbrite page. See you all properly toward the end of the month. Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ Neil’s books: Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper A Dark History of Sugar Don’t forget, there will be postbag episodes in the future, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email Neil at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or on twitter and BlueSky @neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery. His DMs are open. You can also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishfoodhistory This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

It’s the end of season seven, so it is time for the traditional special postbag edition of the podcast. Much is covered: feminist dining tables, 17th-century household books, regional gingerbreads, musk-flavoured sweeties and much more. Thanks to everyone who wrote in with a question, comment or query. The podcast will return in August. Support the podcast and blogs by becoming, if you can, a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here. Previous podcast episodes mentioned in today’s episode: Spices with Ian Anderson Christmas Special 2023: Mince Pies The Philosophy of Chocolate with Sam Bilton Historical Cookery with Jay Reifel Ormskirk Gingerbread with Anouska Lewis 18th Century Tavern Cooking with Marc Meltonville 18th Century Dining with Ivan Day Recreating 16th Century Beer with Susan Flavin & Marc Meltonville Elizabeth Raffald with Alessandra Pino & Neil Buttery Food in Gothic Literature with Alessandra Pino Traditional Food of Lincolnshire with Rachel Green Blog posts mentioned in today’s episode: Quick & Easy Puff or Rough Puff Pastry What’s in a Name?: Buttery #446 Lincolnshire Chine #174 Grasmere Gingerbread I #244 Grasmere Gingerbread II Books mentioned in today’s episode: The Accomplish’t Cook by Robert May Good Things in England by Florence White Food in England by Dorothy Hartley Lost Country Practices by Dorothy Hartley Other things mentioned in today’s episode:

Today I am talking with chef Jay Reifel who specialises in cooking historical food. He has co-written a beautiful book with collaborator Victoria Flexner called The History of the World in 10 Dinners. We talk about the influence of other cultures on British cuisine as well as the influence British cuisine has had on other cuisines, sweet and sour food, mince pies, mediocre medieval spices, and helmeted cocks – amongst many other things. This is the last regular episode of the run, meaning that the next episode will be the traditional postbag edition – so send me your comments, questions, and queries. Your deadline is the 28th of May 2024. Support the podcast and blogs by becoming, if you can, a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here. Follow Jay on Instagram @jayreifel and visit his website jayreifel.com – where you can find more details of his book. Things mentioned in today’s episode: Jay’s Helmeted Cock in Vogue Neil’s Helmeted Cock on Channel 5 Previous podcast episodes pertinent to today’s episode: The History of Food Waste & Preservation with Eleanor Barnett Medieval Meals & Manners with Danièle Cybulskie Spices with Ian Anderson Christmas Special 2023: Mince Pies Tudor Cooking & Cuisine with Brigitte Webster Forme of Cury with Christopher Monk Previous blog posts pertinent to today’s episode: Westmorland Sweet Lamb Pie Favourite Cook Books no.3: The Forme of Cury, Part I Favourite Cook Books no. 3: The Forme of Cury, part 2 – recipes Upcoming events: British Library Food Season 2024, 25 May at 2pm. We Invented the Weekend festival, Salford, 16th June

Niche topic alert! Today I am talking to Anouska Lewis about Ormskirk Gingerbread. Anouska is the writer and presenter of the BBC Sounds podcast Hometown Boring? The first episode being all about Ormskirk gingerbread We talk about how one lands getting a podcast series on BBC Sounds in the first place; the ingredients of Ormskirk gingerbread, the town’s pride in its gingerbread, the gingerbread ladies who sold them at the train station in the Victorian period, Ormskirk’s link with Liverpool’s sugar and slave trade, and the value of having difficult conversations – amongst many other things. Support the podcast and blogs by becoming, if you can, a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here. Listen to Hometown Boring? on BBC Sounds Follow Anouska on Instagram @history_hun and TikTok @historyhun Things mentioned in today’s episode: Ormskirk Gingerbread on the Foods of England website A Dark History of Sugar by Neil Buttery Previous podcast episodes pertinent to today’s episode: Gingerbread with Sam Bilton Upcoming events: British Library Food Season 2024, 25 May at 2pm. Ludlow Food Festival, Friday 13th September. Warwick Words History Festival, Thursday 3rd October at 4.30pm. Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ Neil’s books: Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper A Dark History of Sugar Both are published by Pen & Sword and available from all good bookshops. Don’t forget, there will be postbag episodes in the future, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email me at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or on twitter and BlueSky @neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery. My DMs are open. You can also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page:

Today I am talking to Eleanor Barnett about the history of food waste and preservation. Eleanor has written a fantastic book about the history of how we as a society have (and sometimes have not) dealt with eliminating waste and preserving precious food resources. It is called Leftovers: A History of Food Waste & Preservation, and it is out now published by Bloomsbury. We talk about the fabulously wasteful food of 17th century cook Robert May, whose responsibility it was to preserve food in the home (hint: not the man of the house), pies as preservation method, the food waste used in agriculture and industry, food preservation in wartime, and Hannah Glasse’s dubious method for preserving very rank potted birds, plus many other things – we fit a lot into today’s episode. Support the podcast and blogs by becoming, if you can, a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here. Leftovers: A History of Food Waste & Preservation is out now. Books mentioned in today’s episode: Robert May’s The Accomplisht Cook Sir Hugh Platt’s Delights for Ladies Hannah Glasse’s The Art of Cookery Previous podcast episodes pertinent to today’s episode: London’s Street Food Sellers with Charlie Taverner Christmas Special 2023: Mince Pies Upcoming events: The Leeds Symposium of Food History & Traditions, York, 27 April 2024. British Library Food Season 2024, 25 May at 2pm. Tickets and info to come soon! Ludlow Food Festival, Friday 13th September. Warwick Words History Festival, Thursday 3rd October at 4.30pm. Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ Neil’s books: Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper A Dark History of Sugar...

Today I am talking to three guests about the Scottish Salt Industry – returning guest Aaron Allen, and also Joanne Hambly and Ed Bethune In today’s most enlightening discussion, we talk about the importance of the salt industry in Scotland from the early modern period, the uses of salt – beyond seasoning of food, the Cockenzie Saltworks Project, the social history of the site and some of the exciting archaeological finds uncovered there, how salt was made, and why Sunday salt is the best salt – amongst many other things. Support the podcast and blogs by becoming, if you can, a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here. Salt: Scotland’s Oldest Newest Industry is out now and published by Birlinn. Other things mentioned in today’s episode: 1722 Waggonway Project website Salt Symposium 2021 on the SCAPE Trust website Book your ticket for the 2024 Leeds Symposium on Food History and Traditions Previous podcast episodes pertinent to today’s episode: Cake Baxters in Early Modern Scotland with Aaron Allen Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ Neil’s books: Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper A Dark History of Sugar Both are published by Pen & Sword and available from all good bookshops. Don’t forget, there will be postbag episodes in the future, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email Neil at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or on twitter and BlueSky @neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery. His DMs are open. You can also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishfoodhistory This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In today’s episode, I am talking with author and food historian Pen Vogler about her book Stuffed: A History of Good Food and Hard Times in Britain which was published toward the end of last year 2023. We discuss how precarious our food supply was and is, the Enclosure Acts and their effect upon our relationship with food, allotments, havercakes, adulteration and malnutrition, school dinners and Hannah Woolley’s pumpkin pie, amongst many other things. Support the podcast and blogs by becoming, if you can, a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here. Pen’s book Stuffed: A History of Good Food and Hard Times in Britain is out now. Oxford Literary Festival Hexham Book Festival Hay Festival Find Pen on social media: Twitter & Instagram @PenVogler Books and other things mentioned in today’s episode: Scoff: A History of Food and Class in Britain by Pen Vogler My interpretation of Hannah Woolley/W.M.’s pumpkin pie recipe Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken Previous podcast episodes pertinent to today’s episode: The School Meals Service with Heather Ellis English Food, a People's History with Diane Purkiss A History of Herbalism with Emma Kay Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ Neil’s books: Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper A Dark History of Sugar Both are published by Pen & Sword and available from all good bookshops. Don’t forget, there will be postbag episodes in the future, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email Neil at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or on twitter and BlueSky@neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery. His DMs are open. You can also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page:

In today’s episode, I am talking with renowned food historian, chef and confectioner Ivan Day. The 38th Leeds Food Symposium of Food History and Traditions is coming up – 27 April 2024 to be exact – Ivan is the Chair of the Symposium, so we had a good talk about the history and influence of this most important annual event on the study of food history. We talked about a pioneer of food history study C. Ann Wilson who was the librarian at the Brotherton Library at the University of Leeds, who, with Peter Brears, Lynette Hunter and Jennifer Staid, created the Symposium in 1986. We also talk about this year's Symposium on 27 April 2024. The topic of this year being ‘Presenting the Food of the Past in Museums and Historic Houses’. Also discussed: the excellent work of Peter Brears, the speakers of this year’s symposium, the social side of the symposium – including the excellent buffet – and why the Leeds symposium is held in York, amongst many other things. Support the podcast and blogs by becoming, if you can, a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here. The Leeds Symposium on Food History & Traditions website The Symposium’s Eventbrite page Find Ivan on Instagram @ivanpatrickday Books and other things mentioned in today’s episode: Brotherton Library cookery collection, University of Leeds Food & Drink in Britain from the Stone Age to Recent Times by C. Anne Wilson Over a Red-Hot Stove edited by Ivan Day Fairfax House, York York Castle Museum Shibden Hall, Halifax Cooking & Dining in the Victorian Country House by Peter Brears The Food Museum Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper by Neil Buttery Previous podcast episodes pertinent to today’s episode: 18th Century Dining with Ivan Day

This bonus episode is in fact a pilot for a new podcast show I have made with Sam Bilton and Alessandra Pino. Enjoy! In the very first episode, Neil is presenting and gives everyone a free choice as to what topic they want to talk about, as long as it begins with A of course. Alessandra goes for apples, Neil chooses absinthe and Sam looks into adulteration. Links to things mentioned in this episode: ‘13 Magical Ways to Use Apples’ Glyn Hughes’ Alan Turin sculpture ‘Lancashire man poisoned after eating cherry seeds’ article on BBC News ‘How Did La Belle Époque Become Europe’s Golden Age?’ article on The Collector ‘Site of "The Absinthe Murders"’ article on Atlas Obscura The Apple Tree (1952) by Daphne du Maurier Hallowe’en Party (1969) by Agatha Christie The July Ghost (1982) by A.S. Byatt Join our free Substack to get extra bonus features: https://substack.com/profile/147444179-sam-bilton Anything to add? Don’t forget we want to hear your suggestions for future topics. Contact the pod: email: aisforapplepod.gmail.com Social media: twitter/X: @aisforapplepod Instagram: @aisforapplepod_ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In today’s episode, I am talking with medieval historian Danièle Cybulskie – also known as the 5-Minute Medievalist – about table manners in the Middle Ages. Danièle’s excellent new book Chivalry and Courtesy: Medieval Manners for a Modern World is out now and published by Abbeville Press. We talked about table manners, the importance of sharing and cleanliness, carving terminology, turkey legs and the pressures put on the person organising and overseeing the feasts and meals – the lady of the house…amongst many other things. Danièle’s website Danièle is known as @5MinMedievalist on all social media platforms Find out more about Chivalry and Courtesy: Medieval Manners for a Modern World here There are four Easter eggs associated with this episode. To become a £3 monthly subscriber, and access them and other premium content, or to buy me a virtual pint or coffee to support the running of the blogs and podcast click here. Links to things mentioned in today’s episode: The Goodman of Paris BBC Food Programme episode about bitter foods on BBC Sounds Previous podcast episodes pertinent to today’s episode: Forme of Cury with Christopher Monk Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ Neil’s books: Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper A Dark History of Sugar Both are published by Pen & Sword and available from all good bookshops. Don’t forget, there will be postbag episodes in the future, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email Neil at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or on twitter and BlueSky @neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery. His DMs are open. You can also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishfoodhistory This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In today’s episode, I am talking with Ian Anderson who has written a fantastic book published by the History Press called The History and Natural History of Spices. We discuss what a spice is – the definition changes through time, and includes animal as well as plant products – black pepper, the Portuguese spice trade, sugar as a spice, mustard and Thomas Moore’s head – amongst many other things. Ian’s Instagram page: @ian.d.anderson Find out more about The History and Natural History of Spices here. There is one Easter egg associated with this episode. To become a £3 monthly subscriber, and access them and other premium content, or to buy me a virtual pint or coffee to support the running of the blogs and podcast click here. Links to things mentioned in today’s episode: Ivan Day’s blog post showing some of his sugar sculptures The Hoxne pepperpot Eventbrite page for the 2024 Leeds Food and Drink Symposium April 2024 Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ Neil’s books: Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper A Dark History of Sugar Both are published by Pen & Sword and available from all good bookshops. Don’t forget, there will be postbag episodes in the future, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email Neil at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or on twitter and BlueSky @neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery. His DMs are open. You can also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishfoodhistory This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In today’s episode I am talking to returning guest and friend of the show food historian and writer Sam Bilton about her new book The Philosophy of Chocolate published by the British Library. Today Sam and I talk about how the peoples of Mesoamerica took their chocolate, how it came to Britain, chocolate houses, the sexualisation of chocolate, and the Cadbury’s Crème Egg Controversy, amongst other things. Find out more about the Philosophy of Chocolate here. There are 2 Easter eggs associated with this episode. To become a £3 monthly subscriber, and access them and other premium content, or to buy me a virtual pint or coffee to support the running of the blogs and podcast click here. Links to things mentioned in today’s episode: Sam’s podcast Comfortably Hungry A Flake ad from in 1980s A Flake ad from the 1990s The Cadbury’s Caramel rabbit Sam’s social media handles: Twitter/Insta/Threads: @mrssbilton Bluesky: @mrssbilton.bsky.social Sam’s website: sambilton.com Previous episodes pertinent to today’s episode: Lent Episode 3: Pagan Lent & Easter A Dark History of Chocolate with Emma Kay The Philosophy of Curry with Sejal Sukhadwala Gingerbread with Sam Bilton Saffron with Sam Bilton Tripe Special Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ Neil’s books: Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper A Dark History of Sugar Both are published by Pen & Sword and available from all good bookshops. Don’t forget, there will be postbag episodes in the future, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email Neil at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or on twitter...

S07E03 Apples & Orchards shownotes Happy New Year and welcome to episode 50 of the British Food History Podcast! I talk to Joanna Crosby about the history of apples and orchards in England. I saved this episode specially for today because it is Twelfth Night – the last day of Christmas – the traditional day of the Wassail, the blessing of the apple orchards. Joanna’s new book Apples and Orchards since the Eighteenth Century is out now from Bloomsbury. Things discussed today include, the origins of the apple, growing and grafting apple trees, some of the excellent names given to varieties – including Bramley's Seedling and the Cox’s Orange Pippin, Wassailing and the London apple women of the nineteenth century. And more! There are 4 Easter eggs associated with this episode. To become a £3 monthly subscriber, and access them and other premium content, or to buy me a virtual pint or coffee to support the running of the blogs and podcast click here. Things mentioned in today’s episode: The Pomological Personality Picker Henry Mayhew’s London Labour and the London Poor (Vol 2) Neil’s Apple Hat recipe Neil’s appearance on Fear Feasts podcast Previous episodes pertinent to today’s episode: London’s Street Food Sellers with Charlie Taverner Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ Neil’s books: Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper A Dark History of Sugar Both are published by Pen & Sword and available from all good bookshops. Don’t forget, there will be postbag episodes in the future, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email Neil at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or on twitter @neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery. His DMs are open. He is also on BlueSky at @neilbuttery.bsky.social You can also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishfoodhistory This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas! Leaving a mince pie out for Santa this year? I do hope so. This year’s Christmas Special is all about mince pies: the history and baking, as well as the confusion surrounding the fact that there’s no meat in them. Neil makes some early 18th-century-shaped pies and makes a sweet lamb mincemeat from the North of England. He’s on a mission to get the meat back into mincemeat AND to have them on the menu outside of the Christmas period. A huge thank you to Ivan Day for his help regarding the making of those 18th-century pies. *blog posts of recipes to accompany the episode will appear on Wednesday 20th December and Friday 22nd December 2023.* Things mentioned in today’s episode: Ivan Day’s blog post about mince pies The Accomplisht Cook by Robert May The Experienced English Housekeeper by Elizabeth Raffald Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management Receipts of Pastry and Cookery by Edward Kidder Jane Grigson’s Orange Mincemeat Mrs Beeton’s Mincemeat Recipe Jane Grigson’s Gooseberry Tarts recipe Ivan Day’s historical pie-making course Neil’s appearance on the Full English podcast Neil’s appearance on the Shackbaggerly podcast Neil's A Dark History of Sugar talk Neil's Museum of Royal Worcester talk Previous episodes mentioned in today’s episode: Pagan Lent and Easter (includes a section on hot cross buns) Elizabeth Raffald with Alessandra Pino & Neil Buttery Christmas Feasting with Annie Gray

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the podcast which is a collaboration between myself and the Delicious Legacy, hosted by Thomas Ntinas. It’s all about some of the women who were writing cookery books in the 18th century, their characters and the influence they still have upon us today. Things mentioned in today’s episode: Thomas’s podcast Delicious Legacy The Compleat Housewife by Eliza Smith The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy by Hannah Glasse Professed Cookery by Ann Cook The Experienced English Housekeeper by Elizabeth Raffald Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper A. Cook’s Perspective: A Fascinating Insight into 18th-century Recipes by Two Historic Cooks by Clarissa F. Dillon & Deborah J. Peterson More on Yorkshire Christmas Pyes Neil’s disastrous Christmas Pye Ivan Day’s Historic Ices course Don’t forget, there will be postbag episodes in the future, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email Neil at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or on twitter @neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery his DMs are open. Youcan also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishfoodhistory Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ Neil’s books: Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper A Dark History of Sugar Both are published by Pen & Sword and available from all good bookshops....

It’s the end of the current run so that means it is time for the now traditional end-of-season special postbag edition. Thank you to everyone who has listened, downloaded, donated and spread the good word. I’ll be back in a couple of months (hopefully) for season seven! Previous episodes mentioned in the episode: The School Meals Service with Heather Ellis Tudor Cooking & Cuisine with Brigitte Webster Tinned Food with Lindsay Middleton Cake Baxters in Early Modern Scotland with Aaron Allen Tripe Special: Sam Bilton & Neil Buttery Talk Tripe The British Cook Book with Ben Mervis Forme of Cury with Christopher Monk Neil’s blog posts mentioned in this episode: Boiled turkey with celery sauce Boiled leg of mutton with caper sauce Sea kale Sago pudding Pink sponge & custard Links to things mentioned in this episode: Leeds Symposium on Food History and Traditions Gousto statement about using Tetra Pak Stephanie Rosenbaum makes Pizza on YouTube Alan Scott obituary in the New York Times Museum of Royal Worcester website Burley’s pudding tree Handel’s kitchen recreated

Neil’s guest is Diane Purkiss and they talk about just some of the topics covered in her book English Food a People’s History published by William Collins. Diane is Professor of English Literature at Oxford University, and she has written about such topics as the English Civil War, the supernatural, especially witchcraft; folklore and fairytales; writer’s block and of course food and food history. They had a rather meandering conversation that covered: bread, and its poor reputation compared to that bake in France; coffeehouses and politics, and coffeehouses as early examples of gay bars; tea and Empire; and foraging – the latter being particularly tricky to get at. £3 subscribers can hear the full interview with Diane on the Easter Eggs page of the website: http://britishfoodhistory.com/easter-eggs/ Diane’s book English Food: a People’s History available here: https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/english-food-a-peoples-history-diane-purkiss?variant=39825973411918 Neil’s blog post about dock pudding (with recipe): http://britishfoodhistory.com/2023/05/26/dock-pudding/ Other bits: The Elizabeth Raffald Manchester Central Library event at 6pm on 13 September: https://librarylive.co.uk/event/elizabeth-raffald-englands-most-influential-housekeeper/ Neil will be speaking at the Ludlow Food Festival on Sunday 10 September at 2.30pm, talking all things Elizabeth Raffald: https://www.ludlowfoodfestival.co.uk/ He is also talking at Chelsea History Festival on Friday 29 September 2023, at 6pm about the history of sugar: https://chelseahistoryfestival.com/events/dark-history-sugar/ Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ http://britishfoodhistory.com ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ http://neilcooksgrigson.com Order Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper at your favourite bookshop, or from the publisher Pen & Sword History: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Before-Mrs-Beeton-Hardback/p/22437 Neil’s other book A Dark History of Sugar is available now from all bookshops as well as from the publisher Pen & Sword: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/A-Dark-History-of-Sugar-Hardback/p/20481 Don’t forget the upcoming postbag episode, if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email Neil at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or find me on twitter @neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery my DMs are open. You can also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page:

S06E09 The School Meals Service with Heather Ellis: shownotes Neil’s guest today is Heather Ellis from Sheffield University. Helen is a historian of Education and she, along with academics from the University of Wolverhampton and UCL, have just embarked on an ambitious project looking at people’s experiences and memories of their school dinners in all four UK Home Nations. School dinners have been supplied by the School Meals Service – i.e. by the Government – since 1908. They talked about the project, the origins of the School Meals Service in the first decade of the 20th century, the foods served up over the next 100 years or so including pink sponge and custard, liver with the tubes attached and the now infamous turkey twizzlers, Maggie Thatcher – milk snatcher, the fall in the quality of school dinners, as well as Jamie Oliver’s campaign to get them sorted out, and many other things. The School Meals Project wants your food memories if you have had experience with school meals in the UK, however old you may be and whatever the interaction may be. School Meals Project website: https://www.theschoolmealsproject.co.uk/ Find Heather on Twitter @HeatherLWEllis Find The School Meals Project on Twitter: @ESRCSchoolMeals Jamie Oliver’s school meals campaign clip: https://youtu.be/DG66rKiNkw4 When published, Neil’s blog post with a recipe for sago pudding, will be found at www.britishfoodhistory.com Other past blog post recipes for school dinner-style foods: Rice pudding: https://britishfoodhistory.com/2015/01/14/rice-pudding/ How to make a steamed sponge pudding: https://britishfoodhistory.com/2023/01/13/how-to-make-a-steamed-sponge-pudding-a-step-by-step-guide/ Jam roly-poly: https://britishfoodhistory.com/2011/11/26/jam-roly-poly/ Proper custard: https://britishfoodhistory.com/2012/03/02/proper-custard/ Eton Mess: https://britishfoodhistory.com/2011/08/11/eton-mess/ Other bits: The Elizabeth Raffald Manchester Central Library event at 6pm on 13 September: https://librarylive.co.uk/event/elizabeth-raffald-englands-most-influential-housekeeper/ Neil will be speaking at the Ludlow Food Festival on Sunday 10 September at 2.30pm, talking all things Elizabeth Raffald: https://www.ludlowfoodfestival.co.uk/ He is also talking at Chelsea History Festival on Friday 29 September 2023, at 6pm about the history of sugar: https://chelseahistoryfestival.com/events/dark-history-sugar/ Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’

Neil talks to returning guest Kevin Geddes. He told us all about the wonderful, fabulous Fanny Cradock, but today he is talking to me about Television Cookery Shows and their cookbook tie-ins. Kevin wrote a very interesting paper on the early history and origins of TV Cookbooks, and Neil found it so interesting, and he thought you would find it interesting too. We talked about the early cooking programmes on the BBC before the war, and afterwards; the post-war TV cooks the theatrical Philip Harben and the steady pair of hands Marguerite Patten and how they published their own books whilst working for the BBC; the BBC’s worry about selling commercial products whilst being a public service broadcaster; and the one who really got it all going Mrs Fanny Cradock. Kevin’s Food and Foodways paper: https://napier-repository.worktribe.com/output/3133885/accompanying-the-series-early-british-television-cookbooks-1946-1976 Find Kevin on twitter, Instagram and Threads @keepcalmandfannyon Kevin’s blog: https://keepcalmandfannyon.blogspot.com/ Clip of Philip Harben demonstrating boiling techniques: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj-tapF1kgU Clip of Marguerite Patten inducing a show from the 1950s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgG9oMq4l2U Clip of Fanny Cradock demonstrating fish cookery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EQJ8GnDsiw Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D95rMYL1T2A Gary Rhodes and Rhodes Around Britain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=fvJym_0sQ8I Check out Kevin’s books on his Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/19684992.Kevin_Geddes Previous podcast episodes pertinent to this episode Fanny Cradock with Kevin Geddes: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2U50gtyEgV4hcTvMFP2ElG?si=a7cad3d39eab4e13 Other bits: The Elizabeth Raffald Manchester Central Library event at 6pm on 13 September: https://librarylive.co.uk/event/elizabeth-raffald-englands-most-influential-housekeeper/ Neil will be speaking at the Ludlow Food Festival on Sunday 10 September at 2.30pm, talking all things Elizabeth Raffald: https://www.ludlowfoodfestival.co.uk/ He is also talking at Chelsea History Festival on Friday 29 September 2023, at 6pm about the history of sugar: https://chelseahistoryfestival.com/events/dark-history-sugar/ Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’ http://britishfoodhistory.com ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’

Esteemed food historian Marc Meltonville returns to the podcast to talk about taverns, 18th century dining and the cook and author Richard Briggs, the focus of his new book The Tavern Cook: Eighteenth Century Dining Through the Recipes of Richard Briggs which has recently been published by Prospect Books. We talked about how he found out about Richard Briggs and his book; the similarities and differences between life and cooking then and now; who may have influenced Briggs’ writing; his death; broiling and other older English words the Brits no longer use but North Americans do; authenticity; and much more. Marc’s website: www.meltonville.uk Find Marc on Instagram @marcmeltonville Buy The Tavern Cook: Eighteenth Century Dining Through the Recipes of Richard Briggs from the publisher: https://prospectbooks.co.uk/products-page/current-titles/the-tavern-cook/ There is 1 Easter egg associated with this episode, to access them start a monthly £3 subscription. Subscribers get access to all of the Easter eggs, premium blog content and Neil’s monthly newsletter. Visit https://britishfoodhistory.com/support-the-blog-podcast/ for more details. On that page, you could also donate a one-off ‘virtual coffee’ or ‘virtual pint’. All money received goes into making more content. Previous podcast episodes pertinent to this episode Recreating 16th Century Beer with Susan Flavin & Marc Meltonville https://open.spotify.com/episode/6wtjaqTVyqjacVkyvvO3FP?si=b3c29819ed7b453a Elizabeth Raffald with Alessandra Pino & Neil Buttery https://open.spotify.com/episode/0oPYbFhNAfIHOfj6KL9RWC?si=cfdfadbbf32a4d24 18th Century Dining with Ivan Day https://open.spotify.com/episode/22BHsKHncyk2i6UXEzcIY2?si=92c16fc7a2904e45 Other bits: Neil’s new blog post about malt loaf, with recipe for subscribers: http://britishfoodhistory.com/2023/07/28/to-make-malt-loaf/ The Elizabeth Raffald Manchester Central Library event at 6pm on 13 September: https://librarylive.co.uk/event/elizabeth-raffald-englands-most-influential-housekeeper/ Neil will be speaking at the Ludlow Food Festival on Sunday 10 September at 2.30pm, talking all things Elizabeth Raffald: https://www.ludlowfoodfestival.co.uk/ He is also talking at Chelsea History Festival on Friday 29 September 2023, at 6pm about the history of sugar: https://chelseahistoryfestival.com/ Neil’s Elizabeth Raffald tour of Manchester on Twitter: https://twitter.com/neilbuttery/status/1634872473396342784 Neil’s blogs: ‘British Food: a History’