You may be aware from my posts on social media that this inaugural series of Comfortably Hungry has been somewhat delayed. So far 2023 hasn’t gone according to plan. The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry as they say and in my case spectacularly so. I spent the first few months of the year wallowing in chocolate history like a veritable Augustus Gloop researching a book for the British Library which will be published later this year. However, two days after I submitted the manuscript I discovered I have detached retinas in both eyes and required emergency surgery. Recovery is going to be slow but I am getting there. Fortunately, I had recorded a few episodes before the proverbial hit the fan, so while this season will be shorter than originally planned and perhaps not as slickly produced as I would like it to be, it should get the ball rolling. Due to the ongoing cost of living crisis I have chosen ‘austerity’ as the theme for this season. What I plan to do with my guests this season is look at how people have coped or reacted in times of austerity in the past. We’ll be exploring everything from food riots, heroic ingredients and the origins of some popular energy saving devices. Having said that ‘I'm back’, my next round of surgery takes place on 11 May. So while I have scheduled some posts to come out over the coming weeks please forgive me if I don’t respond to any questions or comments immediately. Hopefully, (and I really mean this) I’ll SEE you soon! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit comfortablyhungry.substack.com