Gimme a break, gimme a break - break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar - it’s the food history and food art of the Kit Kat. My next episode will be followed up with a much deeper look at cacao. This episode is a bit of a departure as it’s the first time I have featured a brand. It was inspired by my dear friend Michiru and her recent gift of a pack of assorted Japanese Kit Kats and will start with original Kit Kats. From the 18th century savoury pies they share their name with, to their 100...

With this episode I’m going straight to my interview with today’s guest - Maddalena Ghezzi. Maddalena is a musician, singer, composer, artist and improviser. She has been working in the field of jazz, improvised and experimental music since moving to the UK in 2009 and her work draws inspiration from the natural world, literature, visual arts and the socio-political status of our world. Here we chat about her new release, Emeralds, which is a collaboration with synth player, composer,...

I chat with one of my dearest friends, award-winning writer and artist Kurt Cole Eidsvig.  Kurt has been featured in The Boston Globe, The Improper Bostonian, NBC, CBS, and ABC and loads more prestigious places. We will talk about his new book OxyContin for Breakfast, his previous book Pop X Poetry, his visual art, inspirations and how food factors in to all of the above. We will chat about his connection to apple cider vinegar, mint jelly omelettes, analogue vampiric beef binkies, Sully's...

Vinegar depictions range from fanciful stories relating to it, appearances in still life paintings to the different stages of its production and enjoyment. Vinegar is a symbol of preservation, of hard work and longevity and being cleansed. It’s found in religious stories, fables, stories of love, war, money and death…basically all aspects of the human experience. Featuring artworks such as the Three Vinegar Tasters, Parody of the Vinegar Tasters, Elisabetta Sirani's painting Cleopatra and the...

Vinegar is a vital addition to popular dishes, condiments and beverages from around the world. It has as many uses outside of the kitchen as it does in it and is a staple ingredient of many natural or home remedies. There are countless health benefits that are associated with it and the varieties are endless - from bayberry, bamboo, black, brown and balsamic and one that is famously described as with the mother. Today it's all about the food history of vinegar - its important beginnings,...

Some of my favourite artworks that depict mushrooms…by artists including Ming dynasty Chinese artist Qiu Yang, Chinese-Canadian artist Xiaojing Yan, Hine Mizushima, Beatrix Potter and Elsie Wakefield, Yayoi Kusama, Wangechi Mutu. The Game of Shrooms, the annual world-wide mushroom art N seek event created by Attaboy. Some mushroom magic in film and music at the end with a note on the 2019 documentary film Fantastic Fungi and mushroom music from the late Czech mushroom composer Vaclav Halek.

Mushroom culinary customs from around the world, mushroom tips, health benefits, Michael Pollan's book How to Change Your Mind and how Psylocibin mushrooms are being used medicinally and at some of the past and present female pioneers behind psychedelics and psychiatrics, micro-dosing. Plus a chat with Karmen Perez-Pineda the founder of Cats with a Heart about mushrooms and her amazing socially responsible initiative which aims to raise awareness and funds to end child exploitation in the...

Pt 2 (Ep 36) covers etymology, symbolism, folklore + culinary traditions. Pt 1 (Ep35) of a 4-part series on mushrooms gives an overview, looks at shamans + ancient human mushroom cave art. Pt 3 (E37) w/Karmen Perez-Pineda of Cats with a Heart, mushroom tips, psychedelics + psychiatry. Pt 4 (Ep 38) will look at artworks featuring mushrooms by artists including Ming dynasty Chinese artist Qiu Yang, Chinese-Canadian artist Xiaojing Yan, Beatrix Potter + Elsie Wakefield, Yayoi Kusama, Wangechi...

Pt 1 (Ep35) of a 4-part series on mushrooms gives an overview, looks at shamans + ancient human mushroom cave art. Pt 2 (Ep 36) covers etymology, symbolism, folklore + culinary traditions. Pt 3 (E37) w/Karmen Perez-Pineda of Cats with a Heart, mushroom tips, psychedelics + psychiatry. Pt 4 (Ep 38) will look at artworks featuring mushrooms by artists including Ming dynasty Chinese artist Qiu Yang, Chinese-Canadian artist Xiaojing Yan, Beatrix Potter + Elsie Wakefield, Yayoi Kusama, Wangechi...

I am sharing and processing some of my thoughts and experiences of racism as a woman of colour. Covering examples of racist imagery in food history and amazing representation, examples of racist imagery in art and amazing representation in art. Covering racial stereotypes, Ava DuVernay and the documentary 13th, Mixed Girl Meetup, Birth of a Nation, , fried chicken, watermelon, stereotypes, micro-aggressions, Sohla El-Waylly and Bon Appetit, MOFAD, Mariya Russell, Kara Walker, Angela Davis...

We chat with Aimée Furnival of Another Studio, the London design studio specialising in Plant Gifts & Playful Products. Aimée featured in the Smy Goodness Podcast Ep5 Pancakes and Creativity which looked at the food history and food art relating to pancakes all whilst we chatted about similarities between cooking and design processes. In this episode we chat to Aimée about her thoughts on Covid-19 and how it may have affected her business and cookery practices. Have a listen!

I chat with Freelance Writer and Journalist Sophie Jean-Louis Constantine about her novel, writing process and food memories. We covered all sorts of topics - from Persephone to process, koliva to kites and ratatouille to reviews! The influence of pomegranates are akin to tentacles that have spread out across the world since our earliest times. Find out more pomegranate food history and food art stories from Ep31 - Pomegranate - Superfood, Seeds, Symbolism and Stories.

Across the world and its myths, legends and religious texts pomegranates have been symbolic of wealth, fertility and good luck. The pomegranate features in artworks, literature, ceremonies and culinary offerings from all over the world. An ancient and modern superfood From stories of Agdistis, Persephone, Roman Britain and Catherine of Aragon. With artworks from Giovanna Garzoni, Clara Peeters, Sandro Boticelli, Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Zaida Ben Yusuf, Sergei Parajanov and Katayoun Amjadi.

Spanish fashion designer and artist Emilio de la Morena and I discuss connections and inspirations between fashion and food. We’ll look at food inspired creations from Elsa Schiaparelli, Margiela, Dries van Noten, Moschino, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel and more. Plus how 5000 year old Ötzi the Iceman changed how we think about prehistoric clothing.

They are associated with luxury but historically this has not always been the case. They live in all oceans, yet I am partial and prejudiced to those from New England. Today it's the food history and food art of lobster. Guest Greg Weekes shares his insight and stories as a Cape Cod Lobsterman. Their form and colour have inspired artists throughout the ages. There's art from the Moche civilisation of Peru, Albrecht Durer, Claara Peeters, Anne Vallayer-Coster, Judith Sobel and Carrie Mae Weems.

Heat from the body can soften it making it more pliable and chewy. A resin from only one place, the Greek island of Chios. Mastic, or mastiha in Greek or by it’s poetic name Tears of Chios - its history, rarity, value and many uses. Art by Émile Bayard, Elisabetta Duminuco and Clémentine Bal. Guest Aristea Zougri of Althea Massage Therapy and Yoga is a talented massage therapist, yoga practitioner with a line os body oils. We chat career, food of her native Greece and her mastiha memories.

It can fluctuate from flavour profiles of bitter, tart, sweet and juicy…you can choose from thin or thick cut, even no cut! Thinking of it likely brings several things to mind - oranges, whether you are actually into it or not and perhaps Paddington Bear? This episode is going to look at marmalade and all the twists and turns of it’s origins, etymology and the great stories associated with it. With a look at the popular manga Marmalade boy by Wataru Yoshizumi and artwork from Canadian artist...

Throughout the world and throughout time, people and cultures have both revered and feared this eight-limbed, legendary Cephalopod - the octopus. We’ll look at the mythology and folklore of the octopus, their physiology and behaviour; which all strengthen their reputation as symbols of strength, intelligence and mystery. We’ll look at artworks by Japanese master Hokusai, resin artist Keng Lye, potter Tammy Garcia and illustrator Esther Van Hulsen. Plus I make takoyaki - round octopus pancake...

This ep looks at gooseberry history, etymology, historical pairings, slang, competitive gooseberry growing and the world’s record holder for biggest gooseberry. There's a look at the Enclosures Act and how they affected rural life in England. For art there are paintings by artists Adriaen Coorte, Isabel Naftel and Madawyn McCarthy. There are snippets recorded from my Gooseberry Gumbo food demo at Jimmy’s Festival w/hosts Joe Hurd and Hardeep Singh Kohli…don’t be a gooseberry and miss this one!

The zucchini or courgette and their stunningly beautiful flowers were the topic chosen by my guest Orso Tosco, Italian author of the novel, Aspettando I Naufraghi. We will see there is a strong link between Italy and courgette flowers, the artwork covered in this episode and their interesting history. Find out about Orso's book, his process, food thoughts and memories; sensual and erotic symbolism, artwork from Arcimboldo, Giovanni de Udine, Georgia O'Keeffe.

Where rhubarb came from and how it traveled the world. I look at the changes from how rhubarb was first used by humans to how it is enjoyed today. There's the utterly interesting link between rhubarb and the Zoroastrian creation myth. I'll share why the culinary tradition of Forced Rhubarb fully deserves its PDO status. I will share how I was inspired by the rhubarb inspired artworks by Nikolai Astrup, Mary Fedden, Elizabeth Johnson. I share some of the ways that I use rhubarb in my cookery...

At Christmas-time and New Year we drink more champagne, prosecco and cava than ever and it seems perfectly acceptable to be cracking open bottles of bubbly before noon. Those bubbles can go straight to ones head…and what starts as giddiness…quickly moves into tipsiness…which is sure to end in headache if one too many glasses are enjoyed. We'll look at the roots of bubbly and how it became such a celebratory treat.

This mini-episode is just a little taster, chocolate will get a FULL ON episode in the future, here we are just focusing on Christmas chocolates such as chocolate coins, chocolate tins and trays. From its roots in South and Central America cacao has created joy and good tidings everywhere it has gone and we love to gift it, share it and gorge on it at Christmas.

It's the mid point between Christmas and New Year…we might benefit from a break from the excesses. We can't go cold-turkey from the excesses of non-stop food and drink so a gin and tonic or a bit of sloe gin is a welcome comfort. The Sloe, or wild Plum, is the fruit of the Blackthorn found in the hedgerows. By autumn these small fruits are oval, blue-black and their sourness makes them perfect to cover with sugar and gin which by Christmas has formed into a perfectly luxurious holiday tipple,...