Today is an exciting day because we are tackling a topic that I consider extremely important, CRISPS, with food writer and journalist Natalie Whittle. We talk about the North American origins of the crisp, the excitement of discovering the crisps of other countries, iconic brands like Walkers and Tayto, and most importantly what the best flavour is – amongst many other things. Natalie’s book Crunch: An Ode to Crisps is published by Faber & Faber. Natalie’s website If you can, support...

The book English Food by Jane Grigson was published 50 years ago this year. It’s a book that has completely changed my life and I wanted to celebrate it with a three-part special. This is part three. I am going back to my roots here talking with three good friends of mine Nicola Aldren, Simone Blagg and Anthea Craig, all of whom were there at the inception of my idea to cook every recipe in English Food. We talk about memorable recipes, the large amounts of offal that were consumed, sous...

The book English Food by Jane Grigson was published 50 years ago this year. It’s a book that has completely changed my life and I wanted to celebrate it with a three-part special. This is part two. In this very special episode, I am talking with award-winning food writer, broadcaster, and teacher Sophie Grigson, Jane’s daughter, not just about English Food but Jane as a writer, cook, person—and mum and role model, of course. We talk about what inspired Jane to write three editions of...

The book English Food by Jane Grigson was published 50 years ago this year. It’s a book that has completely changed my life and I wanted to celebrate it – and there are four excellent guests in today’s slightly longer-than-usual episode: Sam Bilton, Ivan Day, Annie Gray and Jill Norman It is because of Jane and her book that I am doing what I’m doing today – she taught me how to cook, told me about England’s fine and rich food culture and how to reconnect with it. We talk about the unique way...

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...

In this episode from the BFHP vaults, the tables are turned, and Neil is the guest on his own podcast, interviewed about his new book Before Mrs Beeton, Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper, about c18th cook and Manchester legend Elizabeth Raffald, which won the Best Food Book at the Guild of Food Writers Awards 2024. In the interviewer’s chair is previous guest and friend of the show Alessandra Pino. Alessandra is co-author of A Gothic Cookbook which is an illustrated...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

 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...

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...