Retro Foods with Briony May Williams

Welcome back to the British Food History Podcast. In today’s episode, I am speaking with Great British Bake Off alumnus Briony May Williams about retro foods. She’s on a mission to bring back some of the foods of the 21st century that are maybe not being enjoyed as much as they should be in the 21st. I am very much in agreement with this – obvs. We talk about how Briony became interested in retro foods and historical cooking (we all have an origin story, don’t we?), memories of Bake Off, puddings as comfort food, Waldorf salads, our shared appreciation of frozen peas and Kitchen Aids, plus the infamous banana candle salad. The Retro Food Society by Briony May Williams is out now Follow Briony on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @brionymaybakes Briony’s Substack Season 10 of the podcast is sponsored by Netherton Foundry, makers of high-quality kitchen and outdoor cookware. Netherton Foundry ships to several countries outside of the UK, including the USA and Canada. Visit www.netherton-foundry.co.uk to find out more about their wonderful products – approved not just by me but by folk such as Tom Parker-Bowles, Diana Henry and Nigella Lawson. If you can, support the podcast and blogs by becoming a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, including bonus blog posts and recipes, access to the easter eggs and the secret podcast, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here. Things mentioned in today’s episode The BBC Travel Show episode featuring both Briony and me Great British Bake Off New Year special Delia Smith boils an egg Sam Bilton’s banana candle salad Car Fest 2026 Southport Flower Show 2026 My kedgeree blog post Previous pertinent podcast episodes Neil's accompanying blog post B is for Banana, Banting & Berries Previous pertinent blog posts Toad-in-the-hole Neil’s blogs and YouTube channel: ‘British Food: a History’ The British Food History Channel ‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ Neil’s books: Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper A Dark History of Sugar Knead to Know: a History of Baking The Philosophy of Puddings 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: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishfoodhistory This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp