Special Postbag Edition #7

It’s time for the now traditional end-of-season postbag episode of The British Food History Podcast, where I (attempt to) answer your questions, read out your comments and mull over your queries.

Several photos and illustrations are mentioned in this episode: to see them, visit the accompanying blog post on British Food: A History: www.britishfoodhistory.com

I’ll be disappearing for a few months, unless of course, you are a monthly subscriber, where there will be a bonus episode coming up for you to listen to via the secret podcast.

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

Ludlow Food Festival 2026

Serve it Forth mailing list

Serve it Forth Eventbrite page

Brecon Agricultural Show

Mamgu Welsh cakes

English Food by Jane Grigson

Café Erol

Ivor Cutler’s Life in a Scotch Sitting Room Vol.2 ep.6

Ivor’s obituary

The Feasts of Autolycus, by Elizabeth Robins Pennell

Comfortably Hungry: Bleeding Cows & Black Puddings

The Great Cream Tea Debate on my YouTube channel

The English Housewife by Gervase Markham

Delia Smith's famous rallying cry

Previous pertinent blog posts

To Make Welsh Cakes (Pice ar y maen)

Singin’ Hinnies

Blood ice cream

Scones: A brief history

Four Scone Recipes

Cornish Splits

Pease Bread

Syllabubs

Previous pertinent podcast episodes

Griddle & Bakestone Cookery with Peter Gilchrist & Ross Clarke

Eating Out in Georgian London with Peter Ross

Retro Foods with Briony May Williams

Hogmanay & Hamely Kitchen with Paula McIntyre

British Fish & Seafood with CJ Jackson

The History of Food Waste & Preservation with Eleanor Barnett

Black & White Pudding with Matthew Cockin & Grant Harper

A History of Baking with Sam Bilton & Neil Buttery

Spices with Ian Anderson

Historical Cookery with Jay Reifel

50 years of ‘English Food’ by Jane Grigson with Sam Bilton, Ivan Day, Annie Gray & Jill Norman

Breakfast with Felicity Cloake

Special Postbag Edition #6

18th Century Dining with Ivan Day

Eel Special 1: Elvers with ‘Elver’ Dave

Medieval Meals & Manners with Danielle Cybulskie

Shakespearean Food & Drink with Sam Bilton

Lent episode 1: Preparing for Lent

C is for Caudle, Cider & Cappuccino

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