Comfortably Hungry

Season 4 of the Comfortably Hungry podcast will start in earnest later this autumn. This season I’ll be chatting to historians, food writers, and artists to reveal the importance of water in all its guises and how it was used by our ancestors. To whet your appetite I had a chat with Janice Li, curator of a new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London called Thirst: In Search of Freshwater.You’ve no doubt heard the statistic that around 70 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water. What may come as a surprise, as it did for me, is that only three percent of that water is fresh. And it is that limited resource and how it has been harnessed in the past to produce and preserve our food and drink that is the focus of Season 4.If you enjoyed the podcast you can become a paid subscriber to the Comfortably Hungry Substack (which means you’ll receive additional content) or show your appreciation by leaving a small, one off tip here. Useful Links* Thirst: In Search of Freshwater at the Wellcome Collection is open from 25 June 2025 to 1 February 2026.* Thirst: In Search of Freshwater book* Find out more about Janice Li’s work on her website or follow her on Instagram.Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

Alice B Toklas reckoned that ‘food is far too pleasant to combine with horror.’ In Episode 13 I will be exploring how food is used in crime fiction with writer and host of the Shedunnit podcast Caroline Crampton and food writer and author of the Paul Delamare mysteries, Orlando Murrin.Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!Useful Links* Orlando’s thrilling Paul Delamare Mysteries Knife Skills for Beginners and Murder Below Deck are available now.* Orlando has written lots of delicious cookery books too including Two’s Company: The best of cooking for couples, friends and roommates * Orlando’s website* Caroline’s website* Shedunnit podcast* Caroline’s books include A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria (now available in paperback) and The Way to the Sea: The Forgotten Histories of the Thames Estuary Suggested ReadingWe talked about a lot of books in this episode so here are just a few that we mentioned:* Alice B Toklas Cookbook* The Pimlico Poisoning* The Poisoned Chocolate Case by Anthony Berkeley* ‘The Tuesday Night Club’ in The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie* A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha ChristieDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

Ever wondered how someone gets into food history? What are the popular misconceptions about what we do? And do we ever have any recipe disasters?In this bonus episode I chat to my food history chums Neil Buttery, Alessandra Pino and Thomas Ntinas about how we got into food history and what inspires us. We also chat about our new food history festival, Serve It Forth, which will take place online on Saturday 18 October 2025 covering topics such as Falstaff’s love of food in Shakespeare’s plays; chefs from the Ancient Greek world; what the Thames can tell us about the feasting tables of the living and memento mori traditions; plus an interview with food writer Tom Parker Bowles about how we can keep food traditions alive. If you enjoyed the podcast you can become a paid subscriber to the Comfortably Hungry Substack (which means you’ll receive additional content) or show your appreciation by leaving a small, one off tip here. Useful LinksServe It Forth websiteServe It Forth ticketsServe It Forth on Social MediaDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

We heard briefly from food writer Kathy Slack about how gardening and cooking helped her overcome anxiety and depression back in Episode 10 of Season 3. Kathy is frank about her mental health struggles in her revealing book, Rough Patch. This is the partner piece to Ami Bouhassane’s interview about her grandmother Lee Miller.Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!Useful LinksYou can find out more about Kathy on her website and follow her on Instagram. Kathy has published two books:* From the Veg Patch: 10 favourite vegetables, 100 simple recipes everyone will love* Rough Patch: How a Year in the Garden Brought Me Back to Life* Don’t forget to check out Tales from the Veg Patch by Kathy on SubstackIf you enjoyed the podcast you can become a paid subscriber to the Comfortably Hungry Substack (which means you’ll receive additional content) or show your appreciation by leaving a small, one off tip here. Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

In this bonus episode I take a look at how some of our best loved authors portray food in their books; why some fiction genres enjoy an enduring popularity and introduce you to the alter ego of a famous food writer. Joining me on this literary romp are some familiar Comfortably Hungry voices (Caroline Crampton, Orlando Murrin and Dr Alessandra Pino) and some new guests (Pen Vogler and Dr Kevin Geddes).If you enjoyed the podcast you can become a paid subscriber to the Comfortably Hungry Substack (which means you’ll receive additional content) or show your appreciation by leaving a small, one off tip here. Useful Links* Allie is offering Comfortably Hungry listener’s a discount on her Fresh from the Crypt T-shirts - https://www.freshfromthecrypt.com/ discount code is: COMFORTABLYSPOOKY10* The Politics of Pudding: The Past, Present and Future of Yorkshire Food by Pen Vogler at the Ryedale Folk Museum on 12 July 2025 at 2pm* ‘40% of Britons haven’t read a single book in the last 12 months’ Dylan Difford, YouGov March 05, 2025* Shedunnit podcast* Murder in the Kitchen with Caroline Crampton and Orlando Murrin (CHS3 Episode 13)* Death by chocolate with Dr Alessandra Pino and Sue Lawrence (CHS2 Episode 3 )Reading List* Orlando’s thrilling Paul Delamare Mysteries Knife Skills for Beginners and Murder Below Deck are available now.* Caroline’s books include A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria (now available in paperback) and The Way to the Sea: The Forgotten Histories of the Thames Estuary* The Many Careers of Fanny Cradock by Kevin Geddes* The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook by Mrs Hudson (Compiled by Fanny Cradock)* Dinner with Mr Darcy by Pen Vogler* Tea with Jane Austen by Pen Vogler* Scoff by Pen Vogler* Stuffed by Pen Vogler* Martha Lloyd's Household Book: The Original Manuscript from Jane Austen's Kitchen by Deirdre le Faye* A Gothic Cookbook by Ella Buchan and Dr Alessandra PinoDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

As promised this is the full version of the interview I did with Ami Bouhassane, co-director of the Lee Miller Archives and Farley’s House and Gallery in Sussex, and granddaughter of model, photographer, writer and cook Lee Miller.Ami and I delve further into Lee’s career as a photographer and journalist during World War 2 and a childhood trauma (which some listener’s may find upsetting) - experiences which left her with PTSD and struggling with depression in the later years of her life. We also explore Lee’s love of fitted kitchens, cookery competitions and ‘working’ guests.Useful LinksTo see examples of Lee Miller’s photography visit the Lee Miller Archives online.Farleys House & Gallery and on InstagramBooks on Lee’s work including her cookbook A Life with Food, Friends and Recipes can be found here.Chloe Edwards of Seven Sisters Spices runs cookery workshops at Farleys often using Lee’s recipes.Suggested ReadingThe Lives of Lee Miller by Antony PenroseLee Miller: Photographs by Antony Penrose and Kate WinsletDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

Today is the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the day the second world war ended in Europe. To mark the occasion I had a chat with journalist and author Alex Johnson about the importance of tea to the British during this conflict. Alex’s latest book While There Is Tea, There Is Hope, published in conjunction with the Imperial War Museum, is packed with wartime ephemera, photographs and vintage recipes.If you enjoyed the podcast you can become a paid subscriber to the Comfortably Hungry Substack (which means you’ll receive additional content) or show your appreciation by leaving a small, one off tip here. Useful LinksYou can find out more about Alex’s work and books on his website. While There Is Tea, There Is HopeMenus That Made HistoryYou can also find Alex on Instagram Imperial War Museum Collections holds a wealth of photographic material from the second world war.Imperial War MuseumDonald Pleasance in The Great EscapeDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

Alas this day had to come - this is the last official episode of the DARK season!In Episode 15 I delve into the historical culinary trials and tribulations of Russia with Darra Goldstein, Professor Emerita of Russian at Williams College (USA) and author of The Kingdom of Rye: A Brief History of Russian Food. We discuss the importance of ‘black’ rye bread which is at the heart of any traditional Russian meal; the folklore surrounding it and how Russians survived during periods of privation.Useful LinksYou can find out more about Darra and her work on her website which contains some mouthwatering sample recipes. You can also follow Darra on Instagram. Darra’s books include:* The Kingdom of Rye: A Brief History of Russian Food* Beyond the North Wind: Recipes and Stories from Russia* Fire and Ice: Classic Nordic Cooking: Classic Nordic Cooking* Darra has written a range of books on preservation co-authored with Cortney Burns. Topics include vegetables, fruit and drinks.* Darra is also Editor In Chief of the Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Food Studies. If you’re interested in ancient grains like rye you may also want to check out Ruth Nieman Substack and her book Freekeh, Wild Wheat & Ancient Grains: Recipes for Healthy Eating.This is the last official episode of the season but there will be a few inter-season episodes dropping over the coming months to sustain you! Listen to the end of episode 15 to discover the theme for Season 4.If you enjoyed this season please consider leaving a small tip to help support the podcast for future seasons.Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 14 I get passionate about a particular type of pepper which was once so highly prized the Visigoths demand 3000lb of the stuff to leave Rome. Joining me to explore the history and usage of this spice are Giles Gasper, Professor of High Medieval History and Florence Swan from Durham University and food writer and author of Pepper, Christine McFaddenDon’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!Useful LinksYou can find Christine McFadden on Instagram and Facebook Don’t forget to check out Christine’s book on Pepper Blackfriars Restaurant in Newcastle where you will find details of their upcoming events and the Eat Medieval summer schoolProfessor Giles Gasper, Durham University You can find Florence Swan on InstagramLong pepper can be bought in the UK from Steenbergs and Seasoned Pioneers Don’t forget to check out the episode on Anglo-Saxon food with historian Emma Kay.Suggested Reading* Forme of Cury * Natural Histories - Pliny* Apicius (this is just one of many translations)* Le Menagier de Paris (or Goodman of Paris)* Sir John Russell’s Book of Nurture* Le Viander - Guilluame Tirrell* John de Mandeville - Mandeville’s TravelsDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

In the first part (Episode 10) of this investigation into the impact food has on our mental health I explored the renaissance fascination with melancholy with Professor Mary Ann Lund and food historian Ken Albala. In Episode 12 I want to find out how gardening and cooking in particular have helped two modern cooks deal with anxiety and depression. I had a chat with Ami Bouhassane, co-director of the Lee Miller Archives and Farley’s House and Gallery in Sussex. Ami’s grandmother was model, photographer, writer and cook Lee Miller who battled with depression in the later years of her life. Food writer Kathy Slack reveals how gardening and cooking helped her overcome anxiety and depression in her latest book, Rough Patch.This is a bumper episode so a bit longer than usual. Full length interviews with both Ami and Kathy will be released later in the year.Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!Also, I will be speaking at the annual Scottish Food Heritage Symposium on 28 March 2025. You can find more details here.Useful LinksTo see examples of Lee Miller’s photography visit the Lee Miller Archives online.Farleys House & Gallery and on InstagramBooks on Lee’s work including her cookbook A Life with Food, Friends and Recipes can be found here.Chloe Edwards of Seven Sisters Spices runs cookery workshops at Farleys often using Lee’s recipes.You can find out more about Kathy on her website and follow her on Instagram. Kathy has published two books: * From the Veg Patch: 10 favourite vegetables, 100 simple recipes everyone will love* Rough Patch: How a Year in the Garden Brought Me Back to Life* You can find out more about the French Field to Fork Experience 19-23 June 2025 in France that Kathy is involved in here.Suggested ReadingThe Lives of Lee Miller by Antony PenroseLee Miller: Photographs by Antony Penrose and Kate WinsletDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 11 I am investigating a fruit with a bit of an image problem. Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) is the fruit of an evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean. The view of carob as a subsistence food has perhaps tarnished this fruit’s reputation. Yet despite this, the carob grown in the Ragusa district of Sicily has earned a place in the Slow Food Ark of Taste where it is described as having ‘a taste similar to cocoa with hints of honey and caramel, so much so that in ancient times in Sicily it was considered the “poor persons chocolate”.’ In recent years carob has been praised for its healthy credentials being a good source of dietary fibre and antioxidants. However, today it is more likely to be fed to animals than used in a kitchen. So why is it not more widely used in cookery? To help me answer this question I chat to historian Mary Taylor Simeti and food writer Angela Zaher.Useful LinksAngela Zaher’s website. You can also follow Angela on Instagram.Mary Taylor Simeti’s books include:* Pomp and Sustenance: Twenty-five Centuries of Sicilian Food* Bitter Almonds: Recollections and recipes from a Sicilian girlhood (with Maria Grammatico)* On Persephone's Island: A Sicilian Journal* Travels With a Medieval QueenYou can also find Mary on Instagram.Suggested Reading* Slow Food on Carob* ‘How Carob Traumatized a Generation’ by Jonathan Kauffman for the New Yorker* I Malavoglia by Giovanni Verga (1881) was translated by Mary A Craig and published in English as The House by the Medlar-Tree (1890)* ‘Carob: The “Poor Man’s Chocolate”’ by Jo Vraca for Italy SegretaDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

They will act, conceive all extremes, contrarieties, and contradictions, and that in infinite varieties…Scarce two of two thousand concur in the same symptoms. The Tower of Babel never yielded such confusion of tongues, as the chaos melancholy doth variety of symptoms. - Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, 1621In Episode 10 I take a look at the perplexing affliction of melancholy in the first of two episodes exploring the relationship between food and mental health.Early in the seventeenth century a Leicestershire clergyman Robert Burton set out to untangle complex yet bizarrely alluring renaissance disease of melancholy and its effects on mental and physical well being. His research culminated in The Anatomy of Melancholy, a lengthy treatise on how to identify and treat this illness.Joining me to discuss what melancholy was, Burton’s work and the role food played in exacerbating or treating the condition are Professor Mary Ann Lund of Leicester University and author of A User’s Guide of Melancholy and food historian Ken Albala and author of Eating Right in the Renaissance.Useful LinksKen has written many books over the years including:* Opulent Nosh: A Cookbook* Beans: A History * A Cultural History of Food in the Renaissance* Nuts: A Global HistoryYou can also find Ken on Instagram.Mary Ann’s books include:* A User’s Guide to Melancholy* Melancholy, Medicine and Religion in Early Modern England: Reading 'The Anatomy of MelancholySuggested Reading* The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert BurtonDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 9 I chat to Professor Thomas David DuBois of Beijing Normal University and author of China in Seven Banquets: A Flavourful History about the alchemy of fermentation and the importance of fermented foods (especially beans) in Chinese cuisine.Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!Useful LinksYou can find out more about Thomas on his website.China in Seven Banquets: A Flavourful HistoryDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

I thought it was about time I faced my own bête noire. So Episode 8 is devoted to my sweet shop nemesis liquorice. Helping me overcome my dislike of this confectionery is ScandiKitchen founder Brontë Aurell.Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!Useful LinksFind out more about Brontë on her website or follow her on Instagram.ScandiKitchen cafe and deli in London (also on Instagram)Brontë’s next cookbook Smorrebrod: Scandinavian Open Sandwiches is out on 8 April 2025.Brontë’s cookbooks include:* The ScandiKitchen Cookbook: Recipes for good food with love from Scandinavia * ScandiKitchen: Fika and Hygge: Comforting cakes and bakes from Scandinavia with love* ScandiKitchen: The Essence of Hygge* ScandiKitchen Summer: Simply delicious food for lighter, warmer days Suggested Reading* Adam in Eden, or, Natures paradise by William Coles, 1657* The History of Pontefract, in Yorkshire by George Fox, 1827* The herball, or, Generall historie of plantes by John Gerard, 1636* Mr Halley’s description of liquorice cultivation around Pontefract can be found in The review and abstract of the county reports to the Board of Agriculture; from the several agricultural departments of England. by Mr. Marshall v. 1* Delights for ladies: to adorne their persons, tables, closets, and distillatories. With beauties, banquets, perfumes, and waters by Hugh Platt, 1602* Chronicles of Old Pontefract by Lorenzo Radgett, 1905Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

Currant-loaf is now popular eating in all households. For weeks before the great morning, confectioners display stacks of Scotch bun — a dense, black substance, inimical to life – Robert Louis Stevenson, Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes, 1878In Episode 7 I chat with Peter Gilchrist and Dr Lindsay Middleton about a Scottish cake traditionally served at Hogmanay and the role this plays in preserving Scotland’s food heritage.Useful LinksThe Tenement Kitchen where you can also download a copy of the Scottish Food Heritage Report. You can find Peter on Instagram and X.You can read more about Dr Lindsay Middleton’s thesis here. You can find Lindsay on Instagram and X.If you want to see how black bun’s were originally made check out this post by my fellow A is for Apple Podcast host Dr Neil Buttery.Yu-lade is available from some branches of Co-op in Scotland.Suggested ReadingYou read more about the origins of Simnel cake in my book Fool’s Gold: A History of British SaffronGlasgow Cookery BookThe cook and housewife's manual : a practical system of modern domestic cookery and family management (1828) by Christian Isobel Johnstone (aka Meg Dods)The Scots Kitchen: Its Lore and Recipes (1929) by F Marion McNeillA Scottish Feast: An Anthology of Food and Eating by Hamish Whyte and Catherine Brown Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or X @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 6 I chat with Dr Peggy Brunache, Lecturer in Public History and Archaeology as well as the founding Director of the Beniba Centre for Slavery Studies at the University of Glasgow, to discover how the culinary creativity of the enslaved people served as a form of resistance.Useful LinksYou can find Peggy on Instagram @negroshire Beniba Centre for Slavery StudiesPeggy is also one of the women featured the 100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark exhibition at the Leicester Gallery at de Montfort University from 1 October 2024 – 4 January 2025.Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners on BBC iPlayer. David Olusoga shines a light on Britain's dark past - how it was built on the profits of slavery. The acclaimed series that inspired frank conversations on our colonial history.Suggested ReadingBayley, F.W.N. (1830). Four Years’ Residence in the West Indies. London: William Kidd.Coleridge, Henry Nelson (1825) Six Months in the West Indies. London: John Murray Albermarle Street.Hearn, Lafcadio (1903) Two years in the French West Indies (Martinique)Moreton, J.B. (1793). West India Customs and Manners: containing Strictures on the Soil, Cultivation, Produce, Trade, Officers, and Inhabitants; with The Method of Establishing and Conducting a Sugar Plantation. To Which is Added The Practice of Training New Slaves. London: J. Parsons; W. Richardson; H. Gardner; and J. Walter.Schaw, Janet. (1921) Journal of a Lady of Quality; Being the Narrative of a Journey from Scotland to the West Indies, North Carolina, and Portugal, in the Years 1774 to 1776. Edited by Evangeline Walker Andrews, in Collaboration with Charles McLean Andrews, Farnam Professor of American History in Yale University NEW HAVEN: Yale University Press, LONDON: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press.Tryon, Thomas (1684) Friendly advice to the gentlemen-planters... Indies.Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

STIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.On the Sunday before advent Anglican congregations across Britain will hear this collect, a short prayer to bring together or “collect” their thoughts on a topic. The matter at hand originally had nothing to do with food preparations for Christmas but by the early twentieth century the faithful took this collect as a sign that they should go forth and stir up their Christmas pudding. So, this is where the term Stir Up Sunday originates and as it happens today is that very day.I had a chat with my fellow A is for Apple Podcast host Dr Neil Buttery about the origins of this ritual and our enduring love for plum pudding at this time of the year.Useful LinksYou can find Great Aunt Eliza’s Victorian plum pudding recipe here.Neil has written four books (all of which I can highly recommend) including:* The Philosophy of Pudding* Knead to Know* Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper* A Dark History of SugarDon’t forget to check out Neil’s The British Food History Podcast. You can find Neil on X @neilbuttery and Instagram @dr_neil_butterySuggested ReadingA Christmas Carol by Charles DickensDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or X @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 5 I am joined by my fellow A is for Apple podcast co-host and the author of The Philosophy of Pudding, Dr Neil Buttery, and award winning food writer Kate Ryan to discuss the merits of blood as food and in particular, the most democratic of puddings, the black pudding.Useful LinksYou can find more information about Kate’s work on her website flavour.ie including further details on her research into Ireland’s black pudding heritage. You can find Kate as @flavour.ie on Instagram and X Do check out Neil’s British Food History podcast as well his books on A Dark History of Sugar and Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald England’s Most Influential Housekeeper, and of course his latest releases Knead to Know: A History of Baking and The Philosophy of Pudding.You can find Neil on Instagram @dr_neil_buttery and X @neilbutteryEuro Toques in IrelandNational Folklore Collection of IrelandThe Cresswell Archive, Kinvara which includes images of Killing the Pig discussed by Kate in this episode.Some of the black pudding manufacturers mentioned in this podcast:* Bury Black Pudding* Clonakilty Black Pudding* Fruit Pig* Jane Russell Handmade Sausages* Sneem Black Pudding* Stornoway Black PuddingSuggested ReadingNose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking by Fergus HendersonCattle in Ancient Ireland (Studies in Irish Archaeology & History) by A T LucasOdd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal by Jennifer McLagan‘I’m the last drisheen maker in all of Ireland’ on EchoLive.ie by Kate Ryan on 14 November 2022‘A drisheen recipe that Joyce recommended!’ on EchoLive.ie by Kate Ryan on 21 November 2022‘Recipes for drisheen, from Cork’s top chefs’ on EchoLive.ie by Kate Ryan on 28 November 2022‘Great Scotch! Manchester's take on the Scotch egg has become a snack sensation’ in The Independent by Paul Vallely, 19 November 2011Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or X @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

The British High Street is on its last legs - or is it?In Episode 4 I chat to historian, author and broadcaster Dr Annie Gray about her latest book The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker to find out how the British high street has evolved over the centuries. There’s talk of dodgy grocers, fear of prostitution, giant Christmas cheeses and big shop bashing. But is it all doom and gloom for the high street? Useful LinksYou can find out more about Annie’s books and events on her website anniegray.co.uk and follow her on Instagram or X.You can also hear Annie on the culinary panel show The Kitchen Cabinet.Heima homeware and hardware store in York is a great example of a thriving independent shop.Suggested ReadingThe Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street is out now (buy it from an independent book shop!)Victory in the Kitchen by Annie Gray You can find a list of other titles by Annie on the Profile Books website.Eating to Extinction by Dan SaladinoDon’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or X @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 3 I explore how food and death have been intrinsically linked over the centuries focusing on two extraordinary funeral feasts. First of all, I am joined by food historian and chef Jay Reifel to dissect the Emperor Domitian’s famous black banquet complete with tombstone party favours. Then historian Giles MacDonogh and I visit pre-Revolutionary France where a young gourmand, Grimod de la Reynière, hosts his own dark repast much to his parent’s chagrin.Useful LinksYou can find Jay Reifel on Instagram @jayreifel or visit his website https://jayreifel.com for more information on his work and his book A History of the World in 10 Dinners: 2000 years, 100 recipes (2023) which features his take on Domitian’s feast including the spectacular chicken dish at the top of this post.You can find Giles McDonogh on X @GilesMacDonogh or you can find him on Susbtack at Giles MacDonogh. Details of Giles’ 15 books are available on his website http://www.macdonogh.co.uk/books.htm including Grimod de la Reynière’s biography A Palate in Revolution (1987)You may also want to check out A Question of Death, a newsletter and podcast from Rachel Mosses which explores our relationship with death through respectful enquiry.Suggested Reading* ‘Dio Cassius’ Roman historian see the entry on Britannica* An Alphabet for Gourmets by MFK Fisher (Fisher deals with funeral food in the chapter ‘S is for Sad’)* Almanach des Gourmands by Grimod de la Reynière (this is a digitised version of the 1904 reprint of the 1803 edition)* ‘Parentalia - Festival of the Ancestors’ by Lesley Laws on the Vindolanda Charitable Trust website* Feast by Nigella Lawson (2006)* ‘Black Banquets and Funeral Feasts’ in Gastronomica, The Journal of Food & Culture 12:4 (Berkeley, California: University of California Press, Winter 2012), pp 96-103.* The Rituals of Dinner by Margaret Visser (1991)Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or X @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast. Get full access to Comfortably Hungry at comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe