In these fractured times l wanted to continue to look at how stories and food can overcome the distance between people and enhance our shared experiences so earlier this year I spent time exploring storytelling through food writing. I interviewed some very talented writers who tell stories through their food writing to find out why how food has shaped their writing and in what ways food enhances their storytelling. They have all had different experiences around food which has influenced how they write and the subjects they write about. In their own ways they use their writing to break down barriers through stories and food. I hope you find these conversations as fascinating as I did. In my second interview I would like to welcome Olivia Potts, writer of two outstanding books, the first A Half Baked Idea which is ‘a heart-breaking, hilarious, life-affirming memoir about dealing with grief, falling in love and learning how to bake a really, really good cake’. She is the winner of the 2020 Fortnum & Mason Debut of the Year Award and the 2020 Guild of Food Writers Food Writer of the Year Award. A Half Baked Idea is truly wonderful and I would recommend it to everyone. Her next book, Butter, a joyous immersion in all things butter, revelling in its alchemical power to transform almost any dish is published on Thursday 15 September and I can’t wait to read it. She also is the cook whose recipes provided me with a perfect recipe for pancakes, sausage rolls and cheese straws. She also helped to keep me (and many others) sane through her practical instructional how to videos on instagram in the early days of lockdown. My gorgeous picture of a lockdown hot cross bun can be laid at her door. Her new book Butter: A Celebration can be found here 🐝: bit.ly/3DcvPA1 💦: bit.ly/3QARuoy 📦: amzn.eu/d/ctHSHVS You can find Olivia on Twitter and Instagram You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can subscribe (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog. If you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me on Twitter or Instagram at @FairyTalesFood. If you fancy signing up to my newsletter then you can read my first one and see if you like it.
So, some big news about changes to the podcast plus a wonderful story: Davey & The King of the Fishes. You can find out and get updates about my new podcast at my new website: A Question of Death You can find more about me and Folklore, Food and Fairytales via my Linktree which will continue as purely as storytelling podcast with a monthly folktale or two featuring food. You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.
A collection of wintery and festive tales for the season: Why the Sea is Salt, The Christmas Bear and Twelve Brothers. The first is 'Why the Sea is Salt' a Norwegian tale adapted from Christmas Fairytales colled by Neil Phillip. The story begins on a bitterly cold Christmas Eve when a poor and hungry man finds himself unable to provide for his family and turns to his rich brother. The brother unwittingly starts him on the road toto a better life, but first he must pay a trip to hell with a side of bacon ......... The second is The Christmas Bear inspired by and adapted from the tale shared by both Lari Don in Fire & Ice and by Margaret Sperry in Scandinavian Stories. The story begins in the coldest part of Norway with a hunter and the capture of a strangely stubborn but wise snow bear. They stop on their journey to find out why a family is forced from their home every Christmas Eve ........ The third is Twelve Brothers, adapted from Folktales of Scandinavia collected by Polly Curren. The story begins when a Queen of the of the cold northern lands who has been blessed with many sons, spills red blood on the white snow and dreams of a daughter. This sets in train a set of entirely unforeseen circumstances ..... You can find more about me and Folklore, Food and Fairytales via my Linktree You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.
In which we discover that strange food stealing horses don't always have your best intentions at heart, that you should always be kind to cats, rowan is good for protection and that kale has its very own folklore. The Story: The Widow & Her Daughters adapted from the version in Popular Tales of the Western Highlands collected by Joseph Campbell. The Recipe: Wilted Kale If you would like to find out more about what I talked about in this episode you can find books and links at Further Reading You can find more about me and Folklore, Food and Fairytales via my Linktree You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.
The Stories in this episode are: Golden Hair, The Lass & her Good Stout Blackthorn Stick and The Tailor in the Church adapated from Sorche nic Leodhas and Ruth Manning Sanders This is another just the stories episode, this time for All Hallows Eve. There are three traditional tales which are just a little bit scary but also a little bit clever and maybe also just a little bit silly in the case of the last tale. I hope you enjoy these tales even if you prefer yours a bit more bone chilling normally. You can find more about me and Folklore, Food and Fairytales via my Linktree You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.
In which I explore a completely different direction, have fun with food symbolism and folklore at this interesting time of year and make a realisation about how I really feel about good food. I hope you enjoy this bonus episode as it is very different to anything I have done on the podcast before. I will be presenting a menu for a Halloween or an All Hallows Eve Feast, providing some of the folk beliefs or symbolic meanings for the foods involved and folklore around some of the ingredients for each course. You can download the recipes and menu on my Ko-Fi page for free. If you would like to find out more about what I talked about in this episode you can find books and links at Further Reading You can find more about me and Folklore, Food and Fairytales via my Linktree You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.
In this episode I interviewed the wonderful Sarah Robinson about the fabulous book she has created with Lucy H Pearce: The Kitchen Witch Companion: Recipes, Rituals & Reflections If you are reading this on or before 19 October 23 there is still a chance to pre order this direct from the publisher there will still be a chance to pre-order the book direct from Womancraft Publishing (pre-ordering direct from Womancraft gets you a selection of free e-goodies, signed copy & bookmark) https://womancraftpublishing.com/product/kitchen-witch-companion/ Then from 3 November 23 its available worldwide from all the usual online booksellers, or direct from Womancraft, or you can get you local indie bookshop to order it in! If you have any questions or just want to find out more you can find the publisher @womancraft_publishing or Sarah @yogaforwitches on Instagram You can find more about me and Folklore, Food and Fairytales via my Linktree You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.
In which we discover that everything is not always as it seems, that you should take advice from helpful travellers, that bees can be excellent as a home protection system and that the taste of honey can make you cross worlds. The Story: The Beekeeper & The Hare adapted from Thistle & Thyme collected by Sorche nic Leodhas The Recipe: Hot Honey If you would like to find out more about what I talked about in this episode you can find books and links at Further Reading You can find more about me and Folklore, Food and Fairytales via my Linktree You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.
My current research is around the areas of food and death and the rituals around both. We talk so much about food being a huge part of life but it is also a large part of death and the rituals we have developed to help us cope with loss. The American South is well known for its traditions and rituals around food and funerals and funerary practices so I interviewed Ashley-Anne Masters, a Presbyterian Pastor from North Carolina and we discussed how food can bring us together in grief just as it does during times of great joy. I found this an incredibly comforting and uplifting discussion even though we were discussing nominally sad topics. However, we do talk openly about death, grief and the loss of a family member so if you are not in the right space for that right now, you may want to wait before listening. We also discussed how food and humour and ritual can really be of help during difficult times. Ashley-Anne is a wonderfully warm, incredibly kind, human being and I cannot thank her enough for taking the time to share her thoughts, experiences and memories with me. If you want to know more about Ashley-Anne, you can find her on Instagram or her blog. You can find more about me and Folklore, Food and Fairytales via my Linktree You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.
I met with Zuza Zak and we talked about her wonderful new book Slavic Kitchen Alchemy: Nourishing Herbal Remedies, Magical Recipes & Folk Wisdom. Zuza is also the author of ‘Polska: New Polish Cooking’, ‘Amber & Rye: A Baltic Food Journey Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania’ and ‘Pierogi: Over 50 Recipes to Create Perfect Polish Dumplings’ all of which I own and have allowed me to do some of my favourite travelling via food and books without leaving my kitchen. This book is different to her previous books and is essentially a wonderfully illustrated notebook steeped in Slavic lore containing natural remedies, healing recipes and wellbeing rituals with accompaniment of magic and folktales. You can pre-order Slavic Kitchen Alchemy and buy Zuza's previous books via this link: https://linktr.ee/zuzazak You can find more about me and Folklore, Food and Fairytales via my Linktree You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.
If you want to pre-order Icy's new book Rebel Folklore you can find links below: US Bookshop.org : Pre Order Link UK Bookshop.org : Pre Order Link You can also find out more about Icy at her website You can find more about me and Folklore, Food and Fairytales via my Linktree You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.
In which we find out that certain tropes aren't always true, that a heart of gold sometimes needs assistance and that brownies and a bannock in the house are invaluable. We also venture into peat bogs and cheese riots in pursuit of food and folklore. Our story: The Laird with a Heart of Gold adapted from Thistle and Thyme : tales and legends from Scotland - Sorche Nic Leodhas Our Recipe: Fresh Cheese If you would like to hear more about what I talked about in this episode you can find books and links at Further Reading You can find more about me and the podcast via my Linktree You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog. If you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me here
This episdoe is a little different but I hope you enjoy a wonderful Welsh tale from fantastic storyteller Owen Staton and our chat in which we barely touch the depths of how both food and stories can break down barriers between people and nourish our souls but had a fabulous time in the talking just the same. As a bonus I also interviewed Catherine Warr about her fascinating new book A Yorkshire Year: Folklore, history, traditions as well as finding out all about how she got interested in folklore as well as 'fakelore'. You can find Owen on Twitter and Youtube. As well as being the host of Time Between Times Storytelling Podcast, he also hosts Spectre of the Sea, a folklore and legends podcast with Bethan Briggs-Miller. You can also join Owen as he hosts a Sunday Story every week via Twitter Spaces - one of the best cures I know for the Sunday night blues. You can find Catherine on Twitter and Youtube and her website. Her book is available from Carnegie Publishing or other good booksellers. You can find more about me and the podcast via my Linktree You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog. If you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me here
In which we discover that taking care of animals is its own reward, fishermen are somehow inherently magical, womens voices can achieve change and a good risotto creates its own legend. Our story: Why Cats and Dogs Disagree - adapted from a Korean tale found in Nine Lives: the Folklore of Cats edited by Katharine Briggs Our Recipe: Risotto Risotto Meditation If you would like to hear more about what I talked about in this episode you can find books and links at Further Reading You can find more about me and the podcast via my Linktree You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog. If you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me here
In this episode I talked with Aaron Bobick the host of Appalachian Folklore Podcast and Stories from the Cabin, a storytelling podcast within a podcast and we talked all things food, folklore and story. Aaron is a brewer-turned-distiller by day. His undergraduate and graduate studies were in literature, bibliography, and textual editing where he gained a love for research; for finding the history of any given topic that interests him. His research into UK folklore is what started his fascination with the history of Appalachian folklore: how the folk practices still seen today through various regions of Appalachia can be traced back to much older practices throughout Europe, and the world. The podcast takes a researched-based, academic-adjacent, look at the world of Appalachian folklore while making it approachable to all listeners. You can find the podcast by following the link above or wherever you get your podcasts and his most recent episode explores one of the topics we discussed in much more detail: Ramp Harvesting, Festival Traditions, and Sustainability. The links I mentioned in the episode: The Cornish Pasty in Northern Michigan by William G Lockwood and Yvonne R Lockwood - Food in Motion, The Migration of Foodstuffs and Cookery Techniques – Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 1983 Orange Chips - Vittles Article about Chippy Traditions Fried Chicken - This is the Guardian article that I mentioned by Melissa Thompson where she discusses Fried Chicken and racism (my apologies to Melissa as I referenced Korean Fried Chicken in the episode but I should have said karaage from Japan) . Her new book, Motherland, is fabulous and is packed with excellent, mouth-watering recipes. Interview with Robbie Armstrong - How Food Frames Stories Green Bean Casserole - This is the book chapter Aaron references. You can find also find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog. If you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me here
In which we find out that eggs are not as straight forward as you might think, that luck doesn't really come into it, that truths can be uncomfortable and that the advice you recieve from old women is invaluable no matter where they heard it. Our story: The Search for Luck adapted from Modern Greek Folktales by RM Dawkins from 1953 Our Recipe: Chip Omelette Here are the newsletter and Episode Recipe I mentioned. You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog. If you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me here
In which we discover that princes can be forgiven anything, that women are destined to some sorrow no matter what they do, that onions aren't always just onions and secure mail is essential. Our story: Prince Lindorm, adapted from the Pink Fairy Book, collected by Andrew Lang Our Recipe: French Onion Soup If you would like to hear more about what I talked about in this episode you can find books and links at Further Reading You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog. If you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me here
In which a shoemaker reluctantly becomes a hero, a princess reluctantly gets married and we discover the relevance of a giant, a unicorn, a wild boar and some ricotta. The Story in this episode is: The Brave Little Shoemaker, a Sicilian tale adapated from various sources including Laura Gonzenbach The Recipe in this episode is: Spinach & Ricotta Lasagne If you would like to hear more about what I talked about in this episode you can find books and links at Further Reading Jack the Giant Killer Episode You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog. If you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me here
The Story in this episode is: The Christmas Cuckoo - This story is adapted from a literary fairytale written by Frances Elizabeth Browne from a book called from Granny’s Wonderful Chair, first published in 1856. Frances was born in 1816 in Donegal but moved first to Scotland and then to London. She originally wrote poetry but also wrote short stories. The whole collection is beautiful and she created a gorgeous world rich in imaginative detail, made even more incredible by the fact that she lost her sight at 8 months old. If you would like to hear the festive story collections I talked about in this episode you can find them at Festive Story Collections You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog. If you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me here
In which we discover that if there is ever a choice between a cat and a cow, choose the cat, arguments over porridge are rarely worth it and that the main differences between royalty and commoners is that commoners get a better night sleep and worse dresses. The Story in this episode is: The Palace That Stood on Golden Pillars adaped from Yule-tide stories: a collection of Scandinavian and North German popular tales and traditions from the Swedish, Danish and German The Recipe in this episode is: Spiced, Jewelled Porridge If you would like to hear more about what I talked about in this episode you can find books and links at Further Reading You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller You can also subscribe (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail. You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog. If you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me on Twitter or Instagram at @FairyTalesFood.