Lemn is tucking in the British Library Sound Archive with food writer Jonathan Nunn. Jonathan edits the food newsletter Vittles, and has written for various publications including the Guardian and Eater. 

Together, they’re exploring the relationship between food and language: both are passed down through generations and are closely linked to identity. But how do the ways we talk about food change over time? And what does the history of food writing tell us about how society has changed?

Recordings in the episode in order of appearance:

French chef Xavier Boulestin explains how to make an omelette. The recording was made in July 1932. 

British Library shelfmark: 9CS0012507 

 Jim from Norfolk speaks about brewing beer. The recording was made between 1980-1989 by Gressenhall Rural Life Museum and Farm. The original recording is held in the Norfolk Record Office and was digitised by the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project. 

British Library shelfmark: UNRO004/84 

Madhur Jaffrey, cook and writer of over 15 cookbooks, speaks to Ravinder Bhogal, food-writer and the chef-restaurateur of London’s Jikoni. The online event ‘Madhur Jaffrey: A Life In Food’ was recorded in May 2021 as part of the British Library Food Season.  

Full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjnR3keoDIA&t=497s 

An oral history interview with a woman called Agnes Davey from Norfolk about hot cross buns. The interview was recorded in Norwich in April 1986, it is held in the Norfolk Record Office and was digitised by the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project.

British Library shelfmark: UNRO001/1 

A man from Great Yarmouth describes his mother’s recipe for Bloater paste, a fish paste made from smoked red herrings. The recording is part of the Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service and it was digitised by the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project.

British Library shelfmark: UNRO005/35 

 Maeve and Dick discuss how to make ‘Pig Lug’, a Yorkshire dish from the coastal town of Filey. It's similar to a pie or pastry containing currants. The recording is part of the Leeds Archive of Vernacular Culture and it was recorded before 1966. 

British Library shelfmark: C1829/922

Historian Pen Vogler and writer Ruby Tandoh take part in an online event called ‘From Fish Knives to Fish 'n' Chips’ in April 2021. The discussion was recorded by the British Library and the Chair was Babita Sharma, BBC journalist and author of The Corner Shop. 

Full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ytHgPsjTy0 

An interview with Tara Din about being the first Asian woman to run a takeaway shop in Tameside. The original recording was stored in the Manchester Central Library and it was digitised as part of the Tameside Oral History Project ‘Here To Stay’. The recording was made in December 2005 in the interviewee’s home. 

British Library shelfmark: UAP015/120 

Wing Yip, a Chinese entrepreneur who travelled to England from Hong Kong in the 1950s, describes some of Britain's first Chinese restaurants. This recording was made in 2001 for the National Life Stories project 'Food: From Source to Salespoint’ and the interviewer was Polly Russell.

British Library shelfmark: C821/62 

 Cookbook writer Claudia Roden speaks to Polly Russell as part of the 2001 National Life Stories project 'Food: From Source to Salespoint.’ 

British Library shelfmark: C821/47