The British Food History Podcast

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 [email protected], 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
Mentioned in this episode:
A is for Apple Season C has begun!
Join Neil Buttery, Sam Bilton and Alessandra Pino for their journey through the letter C on 'A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink'.

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Today, we are going on an excursion to the Netherton Foundry workshop, nestled in the Shropshire countryside, to find out about spun iron cookware – something that was essentially extinct in this country until owners Neil and Sue Currie brought it back.
Neil and Sue are very kindly sponsoring season 10 of The British Food History Podcast 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.
We talk about designing the original range (and how the range increased), celebrity requests, why spun iron cookware lost out to aluminium cookware, croustade irons, and how Netherton Foundry cookware brings some extra authenticity to historical foods cooked at home, amongst many other things.
Those listening to the secret podcast will hear about the pros and cons of working with copper, how Netherton Foundry go about seeking out their vintage machinery, how their stockpots came to be, their outdoor range, plus more.
Netherton Foundry website
Follow Netherton Foundry on social media: Insta/threads @nethertonfoundry; BlueSky @nethertonfoundry.bsky.social; Facebook https://www.facebook.com/NethertonFoundry

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.

This episode was mixed and engineered by Thomas Ntinas of the Delicious Legacy podcast.

Things mentioned in today’s episode
NF Bread Pan with Cloche
NF Prospector Pans
NF Chef’s Pans
Val Stones’ Baking Sheet
NF Croustade Irons
NF Flambadou
NF Outdoor Cookery Range
Video: spinning iron
Video: Sue using the croustade iron
Mana Restaurant
From the Oven to the Table by Diana Henry
Repast and the tiffin tin Jenny Linford

Previous pertinent blog posts
Toad-in-the-hole
Yorkshire Curd Tart
Four Scone Recipes

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 [email protected], 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
Mentioned in this episode:
A is for Apple Season C has begun!
Join Neil Buttery, Sam Bilton and Alessandra Pino for their journey through the letter C on 'A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink'.

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

My guest on The British Food History Podcast today is Mark Dawson, a food historian specialising in the food and social history of the early modern period, but also on the regional food of the Midlands. Today we are talking about the traditional food and drink of his home county of Derbyshire.
You may remember he was on last season talking about Derbyshire Oatcakes, well, since then he has written a fantastic book called Lumpy Tums: Derbyshire’s Food & Drink published by Amberley and out in the wild from the 15th April 2026.
We talk about oat-based foods like thar cakes, which were traditionally eaten on All Souls Day, thin pudding and savoury pudding, the origins of the Bakewell pudding and Derbyshire’s very high proportion of drinking establishments per head, amongst many other things.
Those listening to the secret podcast get more than a quarter of an hour of bonus material where we talk about Derbyshire cheeses, the return of small-scale breweries to the county, wakes cakes and Ashbourne gingerbread.
Lumpy Tums: Derbyshire’s Food & Drink by Mark Dawson and published by Amberley
Mark’s website
Mark’s Speakernet profile
Follow Mark on Instagram @lumpytums

Season 10 of the podcast is sponsored by Netherton Foundry, who make 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.

This episode was mixed and engineered by Thomas Ntinas of the Delicious Legacy podcast.

Things mentioned in today’s episode
County Recipes of Old England by Helen Edden (2008)
Good Things in England by Florence White (1932)
Tindall’s of Tideswell – purveyors of Thar Cakes
The English Alehouse by Peter Clarke (1983)
Bakewell Pudding Shop
Knead to Know: A History of Baking by Neil Buttery (2024)
The Rutland Arms
Ivan Day’s blog post about the Bakewell pudding
Vegetable Cookery by Martha Brotherton (1833): the page with the potato Bakewell pudding!
Anne Lister of Shibden Hall
Betty’s Vintage Tea Rooms

Previous pertinent blog posts
To Make a Bakewell Pudding
To Make a Bakewell Tart
Yorkshire Parkin
Dock Pudding
#321 Sweetmeat Cake

Previous pertinent podcast episodes
Derbyshire Oatcakes with Mark Dawson
Traditional Food of Lincolnshire with Rachel Green
Gingerbread with Sam Bilton
Ormskirk Gingerbread with Anouska Lewis

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 [email protected], 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
Mentioned in this episode:
A is for Apple Season C has begun!
Join Neil Buttery, Sam Bilton and Alessandra Pino for their journey through the letter C on 'A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink'.

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Welcome to a brand new season of The British Food History Podcast!
On the podcast today is medieval scholar Katherine Harvey, a scholar specialising in medieval and early modern history.
Kathryn’s new book The Medieval Guide to Healthy Living is out now, published by Reaktion Books.
We talk about humoral theory and health, the dangers of eating fresh fruit and fish, the importance of sauces, drinking and drunkenness, how obesity was viewed by medieval society and the importance of cleanliness amongst many other things.
Those listening to the secret podcast get bonus material where we talk about the importance of mealtimes when thinking about health, and the poorer members of society who don’t necessarily have much of a choice when it comes to healthy eating.

The Medieval Guide to Healthy Living by Katherine Harvey
The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages by Katherine Harvey
Katherine’s website
Follow Katherine on social media: Instagram @katherinee.harvey; X @keharvey2013; Bluesky @katherineharvey.bsky.social

Season 10 of the podcast is sponsored by Netherton Foundry, who make 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.

This episode was mixed and engineered by Thomas Ntinas of the Delicious Legacy podcast.

Things mentioned in today’s episode
York Festival of Ideas
Gerald of Wales
The filthy peasants in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
My recent toad-in-the-hole recipe
My cabinet pudding recipe
A is for Apple Season C, Episode 1
My recent appearance on BBC Breakfast

Previous pertinent blog posts
Mediæval Dining
Medieval Blanc Mange
To Make Frumenty/Furmenty

Previous pertinent podcast episodes
Subversive Feasting in Medieval King & Commoner Tales with Mark Truesdale
Medieval Meals & Manners with Danièle Cybulskie
Eel special: 2. Silver Eels with John Wyatt Greenlee
Forme of Cury with Christopher Monk

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 [email protected], 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
Mentioned in this episode:
A is for Apple Season C has begun!
Join Neil Buttery, Sam Bilton and Alessandra Pino for their journey through the letter C on 'A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink'.

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

The British Food History Podcast will return in April 2026!
Please subscribe to the podcast on your favourite podcast app so that you don't miss an episode.
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.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp