It’s the end of season seven, so it is time for the traditional special postbag edition of the podcast. Much is covered: feminist dining tables, 17th-century household books, regional gingerbreads, musk-flavoured sweeties and much more.

Thanks to everyone who wrote in with a question, comment or query.

The podcast will return in August.

Support the podcast and blogs by becoming, if you can, a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here.

Previous podcast episodes mentioned in today’s episode:

Spices with Ian Anderson

Christmas Special 2023: Mince Pies

The Philosophy of Chocolate with Sam Bilton

Historical Cookery with Jay Reifel

Ormskirk Gingerbread with Anouska Lewis

18th Century Tavern Cooking with Marc Meltonville

18th Century Dining with Ivan Day

Recreating 16th Century Beer with Susan Flavin & Marc Meltonville

Elizabeth Raffald with Alessandra Pino & Neil Buttery

Food in Gothic Literature with Alessandra Pino

Traditional Food of Lincolnshire with Rachel Green

Blog posts mentioned in today’s episode:

Quick & Easy Puff or Rough Puff Pastry

What’s in a Name?: Buttery

#446 Lincolnshire Chine

#174 Grasmere Gingerbread I

#244 Grasmere Gingerbread II

Books mentioned in today’s episode:

The Accomplish’t Cook by Robert May

Good Things in England by Florence White

Food in England by Dorothy Hartley

Lost Country Practices by Dorothy Hartley

Other things mentioned in today’s episode:

Today I am talking with chef Jay Reifel who specialises in cooking historical food. He has co-written a beautiful book with collaborator Victoria Flexner called The History of the World in 10 Dinners.

We talk about the influence of other cultures on British cuisine as well as the influence British cuisine has had on other cuisines, sweet and sour food, mince pies, mediocre medieval spices, and helmeted cocks – amongst many other things.

This is the last regular episode of the run, meaning that the next episode will be the traditional postbag edition – so send me your comments, questions, and queries. Your deadline is the 28th of May 2024.

Support the podcast and blogs by becoming, if you can, a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here.

Follow Jay on Instagram @jayreifel and visit his website jayreifel.com – where you can find more details of his book.

Things mentioned in today’s episode:

Jay’s Helmeted Cock in Vogue

Neil’s Helmeted Cock on Channel 5

Previous podcast episodes pertinent to today’s episode:

The History of Food Waste & Preservation with Eleanor Barnett

Medieval Meals & Manners with Danièle Cybulskie

Spices with Ian Anderson

Christmas Special 2023: Mince Pies

Tudor Cooking & Cuisine with Brigitte Webster

Forme of Cury with Christopher Monk

Previous blog posts pertinent to today’s episode:

Westmorland Sweet Lamb Pie

Favourite Cook Books no.3: The Forme of Cury, Part I

Favourite Cook Books no. 3: The Forme of Cury, part 2 – recipes

Upcoming events:

British Library Food Season 2024, 25 May at 2pm.

We Invented the Weekend festival, Salford, 16th June

Niche topic alert! Today I am

talking to Anouska Lewis about Ormskirk Gingerbread.

Anouska is the writer and presenter

of the BBC Sounds podcast Hometown Boring? The first episode

being all about Ormskirk gingerbread

We

talk about how one lands getting a podcast series on BBC Sounds in the first

place; the ingredients of Ormskirk gingerbread, the town’s pride in its

gingerbread, the gingerbread ladies who sold them at the train station in the

Victorian period, Ormskirk’s link with Liverpool’s sugar and slave trade, and

the value of having difficult conversations – amongst many other things.

Support the podcast and blogs by

becoming, if you can, a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium

content, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here.

Listen to Hometown Boring? on BBC Sounds

Follow Anouska on Instagram @history_hun and TikTok @historyhun

Things mentioned in today’s episode:

Ormskirk Gingerbread on the Foods of England website

A Dark History of Sugar by Neil Buttery

Previous podcast episodes pertinent to today’s episode:

Gingerbread with Sam Bilton

Upcoming events:

British Library Food Season 2024, 25 May at 2pm.

Ludlow Food Festival, Friday 13th September.

Warwick Words History Festival, Thursday 3rd October at 4.30pm.

Neil’s blogs:

‘British Food: a History’

‘Neil Cooks Grigson’

Neil’s books:

Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper

A Dark History of Sugar

Both are published by Pen & Sword and available from all good bookshops.

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: