Comfortably Hungry

In the last episode of Season 4 (sad but true) we plunge deep into the ‘underworld’, figuratively speaking, in our final quest for fresh water.
I chat to Niyati Kukadia about Gujarat’s ancient vavs, or stepwells, once vital for supplying drinking water to communities in one of India’s most arid areas. I discover that these architectural wonders were so much more than a source of water. Historically the vavs provided women with a space and the freedom to socialise away from the patriarchal gaze. Although many vavs fell out of use during the British colonial era, they are once again being looked at as a potential solution to water scarcity in this region.
Show Notes
* Niyati runs adventure, wildlife and cultural tours through Soar Excursions, which include visits to the Rani ki Vav (Queen’s Well) mentioned in this podcast and pictured above. You can follow Soar Excursions on YouTube and Instagram.
* Niyati also runs the Dang Forest Retreat in Gujarat.
* You can read about Hyderabad’s newly restored Bansilalpet stepwell in this article on the Guardian website.
* Rani Ki Vav (the Queen’s stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat
* India’s Forgotten Stepwells by Victoria Lautman on the Arch Daily
* Robert Macfarlane’s book Is A River Alive is a troubling but important read if you want to learn more about the pollution of India’s waterways.
* Much Ado About Cooking event at the British Library Food Season Big Weekend on 13 June 2026. Even if in-person tickets have sold out you can buy an online ticket.
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.
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. Sound effects and music provided by Zapsplat and Pond5.
Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode I head to the midlands town of Droitwich which was once a powerhouse in the English salt production industry (and arguably still is) on account of its brine springs. Helping me explore the town’s heritage are local historian Paul Jones LRPS and Steve from Churchfields salt works.
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
* For more details on the products produced by Churchfields visit their website
* Paul Jones’ books include Droitwich Spa The Postcard Collection and Droitwich Through Time co-authored with Helen and Roger Peberdy.
* Droitwich Heritage Centre
* Droitwich Salt Festival
* Ludlow Food Festival September 2026
* British Library Food Season 2026 (I’ll be taking part in a panel discussion on food in Shakespeare’s plays on 13 June at 4pm)
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. Sound effects and music provided by Zapsplat and Pond5.
Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode we’ll be journeying to pre-Colombian Mesoamerica with Dr Gabrielle Vail, Research Collaborator in the Department of Anthropology, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to explore why the worship of rain gods like Chaak was so crucial to the Mayans and discover the role that food played in these ceremonies.
You may also want to go back and listen to the first episode of Season 2 where I discuss the Day of the Dead celebrations with Maite Gomez-Rejón.
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
The Maya Hieroglyphic Codices website features a searchable translation and analysis of four codices (screenfold books) painted by Maya scribes before the Spanish conquest in the early 16th century. The codices contain information about Maya beliefs and rituals, as well as everyday activities, all framed within an astronomical and calendrical context.
Gaby’s co-authored books include:
The New Catalog of Maya Hieroglyphs, Volume Two By Martha J. Macri And Gabrielle Vail (2023)
The New Catalog of Maya Hieroglyphs, Volume 3 By Matthew Looper, Yuriy Polyukhovych, Martha J. Macri And Gabrielle Vail (Out November, 2026)
Madrid Codex: New Approaches to Understanding an Ancient Maya Manuscript (Mesoamerican Worlds: From the Olmecs to the Danzantes) Edited by Gabrielle Vail and Anthony Aveni (2009)
Gaby also contributed a number of chapters to Chocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage edited by Louis Evan Grivetti, Howard-Yana Shapiro (2008)
You can find out more about the Mayan Melipona Bee Sanctuary Project here.
Suggested Reading
* ‘Water Rituals and Offerings to the Maya Rain Divinities’ by Cristina Vidal Lorenzo and Patricia Horcjada-Campos in the European Journal of Science and Theology, April 2000, Vol.16, No.2, 111-123
* Chocolate in Mesoamerica : a cultural history of cacao ed. Dr Cameron McNeil (2006)
* Water Beings: From Nature Beings to the Environmental Crisis by Veronica Strang (2023)
* ‘Rain and Fertility Rituals in Postclassic Yucatan Featuring Chaak and Chak Chel’ by Gabrielle Vail and Christine Hernandez in The Ancient Maya of Mexico: Reinterpreting the Past of the Northern Maya Lowlands ed. Geoffrey E. Braswell
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. Sound effects and music provided by Zapsplat and Pond5.
Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

In episode 11, I visit Barry and Chris Flannaghan at the restored Burton watermill in Sussex. I discover how Burton Mill has evolved over the centuries but always using water as its source of power. The present 4 storey, 5 bay mill building dates from 1780 and was built on the foundations of an earlier forge or fulling mill (there is a record of a mill close to this site in the Domesday book). Today Burton Mill produces traditional stoneground flour and I get to taste the results!
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
* Burton Mill near Petworth is only open to the public a few times per year. Please check their website for details on their upcoming open days.
* You can find Chris’ recipe for Irish tea bread here.
* Mills Archive Trust
* Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society
Suggested Reading
* Modern Cookery for Private Families by Eliza Acton (1845)
* The English Bread Book by Eliza Acton (1857)
* The Canterbury Tales by Geoffry Chaucer (Modern English Version, 1934)
* English Bread and Yeast Cookery by Elizabeth David (1977)
* Watermills, Kent and the borders of Sussex by Michael J Fuller and R J Spain1986
* Water in England by Dorothy Hartley (1964)
* Puck’s Song by Rudyard Kipling (1906)
* The English Huswife by Gervase Markham (originally published 1615)
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. Sound effects and music provided by Zapsplat and Pond5.
Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode I discover more about the role women played in the distilling of usquebaugh (or the water of life) and whisky in Scotland with Peter Gilchrist, food historian at the Tenement Kitchen and host of the Scottish Food History podcast. Peter and I are joined by Rosalind Erskine, Food and Drink Editor of the Scotsman and host of the Scran podcast.
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
Don’t forget to check out Peter’s website The Tenement Kitchen which explores Scottish folk cookery. You can also find him on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. You can also listen to the Scottish Food History podcast which Peter hosts with Dr Lindsay Middleton here.
You can find out more about Rosalind’s work on her website and also find her on Instagram. Ros is also the host of The Scotsman’s Scran Podcast.
Walter Gregor Tonic Water who make the intriguing turnip tonic!
Lots of whisky distilleries were mentioned in the podcast including Ardbeg which was run by early female distillers Flora and Margaret McDougall in the 1850s.
You can listen to the talk I gave on the history of gingerbread at the 2025 Scottish Food History here along with Perilla Kinchen’s keynote talk on the influence of Catherine Cranston and her tearooms.
Suggested Reading
* Rebellious Spirits: The Illicit History of Booze in Britain by Ruth Ball (2015)
* The English Housewife (1615) by Gervase Markham (ed. Michael R. Best, 1998)
* With Faith and Physic: The Life of a Tudor Gentlewoman by Linda Pollock (1993)
* ‘The Early Use of Aqua Vitae in Scotland’ in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (1916)
* Water of Life: A History of Wine Distilling and Spirits 500 BC to AD 2000 by C. Anne Wilson (2006)
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. Sound effects and music provided by Zapsplat and Pond5.
Comfortably Hungry is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe