The British Food History Podcast

• Derbyshire Oatcakes with Mark Dawson

  My guest today is Mark Dawson, food historian, specialising in the food of the Tudor period, but also the food of Derbyshire. We met up at Mark’s home in Derbyshire to talk all things Derbyshire oatcakes. Mark and I talk about the oatcakes of Britain, doshens and sprittles, the usefulness of probate inventories, oatcakes as penance, and oatcake goblins – amongst many other thingsThose listening to the secret podcast can hear about other Derbyshire foods made from oats; a discussion about why oatcake is better than porridge; and I grill Mark on one very important matter: just what is the difference between a Derbyshire and a Staffordshire oatcake.Follow Mark on Instagram @drdobbaMark’s book Lumpy Tums: Derbyshire’s Food & Drink will be published by Amberley in April 2026Mark’s previous book Plenti and Grase (2009) is published by Prospect BooksMark Dawson’s Food History Pages Mark’s SpeakerNet profileRemember: Fruit Pig are sponsoring the 9th season of the podcast and Grant and Matthew are very kindly giving listeners to the podcast a unique special offer 10% off your order until the end of October 2025 – use the offer code Foodhis in the checkout at their online shop, www.fruitpig.co.uk.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 episodeServe it Forth websiteServe it Forth Eventbrite pageFind out more about Joan ThirskGeneral View of the Agriculture and Minerals of Derbyshire by John Farey (1811)Some of Mark’s research on oatcakes can be found in Farmers, Consumers, Innovators: The World of Joan Thirsk (2016)Neil’s blogs and YouTube channel:‘British Food: a History’ The British Food History Channel‘Neil Cooks Grigson’...

  --------  

  41:37

  --------

  41:37
• A Rare Early Modern Cheese Manuscript with Alex Bamji

  My guest today is Alex Bamji, Associate Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Leeds, and we are talking about a rare treatise on cheese dating from the Early Modern Period.We met up at the Brotherton Library which is home to a fantastic collection of cookery books and manuscripts. We talk about cheese, health and humoral theory; what makes a good cheese; the early modern cheese landscape; cheese as a cure for gout; and cheese haters – plus many other things.Those listening to the secret podcast: Alex and I talk about why cow’s milk is the best milk, and I wonder whether there any clues as to where their microbes are coming from.Follow Alex on Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram @alexbamjiAlex’s page on the University of Leeds websiteAlex’s LinkedIn pageThe digitised manuscriptRuth Bramley’s transcriptionA piece from Leeds University about the ‘pamflyt’ featuring Peter BrearsThe Brotherton Library’s cookery collection Remember: Fruit Pig are sponsoring the 9th season of the podcast and Grant and Matthew are very kindly giving listeners to the podcast a unique special offer 10% off your order until the end of October 2025 – use the offer code Foodhis in the checkout at their online shop, www.fruitpig.co.uk.The Serve it Forth Food History Festival website is now live and tickets are available on Eventbrite.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 episodeServe it Forth websiteServe it Forth Eventbrite pageListen to a sample of the Knead to Know audiobook

  --------  

  40:52

  --------

  40:52
• Bread & Bakers with David Wright

  My guest today is third generation baker, writer and teacher David Wright author of the excellent book Breaking Bread: How Baking Shaped our World published by Aurum.We talk about the social benefits of bread making, milling grain into flour, the anatomy of a grain, roller mills, the Chorleywood process and why gluten can be compared to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito.Those listening to the secret podcast: you get a little over 15 minutes of bonus material that includes additives that don’t have be named on ingredients lists, flatbreads, the National Loaf, the value of bread and more!Follow David on Instagram @thebreaducatorBreaking Bread: How Baking Shaped Our World is published by AurumMore on the Pump Street workshopsMore about David’s Earth’s Crust Bakery at Camp BestivalRemember: Fruit Pig are sponsoring the 9th season of the podcast and Grant and Matthew are very kindly giving listeners to the podcast a unique special offer 10% off your order until the end of October 2025 – use the offer code Foodhis in the checkout at their online shop, www.fruitpig.co.uk.The Serve it Forth Food History Festival website is now live and tickets are available on Eventbrite.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 episodeServe it Forth websiteServe it Forth Eventbrite pageAgainst the Grain by James C. Scott (2018)Knead to Know: A History of Baking by Neil Buttery (2023)My blog post and recipe for a cobMy blog post and recipe for a cottage loafPertinent previous podcast episode:

  --------  

  45:03

  --------

  45:03
• Bronze Age Food & Foodways with Chris Wakefield & Rachel Ballantyne

  My guests today are archaeologists Chris Wakefield from the Cambridge Archaeological Unit of Cambridge University Rachel Ballantyne from McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, and they are here to tell me about an absolutely amazing site close to Peterborough that tell us a huge amount about daily life in a late Bronze Age settlement. Prepare to have your minds blown!We talk about the unique circumstances of how and why the site is so well preserved, kitchen clutter, animal husbandry, querns, frumenty, pike sushi, and whether the English’s love of mustard goes back 3 millennia – among many other thingsThose listening to the secret podcast: you get 20 minutes of bonus material that includes the importance of foraging, the evidence for fermentation, Bronze Age recipes, the uses of the whole cereal plant and more!To view images of the site and the finds, go to the accompanying post on Neil’s blog.Follow Cambridge Archaeological Unit on Social MediaFacebook: @cambridgearchaeologicalunitBlueSky: @cambridgearch.bsky.socialInstagram: @cambridgearchaeologicalunitFollow Cambridge University Department of Archaeology on Social Media:Facebook: @archaeologycambridgeBlueSky: @cam-archaeology.bsky.socialInstagram: @ cambridge_archaeologyRemember: Fruit Pig are sponsoring the 9th season of the podcast and Grant and Matthew are very kindly giving listeners to the podcast a unique special offer 10% off your order until the end of October 2025 – use the offer code Foodhis in the checkout at their online shop, www.fruitpig.co.uk.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 episodeThe Must Farm websiteThe Peterborough Archaeology page about the Must Farm siteNeil’s medieval frumenty recipeNeil’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 HousekeeperA Dark History of Sugar...

  --------  

  41:03

  --------

  41:03
• A Regional Food Tour with Jenny Linford

  My guest today is food writer, podcaster and cheese enthusiast Jenny Linford and we are going on a bit of a regional food tour across the UK.We talk about her new book The Great British Food Tour published by the National Trust. It’s beautifully illustrated and contains recipes too. Also discussed: our mutual appreciation of Jane Grigson, Welsh cakes, English fish dishes, marmalade, champ and Tunnock’s teacakes at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games – amongst many other things.The Great British Food Tour by Jenny LinfordJenny’s website (include information about all three of her recent books)Follow Jenny on Social Media: X and BlueSky @jennylinford; Insta/Threads @jlinfordJenny’s podcast, A Slice of Cheese The National Trust websiteRemember: Fruit Pig are sponsoring the 9th season of the podcast and Grant and Matthew are very kindly giving listeners to the podcast a unique special offer 10% off your order until the end of October 2025 – use the offer code Foodhis in the checkout at their online shop, www.fruitpig.co.uk.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 episodeBradford Little Foodies Walking Tour on Sat 26 July 2025Dock PuddingSingin’ HinniesHenry’s Mayhew’s London Labour and the London Poor (1851)Glamorgan SausagesChorlton CheesemongersLondon’s Eel, Pies & Mash ShopsTunnock’s Teacakes at the Glasgow Commonwealth GamesPodcast episodes pertinent to today’s episodeSilver Eels with John...

  --------  

  43:28

  --------

  43:28

More Arts podcasts

Trending Arts podcasts

About The British Food History Podcast

The British Food History Podcast: Podcasts in Family