Episodes

  • S3E4 C is for Caraway, Curry & Cinnamon

    S3E4 C is for Caraway, Curry & Cinnamon
    May 4 2026
    C is for Caraway, Curry & CinnamonIn this episode of A is for Apple, we turn to aromatics and ask what these ingredients carry with them beyond flavour.From the binding qualities of caraway in early modern folklore to the layered histories of curry and its place in Britain, and the enduring warmth of cinnamon, we explore how spices move, adapt, and settle. Along the way, we think about trade, migration, memory, and the ways in which taste is shaped over time.And somewhere along the line… did we get a little carawayed?What we discussCinnamonWhat is the difference between cinnamon and cassia, and does it matter?Why is cinnamon so strongly associated with comfort and memory?How has it been used historically, both in cooking and in medicine?CurryIf one dish tells the story of Britain, is it chicken tikka masala?Can food ever belong to one place once it starts to travel?What do curry houses reveal about adaptation and taste?Is “authenticity” a useful concept, or does it obscure more than it reveals?We also draw on insights from Allie’s previous conversation with Mallika Basu on A Curious Appetite with Dr Alessandra Pino, her new podcast, particularly around migration, flavour, and the politics of naming.CarawayFrom comfits to cupboards, how has caraway been used in cooking?Why was it once believed to prevent loss, theft, or even wandering lovers?What does this tell us about the symbolic life of everyday ingredients?Useful links amd further readingCarawayAnderson, I. (2023). The History and Natural History of Spices: The 5,000 Year Search for Flavour. The History Press.Brears, P. (2012). Cooking & Dining in Medieval England. Prospect Books.Davidson, A. (1999). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press.Hieatt, C. B., & Butler, S. (1985). Curye on Inglysch: English culinary manuscripts of the fourteenth century. Oxford University Press.Mason, L. (1988). Sugar-Plums and Sherbert: The Prehistory of Sweets. Prospect Books.CurryCollingham, Lizzie. Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.Dickson Wright, Clarissa. A History of English Food. London: Random House, 2011.Glasse, Hannah. The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. 1803.Huxley, Aldous. Jesting Pilate. 1926.Panayi, Panikos. Migrant City: A New History of London. 2020.Panayi, Panikos. Spicing Up Britain. 1995.Sukhadwala, Sejal. The Philosophy of Curry. 2023. Empire Podcast – “Inventing Curry: The British Taste for India”Cinnamonhttps://www.britannica.com/plant/cinnamonHow cinnamon is harvested:https://youtube.com/shorts/4LINdKpRmpM?si=dYt_TS0Ny9KqJQo-https://youtu.be/fNguphwF_hI?si=1jS0qWsyseRQGVFRGet in touchIf there’s something you’d like us to think with, a food, a memory, a question, do write in. We’d love to hear what you’re curious about.You can get in touch with us via Bluesky @AisforApplepod. You can also Tweet us at A is for Apple Pod and we’re on Instagram at A is for Apple Pod_ and you can find a group dedicated to the podcast on Facebook. Or you can email us at 📩aisforapplepod@gmail.com.
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • S3E3 C is for Cod, Cockles & Caviar

    S3E3 C is for Cod, Cockles & Caviar
    Apr 20 2026
    Things get wet and wild in this episode as the team explore fish and seafood. Allie explores the world of caviar, bumps and all. Sam introduces the gang to cockle bread and Neil asks whether there is any real point to cod?Don’t forget to email us at aisforapplepod@gmail.com or tag us on Instagram or BlueSky if you have any suggestions for future episodes. You may also want to subscribe to the A is for Apple Substack where we publish recipes and extra audio content.Sources/Useful LinksCocklesNorth Atlantic Seafood by Alan Davidson (1980)First Catch Your Peacock: The Classical Guide to Welsh Food by Bobby Freeman (1996)In Search of Wales by H. V. Morton (1944)Domestic Life in Wales by S. Minwel Tibbott (2002)Welsh Fare by S. Minwel TibbottCockle gathering at Penclawdd in the 1930s on YouTubeRemembering the Cockle WomenMarine Stewardship Council information on cocklesCaviarInga Saffron, Caviar: The Strange History and Uncertain Future of the World’s Most Coveted Delicacy (2002) –https://archive.org/details/caviarstrangehis00saffIUCN Red List – Sturgeon (Acipenseridae) species accounts –https://www.iucnredlist.orgWorld Sturgeon Conservation Society – https://www.wscs.infoNOAA Fisheries – Sturgeon species overview – https://www.fisheries.noaa.govAdam Olearius, The Voyages and Travels of the Ambassadors (1647) –https://archive.org/details/voyagestravellso00oleaJonas Hanway, An Historical Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea (1753) –https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.31214John Perry, The State of Russia under the Present Czar (1716) –https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_the-state-of-russia-und_perry-john_1716Cavi-Art (official site) – https://caviart.com/Daniel Pauly et al., “Fishing Down Marine Food Webs,” Science (1998) –https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.279.5352.860Stanley Tucci eats caviar: https://fb.watch/FA1F4UtvRf/What is a Caviar Bump?CodEnglish Seafood Cookery by Rick Stein (1988)Jane Grigson’s Fish Book (1986)The River Cottage Fish Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nick Fisher (2007)French Provincial Cookery by Elizabeth David (1960)You can follow the A is for Apple Podcast on Instagram and BlueskySam Bilton also hosts the award winning Comfortably Hungry Podcast and is the author of First Catch Your Gingerbread, Fool’s Gold: A History of British Saffron The Philosophy of Chocolate and Much Ado About Cooking: Delicious Shakesperean Feasts for Every Occasion (written in collaboration with Shakespeare’s Globe). You can find her on Instagram and BlueskyDr Neil Buttery also hosts the British Food History Podcast and is the author of A Dark History of Sugar, Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald Britain’s Most Influential Housekeeper as well as Knead to Know: A History of Baking and The Philosophy of Pudding with another book in progress. You can find him on Instagram and BlueskyDr Allie Pino produces and hosts the Curious Appetite Podcast and the Fear Feasts Podcast with Vanessa Baca. She is also the co-author of A Gothic Cookbook and is currently working on a new book. You can find her on Instagram and Bluesky
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • S3E2 C is for Cradock, Cook & Castelvetro

    S3E2 C is for Cradock, Cook & Castelvetro
    Apr 6 2026
    Today’s theme is PEOPLE! Allie, Neil and Sam bring some guests with them to this episode (metaphorically speaking). One is renowned for her flamboyancy; another is an avid champion of fruit and veg and the last has a very large bone to pick with one of history’s most renowned cookbook authors. But can you guess who they are?(Well of course you can because their names are in the title, but indulge us by playing along!) Don’t forget to email us at aisforapplepod@gmail.com or tag us on Instagram or BlueSky if you have any suggestions for future episodes. You may also want to subscribe to the A is for Apple Substack where we publish recipes and extra audio content.Sources/Useful LinksFanny CradockFear of Fanny - BBC 2006Keep Calm and Fanny On! By Kevin GeddesBritish Food History Podcast EpisodeFanny Cradock with Kevin Geddes - The British Food History PodcastGwen Troake and Fanny Cradock (1976)Fanny Cradock Cooks for Christmas (1975) | BBCAnn CookProfessed Cookery by Ann CookA Cook’s Perspective byClarissa F. Dillon & Deborah J. PetersonThe Art of Cookery Made Plain & Easy by Hannah GlasseBook review of A. Cook’s Perspective by Neil on British Food: a HistoryNeil’s disastrous attempt at cooking Hannah Glasse’s Christmas Pie on Neil Cooks GrigsonBefore Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper by Neil ButteryIvan Day’s 22-stone Yorkshire Christmas PyeGiacomo CastelvetroThe Fruit, Herbs & Vegetables of Italy by Giacomo Castelvetro (1614)Profitable insructions [sic] for the manuring, sowing, and planting of kitchin gardens Very profitable for the common wealth and greatly for the helpe and comfort of poore people. Gathered by Richard Gardiner of Shrewsberie. (1603)You can follow the A is for Apple Podcast on Instagram and BlueskySam Bilton also hosts the award winning Comfortably Hungry Podcast and is the author of First Catch Your Gingerbread, Fool’s Gold: A History of British Saffron The Philosophy of Chocolate and Much Ado About Cooking: Delicious Shakesperean Feasts for Every Occasion (written in collaboration with Shakespeare’s Globe). You can find her on Instagram and BlueskyDr Neil Buttery also hosts the British Food History Podcast and is the author of A Dark History of Sugar, Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald Britain’s Most Influential Housekeeper as well as Knead to Know: A History of Baking and The Philosophy of Pudding with another book in progress. You can find him on Instagram and BlueskyDr Allie Pino produces and hosts the Curious Appetite Podcast and the Fear Feasts Podcast with Vanessa Baca. She is also the co-author of A Gothic Cookbook and is currently working on a new book. You can find her on Instagram and Bluesky
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • S3E1 C is for Carbonado, Carrot & Cabinet Pudding

    S3E1 C is for Carbonado, Carrot & Cabinet Pudding
    Mar 23 2026
    Sam Bilton Allie Pino and Neil Buttery are back with a brand new season exploring the culinary alphabet. This time it’s the letter ‘C’. In the first episode of this season our team had free reign to explore whatever took their fancy.Sam opens with carbonado, diving into its rich history and cultural associations. Allie follows with carrots, exploring their meanings, myths, and surprising journeys through food history. Neil brings things to a close with cabinet pudding, a comforting and curious dish that rounds the conversation off rather nicely.Don’t forget to email us at aisforapplepod@gmail.com or tag us on Instagram or BlueSky if you have any suggestions for future episodes. You may also want to subscribe to the A is for Apple Substack where we publish recipes and extra audio content. Sources/Useful LinksCarbonadoModern Cookery for Private Families - Eliza Acton (1845)Cooking and Dining in Tudor and Early Stuart England by Peter Brears (2015)Mots de table, mots de bouche: dictionnaire étymologique et historique du vocabulaire classique de la cuisine et de la gastronomie by Claudine Brécourt-Villars (1996)Kettner’s Book of the Table - E. S. Dallas (1877)Gargantua And His Son Pantagruel by Rabelais (1534)CarrotVegetable Gardening the Colonial Williamsburg Way: 18th-Century Methods for Today’s Organic Gardeners - Wesley Greene (2012)Do carrots help you see in the dark? - Dr Emma Davies BBC Science Focus Magazine (2026)Step by Step. London: Thornton Butterworth - Churchill, W. S. (1939)Originally published as a collection of Churchill’s newspaper articles and speeches from the late 1930s, including his commentary on Nazi Germany and the use of reward and punishment, encapsulated in his metaphor of “the carrot and the stick.”Good Things - Jane Grigson (2006)The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy - Hannah Glasse (1747) Recipe: To Make a Carrot PuddingAn Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th Century Translated by Charles Perry et al Recipe: Carrot PasteCabinet puddingNeil’s Cabinet pudding recipeThe Philosophy of Puddings by Neil Buttery (2024)The Pudding Book by Helen Thomas (1980)Pride and Pudding by Regula Ysewijn (2015)Eleanor Fettiplace’s Receipt Book by Hilary Spurling - my Lord Devonshire’s Pudding (1986)Neil’s Spotted Dick recipe from his blogNeil’s How to Steam a Pudding post on his blogNeil on the BBC Travel Show talking about the history of puddings and sugar (UK only)
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    1 hr
  • S2E7 B is for Boiling, Bayleaf & Bloody Mary

    S2E7 B is for Boiling, Bayleaf & Bloody Mary
    Jun 22 2025

    Welcome to Episode 7 of Season B. This is a Listener’s Choice ep, and things get hot, messy and monstrous as Sam, Neil and Alessandra look at Boiling, Bloody Mary and bay leaves.

    Things mentioned in this episode

    Sam Bilton wins at the Fortum & Mason Awards

    Museum of Royal Worcester project wins at the British Library Food Season Awards

    Sam’s black pudding episode on Comfortably Hungry

    Neil is appearing at the Chalke Festival on 27 June

    Follow Serve it Forth History Festival 18 October on Instagram @serveitforthfest


    Links & Further Reading


    Boiling

    Acton, E. (1845). Modern Cookery For Private Families. Quadrille.

    Beeton, I. (1861). The Book of Household Management. Lightning Source.

    Davidson, A. (1999). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press.

    Grigson, J. (1992). English Food (Third Edit). Penguin.

    McGee, H. (1984). On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (1st ed.). Allen and Unwin.

    Smith, D. (1998). Delia’s How to Cook Book 1. BBC Books.


    Bayleaf:

    Culpeper’s Herbal (I’ll find a link late)

    What Is a Bay Leaf, Exactly? – Atlas Obscura https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-a-bay-leaf

    Pliny Natural History iv: Books 12-16 https://archive.org/details/L370PlinyNaturalHistoryIV1216/page/n391/mode/2up?q=laurel

    Ovid Metamorphosis https://www.gutenberg.org/files/21765/21765-h/21765-h.htm


    Bloody Mary:

    Why Is There an Entire Fried Chicken on My Bloody Mary?: An exploration of outrageous garnishes and the drink’s over-the-top evolution. The Spruce Eats

    The Tomato in America by Andrew F. Smith (1994): A rich history of the tomato- from suspicion to Bloody Mary staple. Essential reading for any cocktail historian.

    James Bond’s Other Drink: Long before Vesper, Bond was sipping Bloody Marys- shaken, not stirred, of course. Bormioli Luigi

    Bloody Mina Gothtail: A Gothic twist on the classic- dark, dramatic, and dangerously drinkable. Instagram Recipe
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • BONUS EPISODE: Brains and the BSE Crisis

    BONUS EPISODE: Brains and the BSE Crisis
    Jun 1 2025
    Welcome to this bonus episode of A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink. Last episode the theme was Meat, and as usual, the three of us nattered away for a bit too long and some of our conversation was edited out for time. One of these things was the part of Neil’s section on brains and the BSE crisis.We’re busy behind the scenes getting the listener's choice episode ready for you, but hopefully this little snackette will keep you going. You can follow the A is for Apple Podcast on Instagram and BlueskySam Bilton also hosts the Comfortably Hungry Podcast and is the author of First Catch Your Gingerbread, Fool’s Gold: A History of British Saffron and The Philosophy of Chocolate. You can find her on Instagram and BlueskyDr Neil Buttery also hosts the British Food History Podcast and is the author of A Dark History of Sugar, Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald Britain’s Most Influential Housekeeper as well as Knead to Know: A History of Baking and The Philosophy of Pudding. You can find him on Instagram and BlueskyDr Allie Pino hosts the Fear Feasts Podcast with Vanessa Baca and is the co-author of A Gothic Cookbook. You can find her on Instagram and Bluesky
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    11 mins
  • S2E6 B is for Beef Wellington, Brains & Bovril

    S2E6 B is for Beef Wellington, Brains & Bovril
    May 14 2025
    Welcome to Episode 6 of Season B. The theme is ‘Meat’ and Sam, Neil and Alessandra get beefy with three choice nuggets of fleshy goodness, looking at Beef Wellington, Brains and Bovril. Don’t get the meat sweats!Don’t forget the next episode is the Listeners’ Choice. Please send your suggestions (with a reason why you’ve chosen it) to aisofrapplepod@gmail.com. Your deadline is 21st May!Links & Further ReadingDid Sam win the awards for Best Audio at the Fortnum & Mason Awards?Allie will be taking part in the online conference an ONLINE conference on 23rd and 24th August 2025 marking the 100th anniversary of MR James A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories talking about food and the supernatural: https://romancingthegothic.com/2025/01/06/cfp-for-a-warning-to-the-curious-ghostly-supernatural-and-weird-tales/ Follow Serve it Forth history festival on Instagram @serveitforthfestThe Leeds Symposium of Food History and Traditions facebook pageBeef WellingtonManuale de cuoco e del pasticciere III by Vincenzo Agnoletti (1834) (Italian)Paddington Takes The Test by Michael Bond (1999)Julia Child cooks beef wellington on The French ChefBetty Crocker’s Hostess Cookbook (1967)Irish Traditional Food by Theodora Fitzgibbon (1984)Fashionable food: seven decades of food fads by Sylvia Lovegren, (1995)The French Menu Cookbook by Richard Olney (1970)You can read more about the Waterloo banquets on the Apsley House and Wellington Arch blog here and here.Lines of Wellington trailerRead about how beef wellington was used as a murder weapon in Australia.BrainsEnglish Food (Third Edition) by Jane Grigson (1992The Complete Nose to Tail: A Kind of British Cooking by Fergus Henderson (2012)Jane Grigson’s Brains in Black Butter recipe on Neil Cooks GrigsonGood Food by Ambrose Heath (1932; contains brain and tongue pudding recipe)Neil’s blog post about cooking snipe with recipeBovrilVril: The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1871)Shackleton Bovril advert: http://www.tommyspackfillers.com/gallery/medpopup.php?imageNo=1085How the British empire spells Bovril: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O828155/how-the-british-empire-spells-print-dolman-ernest/My Bones and My Flute by Edgar Mittelholzer (1955)You can follow the A is for Apple Podcast on Instagram and BlueskySam Bilton also hosts the Comfortably Hungry Podcast and is the author of First Catch Your Gingerbread, Fool’s Gold: A History of British Saffron and The Philosophy of Chocolate. You can find her on Instagram and BlueskyDr Neil Buttery also hosts the British Food History Podcast and is the author of A Dark History of Sugar, Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald Britain’s Most Influential Housekeeper as well as Knead to Know: A History of Baking and The Philosophy of Pudding. You can find him on Instagram and BlueskyDr Allie Pino hosts the Fear Feasts Podcast with Vanessa Baca and is the co-author of A Gothic Cookbook. You can find her on Instagram and Bluesky
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • BONUS EPISODE: Stichelton Cheese with Joe Schneider

    BONUS EPISODE: Stichelton Cheese with Joe Schneider
    May 7 2025
    Welcome to this bonus episode of A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink.Last episode had the blue theme, and Neil chose to look at blue cheese, in particular Stichelton, which is made on the beautiful Welbeck Estate in rural Nottinghamshire. Neil spoke to Joe Schneider, who makes this delicious, unique farmhouse cheese. Neil cut the interview down to 6 minutes or so, but here it is in full.They talk about how one gets into farmhouse cheesemaking, the importance of consistency and the best places to buy Stichelton as well as many other things.A big thank you to Thomas Ntinas for his sound engineering support.Things mentioned in today’s episode:Stichelton websiteThe Welbeck EstateWelbeck Farm ShopNeal’s Yard DairyChorlton CheesemongersYou can follow the A is for Apple Podcast on Instagram and BlueskySam Bilton also hosts the Comfortably Hungry Podcast and is the author of First Catch Your Gingerbread, Fool’s Gold: A History of British Saffron and The Philosophy of Chocolate. You can find her on Instagram and BlueskyDr Neil Buttery also hosts the British Food History Podcast and is the author of A Dark History of Sugar, Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald Britain’s Most Influential Housekeeper as well as Knead to Know: A History of Baking and The Philosophy of Pudding. You can find him on Instagram and BlueskyDr Allie Pino hosts the Fear Feasts Podcast with Vanessa Baca and is the co-author of A Gothic Cookbook. You can find her on Instagram and Bluesky
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    35 mins