In this week’s episode I will be exploring the benefits of using a haybox or Wonder Bag to prepare meals and cut down on energy costs. My guest is Liz Trigg (liztrigg_), one of the hosts of the Original Home Economist, who has had first hand experience of this mode of cooking.

As the name suggests haybox cookery involves placing partially cooked food in a box lined with hay although other materials with similar insulating properties can be used. A dish is prepared on a hob then brought up to boiling point and usually cooked for a short period at a highish temperature before being transferred to the haybox. The hay helps harness the residual heat in the cooking vessel. It’s a great way to prepare things like stews and porridge that benefit from slow cooking. Hay boxes were particularly popular during the world wars, although as I discovered the idea of cooking with residual heat may go back to the medieval era.

Interest in this form of ‘automatic’ cooking appears to have been sparked by an exhibit at the World’s Exposition in Paris in 1867:

The twentieth century would see a number of authors praise the virtues of this mode of cooking although it has to be said that not everyone was convinced. Margaret Johnes Mitchell (1869–1952) was an American writer and a dietician at the Manhattan State Hospital, New York. She published The Fireless Cook Book in 1909 which includes details on how to build a haybox. As well as saving energy, she believed the haybox eliminated excessive heat and odours from the kitchen, improved the flavour of food and could even dispense the need for servants. She also offers the following tips:

* Cooking depends on the retention of heat so the larger quantity of food/liquid the more likely the heat will be retained.

* The cooking vessel should be full in order to maximise the benefits of this style of cooking.

* The cooking vessel should fit into its nest snugly.

* Make sure the haybox is close to the stove so that you can transfer hot food quickly.

* The box should be tightly closed once the food has been put in.

* All food needs to be cooked for a certain amount of time before being moved to the haybox. This is vital to ensure that the contents cook correctly.

* Hardness of water can affect cooking times i.e. food will take longer.

Useful Links & Further Reading

Liz’s recipe for Fabada Asturiana can be found in Instagram

Oatmeal porridge in a haybox (Ministry of Information film, 1940)

The Self-Acting Norwegian Cooking Apparatus - New York Medical Journal Vol X 1870

A fragment of a mediaeval fireless cooking pot, found in Monmouth Castle grounds

The Great War Cook Book by May Byron (1918)

Haybox Cookery by Ambrose Heath (1961)

“Two Anglo-Norman Culinary Collections Edited from British Library Manuscripts Additional 32085 and Royal 12.C.Xii.” Speculum 61, no. 4, by Hieatt, Constance B., and Robin F. Jones. (1986)

The Fireless Cook Book by Margaret Johnes Mitchell (1909)

Wonderbag

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Welcome to Episode 3 where Dr Neil Buttery and I continue our exploration of the curious world of tripe. This time we’re keeping our feet firmly in Britain.

‘So home and dined there with my wife upon a most excellent dish of tripes of my own directing, covered with mustard, as I have heretofore seen them done at my Lord Crew’s, of which I made a very great meal.’ Samuel Pepys, Friday 24 October 1662

Perhaps one of the reasons tripe has declined in popularity is that we’ve forgotten how to prepare it? Neil tracks down a tripe seller (yes, they do still exist) and tries some historic recipes to see why this meat was once popular.

Do you eat tripe? If so, tell us your favourite recipe!

You can tag me on Instagram: @mrssbilton or Twitter: @sjfbilton (Neil’s details are below) or drop me an email at [email protected]

Don’t forget to check out Neil’s website British Food: A History loaded with fascinating historical recipes. His books include The Dark History of Sugar and Before Mrs Beeton. And if you haven’t done so already, do give his British Food History podcast a listen.

You can find Neil on Instagram: @dr_neil_buttery and Twitter: @neilbuttery

If you enjoy the podcast please don’t forget to rate it to help other listeners discover the Comfortably Hungry series.

Useful Links/Further Reading

In 2016 the Oxford Food Symposium had Offal: Rejected and Reclaimed Food as its theme. The proceedings of the symposium contains some fascinating papers on tripe and other offal.

For a history of tripe in Britain try Tripe: A Most Excellent Dish by Marjory Houlihan

For further culinary inspiration try:

The Talisman Cookbook by Ada Boni (1975 - English Version)

The Cook and Housewife’s Manual by Margaret Dods (1827)

Nose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking by Fergus Henderson

Offal: The Fifth Quarter by Anissa Helou

The Accomplisht Cook by Robert May (1678)

The Experienced English Housekeeper by Elizabeth Raffald (1786)

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Welcome to Episode 2 and the first part of my journey to find out more about the alien like substance called tripe. Assisting me in this quest is food historian and host of the British Food History podcast Dr Neil Buttery.

Tripe refers to the stomachs from cows, sheep, pigs and other animals. It was once widely eaten across Britain by all levels of society and was regarded as a nutritious and economical meat. But tripe has gradually fallen out of favour in Britain since the mid twentieth century making it quite tricky to source.

‘Tripe called by any other name would achieve the popularity it undoubtedly deserves. It is one of the most digestible of foods - indeed, a doctor of my acquaintance puts all his patients suffering from indigestion upon a diet in which tripe stewed in milk, figures largely - while it can be most palatable and is undeniably cheap.’ Majorie Swift, Feed The Brute (1925)

In other parts of the world there is a fondness for this curious white flesh. Tripe soup is popular in both Mexico and Turkey. In Rome there is an area called Testaccio which is renowned for its offal based cuisine. In this episode British food writer and Guardian columnist Rachel Roddy shares some insights into how modern day Romans prepare tripe.

Rachel’s books include Five Quarters: Recipes and Notes from a Kitchen in Rome, Two Kitchens: 120 Family Recipes from Sicily and Rome and the An A-Z of Pasta: Stories, Shapes, Sauces, Recipes. You can find more of her recipes and musings in her Guardian column or on her blog Rachel Eats.

You can find Rachel on Instagram: @rachelaliceroddy or Twitter: @racheleats

Don’t forget to check out Neil’s website British Food: A History loaded with fascinating historical recipes. His books include The Dark History of Sugar and Before Mrs Beeton. And if you haven’t done so already, do give his British Food History podcast a listen.

You can find Neil on Instagram: @dr_neil_buttery and Twitter: @neilbuttery

If you enjoy the podcast please don’t forget to rate it to help other listeners discover the Comfortably Hungry series.

You can follow me on Twitter @sjfbilton and Instagram @mrssbilton or discover more about my work and books at sambilton.com.

Useful Links/Further Reading

In 2016 the Oxford Food Symposium had Offal: Rejected and Reclaimed Food as its theme. The proceedings of the symposium contains some fascinating papers on tripe and other offal.

The tripe recipe Rachel mentions can be found in The Talisman Cookbook by Ada Boni originally published in the 1930s but link above is for English version published in 1975.

For a history of tripe in Britain try Tripe: A Most Excellent Dish by Marjory Houlihan

For further culinary inspiration try:

The Cook and Housewife’s Manual by Margaret Dods (1827)

Nose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking by Fergus Henderson

Offal: The Fifth Quarter by Anissa Helou

The Accomplisht Cook by Robert May (1678)

The Experienced English Housekeeper by Elizabeth Raffald (1786)

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In Episode 1 Sam discusses a nineteenth century food protest with freelance writer and illustrator Josh Sutton.

The early years of the nineteenth century were marked by social and economic upheaval caused by war, rising inflation and the loss of access to common land due to the The General Enclosure Act of 1801. As a result, many agricultural labourers during this period struggled to support themselves and their families and were forced to rely on parish relief to supplement their meagre earnings. Even this did not prevent huge numbers of people living in a state of poverty where hunger was a daily reality.

The Ely and Littleport riots took place in April and May 1816 as a response to hunger, poverty and unemployment. The protestors’ slogan was ‘bread or blood’ which was inscribed on their banners. They also brandished a loaf on a stick as they marched.

Hundreds of people were involved in this demonstration. For a short while it appeared their demands for higher wages would be met but their protest ended in tragedy. Listen to the podcast to find out what happened.

If you enjoy the podcast please don’t forget to rate it to help other listeners discover the Comfortably Hungry series.

Josh explores the Ely and Littleport riot and many other food protests in his book Food Worth Fighting For, (Prospect Books, 2016). Other titles by Josh include:

Outdoor Ovens – if you can’t stand the heat, go al fresco (Prospect Books, 2017)

Food from Childhood (Prospect Books, 2019)

For details on his other books visit joshsutton.co.uk or follow Josh on Twitter @BooksFez and Instagram @redfezbooks

This podcast features the song Bread or Blood by The Commoners Choir which is available to download here.

You can follow Sam on Twitter @sjfbilton and Instagram @mrssbilton or discover more about her work and books at sambilton.com.

Further Reading

Besides Food Worth Fighting For you may find these other publications and websites of interest:

John Burnett - Plenty & Want: A Social History of Diet in England (1979)

William Cobbett - Rural Rides (1830)

JL & Barbara Hammond - The Village Labourer (1920)

Trussell Trust

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You may be aware from my posts on social media that this inaugural series of Comfortably Hungry has been somewhat delayed. So far 2023 hasn’t gone according to plan. The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry as they say and in my case spectacularly so.

I spent the first few months of the year wallowing in chocolate history like a veritable Augustus Gloop researching a book for the British Library which will be published later this year. However, two days after I submitted the manuscript I discovered I have detached retinas in both eyes and required emergency surgery. Recovery is going to be slow but I am getting there.

Fortunately, I had recorded a few episodes before the proverbial hit the fan, so while this season will be shorter than originally planned and perhaps not as slickly produced as I would like it to be, it should get the ball rolling. Due to the ongoing cost of living crisis I have chosen ‘austerity’ as the theme for this season. What I plan to do with my guests this season is look at how people have coped or reacted in times of austerity in the past. We’ll be exploring everything from food riots, heroic ingredients and the origins of some popular energy saving devices.

Having said that ‘I'm back’, my next round of surgery takes place on 11 May. So while I have scheduled some posts to come out over the coming weeks please forgive me if I don’t respond to any questions or comments immediately.

Hopefully, (and I really mean this) I’ll SEE you soon!

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Welcome to the very first episode of Comfortably Hungry with food historian and author of First Catch Your Gingerbread Sam Bilton! I will be discussing this delectable treat with fellow food historian, podcaster and author of A Dark History of Sugar, Dr Neil Buttery. Joining us is Dr Alessandra Pino writer and researcher on how cultural memory, food and the Gothic intersect and co-author of A Gothic Cookbook which will be released in 2023. As it's 5th November (also known as Bonfire Night in the UK) we'll be chatting about parkin, dragons and gothic food. Keep listening to find out what spicy delights Neil and Allie are contributing to our virtual pot luck supper.

More gingerbread history and recipes are available in my book First Catch Your Gingerbread. If you are a fan of spices you may also like my book Fool's Gold: A History of British Saffron.

You can find Neil's recipe for parkin here https://britishfoodhistory.com/2011/11/04/yorkshire-parkin/ and more details on the knucker can be found here https://britishfoodhistory.com/2019/11/09/how-to-kill-a-dragon-with-pudding-or-parkin/

Neil's book A Dark History of Sugar is available from all good bookshops (physical or online) now.

Do give Neil's podcast British Food: A History a listen https://britishfoodhistory.com/support-the-blog-podcast/ particularly the episodes he recorded with myself on gingerbread and Allie on her forthcoming book.

Further details on A Gothic Cookbook are available here https://unbound.com/books/a-gothic-cookbook/

You can follow all of us on Twitter:

Sam Bilton (@sjfbilton)

Dr Neil Buttery (@neilbuttery)

Dr Alessandra Pino (@foodforflo)

And Instagram

Sam Bilton (@mrssbilton)

Dr Neil Buttery (@dr_neil_buttery)

Dr Alessandra Pino (@sasacharlie)

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A short introduction to the new podcast from food historian Sam Bilton

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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