This week, Lucy Lethbridge explains what a curate's eye is, and how ideas of British cooking range from Aga fantasies to bacon butties; and J. S. Barnes takes us to the dark side of the festive season, via Dickens and M. R. James....

'The British Cookbook: Authentic home cooking recipes from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland' by Ben Mervis

'To Be Read At Dusk: Dickens, ghosts and the supernatural', Charles Dickens Museum, London, until March 5, 2023 

'The Witch Farm', BBC Radio 4 and Sounds 

'The Treasure of Abbot Thomas', Nunkie Theatre Company, December 24, live online  

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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