Lashings of ginger beer all around and nostalgia galore as Suzanne explains the refreshing drink's quasi-parodic Famous Fives connection and unpicks the origins and history of ginger beer, taking in the trading of the exotic ginger root, its feeding into the British obsession with beer, fermenting and experimentation, some Victorian tales of temperance leagues, brown bottles, scoby and vinaigrières, the investigations of distinguished botanist Henry Marshall Ward into the alien entity of the ginger plant, the great split between ginger beer and ginger ale, Henry Crabbe's brewing dynasty and its connection to whisky, and finally, above and beyond nostalgia, the irrepressible resurgence of the craft and savoir-faire of ginger-beer brewing today. Anyone for a Moscow Mule?<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Lashings of ginger beer all around and nostalgia galore as Suzanne explains the refreshing drink's quasi-parodic Famous Fives connection and unpicks the origins and history of ginger beer, taking in the trading of the exotic ginger root, its feeding into the British obsession with beer, fermenting and experimentation, some Victorian tales of temperance leagues, brown bottles, scoby and vinaigrières, the investigations of distinguished botanist Henry Marshall Ward into the alien entity of the ginger plant, the great split between ginger beer and ginger ale, Henry Crabbe's brewing dynasty and its connection to whisky, and finally, above and beyond nostalgia, the irrepressible resurgence of the craft and savoir-faire of ginger-beer brewing today. Anyone for a Moscow Mule? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lashings of ginger beer all around and nostalgia galore as Suzanne explains the refreshing drink's quasi-parodic Famous Fives connection and unpicks the origins and history of ginger beer, taking in the trading of the exotic ginger root, its feeding into the British obsession with beer, fermenting and experimentation, some Victorian tales of temperance leagues, brown bottles, scoby and vinaigrières, the investigations of distinguished botanist Henry Marshall Ward into the alien entity of the ginger plant, the great split between ginger beer and ginger ale, Henry Crabbe's brewing dynasty and its connection to whisky, and finally, above and beyond nostalgia, the irrepressible resurgence of the craft and savoir-faire of ginger-beer brewing today. Anyone for a Moscow Mule? Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Summer Postcards: Ginger Beer

What is the quintessential French summer food? Melon, of course, of the orange-fleshed and deeply aromatic variety. In the summer, Muriel explains, the French go into a sort of melon frenzy, chasing the perfect ambrosial experience, and this brings with it the agony of choice. Selecting the right melon is an inexact science, at once thrilling and anxious-making. Weighing up a melon in the palm of your hand is a Gallic ritual as old as time. Melons also come with a rich cultural hinterland: they have long inspired poets and moralists. To the French, there is something subtly existential about the promise of delight and the repeated quest for excellence in a sea of indifferent fruit.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

What is the quintessential French summer food? Melon, of course, of the orange-fleshed and deeply aromatic variety. In the summer, Muriel explains, the French go into a sort of melon frenzy, chasing the perfect ambrosial experience, and this brings with it the agony of choice. Selecting the right melon is an inexact science, at once thrilling and anxious-making. Weighing up a melon in the palm of your hand is a Gallic ritual as old as time. Melons also come with a rich cultural hinterland: they have long inspired poets and moralists. To the French, there is something subtly existential about the promise of delight and the repeated quest for excellence in a sea of indifferent fruit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the quintessential French summer food? Melon, of course, of the orange-fleshed and deeply aromatic variety. In the summer, Muriel explains, the French go into a sort of melon frenzy, chasing the perfect ambrosial experience, and this brings with it the agony of choice. Selecting the right melon is an inexact science, at once thrilling and anxious-making. Weighing up a melon in the palm of your hand is a Gallic ritual as old as time. Melons also come with a rich cultural hinterland: they have long inspired poets and moralists. To the French, there is something subtly existential about the promise of delight and the repeated quest for excellence in a sea of indifferent fruit. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Summer Postcards: Melons

Muriel tells the story of the stripy Breton top and wonders how a pattern – stripes – once considered sacrilegious and satanic gradually became the epitome of French elegance. We explore the evolving cultural history of a powerful symbol, the role of seaside holidays, of sailor suits as the preferred outfits of smart children, and the formalisation of the uniforms of the French Navy. Coco Chanel, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Jean-Paul Gaultier and a lot of zebras put in an appearance. Are stripy tops a means of clothing oneself in maritime courage, freedom and adventure?<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Muriel tells the story of the stripy Breton top and wonders how a pattern – stripes – once considered sacrilegious and satanic gradually became the epitome of French elegance. We explore the evolving cultural history of a powerful symbol, the role of seaside holidays, of sailor suits as the preferred outfits of smart children, and the formalisation of the uniforms of the French Navy. Coco Chanel, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Jean-Paul Gaultier and a lot of zebras put in an appearance. Are stripy tops a means of clothing oneself in maritime courage, freedom and adventure? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Muriel tells the story of the stripy Breton top and wonders how a pattern – stripes – once considered sacrilegious and satanic gradually became the epitome of French elegance. We explore the evolving cultural history of a powerful symbol, the role&nbsp;of seaside holidays, of&nbsp;sailor suits as the preferred outfits of smart children, and the formalisation of the uniforms of&nbsp;the French Navy. Coco Chanel, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Jean-Paul Gaultier and a lot of zebras put in an appearance. Are stripy tops a means of clothing oneself in maritime courage, freedom and adventure? Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Stripy Tops: From Devil's Cloth to Top French Icon

Suzanne takes Muriel on a journey to a faraway land, travelling into the hidden depths of a dinner plate. Its famous pattern – trees, a pagoda, a bridge, a boat, a fence – tells a version of Romeo and Juliet's story set in Imperial China. The plate was first made in England in the 18th century, but the story and its memorable characters – an eminent mandarin, his beautiful daughter, an ardent young man, a resourceful maid – were retrofitted to the plate as part of a story of cross-cultural admiration, imitation and adaptation that unfolded in Staffordshire in the 1780s. But how did Josiah Spode rewrite the pottery rule book? And how has the allure of Blue Willow lasted to this day?<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Suzanne takes Muriel on a journey to a faraway land, travelling into the hidden depths of a dinner plate. Its famous pattern – trees, a pagoda, a bridge, a boat, a fence – tells a version of Romeo and Juliet's story set in Imperial China. The plate was first made in England in the 18th century, but the story and its memorable characters – an eminent mandarin, his beautiful daughter, an ardent young man, a resourceful maid – were retrofitted to the plate as part of a story of cross-cultural admiration, imitation and adaptation that unfolded in Staffordshire in the 1780s. But how did Josiah Spode rewrite the pottery rule book? And how has the allure of Blue Willow lasted to this day? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Suzanne takes Muriel on a journey to a faraway land, travelling into the hidden depths of a dinner plate. Its famous pattern – trees, a pagoda, a bridge, a boat, a fence – tells a version of Romeo and Juliet's story set in Imperial China. The plate was first made in England in the 18th century, but the story and its memorable characters – an eminent mandarin, his beautiful daughter, an ardent young man, a resourceful maid – were retrofitted to the plate as part of a story of cross-cultural admiration, imitation and adaptation that unfolded in Staffordshire in the 1780s. But how did Josiah Spode rewrite the pottery rule book? And how has the allure of Blue Willow lasted to this day? Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The Blue Willow Pattern: A Tale of Romance, Bone and Clay

Some might say that the pickled onion is a jewel in the crown of British gastronomy. But where does it come from? Suzanne explains all, including the use of a distinctive piece of British cutlery, and Muriel gets a baptism of fire.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Some might say that the pickled onion is a jewel in the crown of British gastronomy. But where does it come from? Suzanne explains all, including the use of a distinctive piece of British cutlery, and Muriel gets a baptism of fire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some might say that the pickled onion is a jewel in the crown of British gastronomy. But where does it come from? Suzanne explains all, including the use of a distinctive piece of British cutlery, and Muriel gets a baptism of fire. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Pickled Onions: Crossing a culinary chasm

What makes the British so British and the French so French? Suzanne Raine and Muriel Zagha astonish and entertain each other with a wide array of examples - from everyday objects to eccentric oddities - all in pursuit of the essence of Britishness and Frenchness. ehlZIyB7nZIaFbyXqXqI<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

What makes the British so British and the French so French? Suzanne Raine and Muriel Zagha astonish and entertain each other with a wide array of examples - from everyday objects to eccentric oddities - all in pursuit of the essence of Britishness and Frenchness. ehlZIyB7nZIaFbyXqXqI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes the British so British and the French so French? Suzanne Raine and Muriel Zagha astonish and entertain each other with a wide array of examples - from everyday objects to eccentric oddities - all in pursuit of the&nbsp;essence of Britishness and Frenchness. ehlZIyB7nZIaFbyXqXqI Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Garlic & Pearls: What makes the British so British and the French so French?

Suzanne and Muriel examine a series of very different things – from a film to a kitchen utensil, a model train to a bar of soap – that define British or French attitudes, each explaining her cultural background to the other and trying to get to the essence of what makes the British British and the French French.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Society & Culture

Suzanne and Muriel examine a series of very different things – from a film to a kitchen utensil, a model train to a bar of soap – that define British or French attitudes, each explaining her cultural background to the other and trying to get to the essence of what makes the British British and the French French. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Suzanne and Muriel examine a series of very different things – from a film to a kitchen utensil, a model train to a bar of soap – that define British or French attitudes, each explaining her cultural background to the other and trying to get to the essence of what makes the British British and the French French. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

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Garlic & Pearls

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