It’s time for the fifth traditional postbag episode, where I (attempt to) answer your questions, read out your comments and mull over your queries.

In this edition: giant turkeys, great crisps we have known, burnt bread and Yorkshire puddings – plus much, much more!

Thank you for your support in this eighth season of the podcast. It shall return later in the year.

If you can, support the podcast and blogs by becoming a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here.

Things mentioned in today’s episode

Burnt cobs – BBC Leicester article

Pennyroyal

Tomato-Flavoured Snaps are not dead!

A Baghdad Cookery Book by Charles Perry

Kirkcudbright Book Week tickets

The 39th Leeds Symposium of Food Drinks & Traditions on Eventbrite

Neil’s appearance on That Shakespeare Life

Neil’s appearance on History Rage  

The Accomplisht Cook by Robert May (1660)

Amuse Bouche by Carolyn Boyd

Plenti and Grase by Mark Dawson

Neil’s Country Life County Foods series

A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink

The Delicious Legacy

Comfortably Hungry: Bleeding Cows & Black Puddings  

Podcast episodes pertinent to today’s episode

A History of Baking with Sam Bilton & Neil Buttery

Making Medieval Ale at Home with Alison Kay

Turkey with Tom Copas

An Irish Food Story with Jp McMahon

The Philosophy of Puddings with Neil Buttery, Peter Gilchrist & Lindsay Middleton

Crisps with Natalie Whittle

The School Meals Service with Heather Ellis

The History of Food Waste & Preservation with Eleanor Barnett

Traditional Food of Lincolnshire with Rachel Green

18th Century Female Cookery Writers with the Delicious Legacy Podcast

Yorkshire Pudding with Elaine Lemm

Lent episode 1: Preparing for Lent

Blog posts pertinent to today’s episode

Forgotten Foods #4: Cock Beer

Laverbread

My Best Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

Rice Pudding

Clotted cream

Roast Turkey and Giblet Gravy

Neil’s blogs:

‘British Food: a History’

‘Neil Cooks Grigson’

Neil’s books:

Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper

A Dark History of Sugar

Knead to Know: a History of Baking

The Philosophy of Puddings

Don’t forget, there will be postbag episodes in the future, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email me at [email protected], or on twitter and BlueSky @neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery. My DMs are open.

You can also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishfoodhistory

Mentioned in this episode:

Fruit Pig are currently sponsoring The British Food History Podcast

Visit fruitpig.co.uk for more details of their products and journey, and to access their shop. Grant and Matthew are very kindly giving listeners to the BFHP a unique special offer: 10% off your order until the end of October 2025 – use the offer code Foodhis in the checkout. Time to fill your boots.