Hello! Brand new episode is out for your delightful ears!

It is obvious given that I often explore historical food themes, that I usually talk about food in time. But what about time IN food?

In the 60s the average US house-wife would spend 112 minutes per day in the kitchen. In 2008 this figure was down to 66 minutes per day. A survey in 2022 in the UK found that “the most time consuming chore is cooking. The average Brit spends 253 minutes per week in the kitchen cooking meals. That’s the equivalent of 219 hours per year” and also went on “On top of this, we spend an average of 98 minutes a week washing up, which equates to 85 hours a year and 170 days in our lifetime. That’s a lot of time spent in the kitchen.” 

Feelings of time scarcity are increasingly widespread in industrialised societies. People are fulfilling a multitude of roles, possess an array of material goods, and want to get the most out of their leisure time, all of which influence feelings of not having enough time to get everything done. Time scarcity, or lack of time, is one of the major drivers of ultra-processed food consumption. This time crunch forces people to rely on ultra-processed foods that are ready to heat or ready to eat to buy back time. Overall, this time scarcity is an issue faced by the primary food shoppers, preparers and givers, who are disproportionately women across the globe.

My guest today Jenny Linford is a food writer, author and passionate advocate of many many artisanal food producers, cooks, farmers and so on. People who put all their time to create some amazing food for us, to feed us and keep us alive but also for something more important I think. Because food, eating together and eating well is part of what we are. So today, we are discussing these themes from Jenny's past book, "The Missing Ingredient -The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavour" which is of course -as the title suggests!- about the role of time in food. And time is crucial, not just in the home kitchen…but throughout the whole process of growing, maturing, fermenting, distributing the food. She explores through a series of essays the interconnected and important nature of this underappreciated ingredient from seconds to years. Together we will try and bring a much needed appreciation of the patience that is required and perhaps have a pause and bring time to cooking and eating. We had a fascinating discussion which I hope you’ll enjoy!

You can buy Jenny's book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/17049/9780141982816

"Everything that we eat is part of a cultural legacy that we've inherited" - Sandor Katz, Fermentation revivalist

Love,

Thom

Producers, cooks and artisans mentioned on this episode:

England Preserves: https://englandpreserves.co.uk/pages/about-us

The Wasabi Company: https://www.thewasabicompany.co.uk/

Claire Clark: https://claire-clark.com/about/

Mrs. Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese: https://www.mrskirkhamscheese.co.uk/

CJ Jackson: https://www.kentseafood.com/

https://www.waterstones.com/book/great-british-seafood-revival/cj-jackson/steve-lee/9781913159856

Friis Holm: https://friisholmchokolade.dk/?srsltid=AfmBOoqomjPiETgdr3pM0wV93pZnJQb5y_byfo-IG04kMinDxfD9RToO

Best woodfire socca: https://www.chezpipo.fr/en

Music by Pavlos Kapralos

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