In today’s episode, I am talking with renowned food historian, chef and confectioner Ivan Day.

The 38th Leeds Food Symposium of Food History and Traditions is coming up – 27 April 2024 to be exact – Ivan is the Chair of the Symposium, so we had a good talk about the history and influence of this most important annual event on the study of food history.

We talked about a pioneer of food history study C. Ann Wilson who was the librarian at the Brotherton Library at the University of Leeds, who, with Peter Brears, Lynette Hunter and Jennifer Staid, created the Symposium in 1986. We also talk about this year's Symposium on 27 April 2024. The topic of this year being ‘Presenting the Food of the Past in Museums and Historic Houses’.

Also discussed: the excellent work of Peter Brears, the speakers of this year’s symposium, the social side of the symposium – including the excellent buffet – and why the Leeds symposium is held in York, amongst many other things.

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The Leeds Symposium on Food

History & Traditions website

The Symposium’s Eventbrite page

Find Ivan on Instagram @ivanpatrickday

Books and other things mentioned in today’s episode:

Brotherton Library cookery collection, University of Leeds

Food & Drink in Britain from the Stone Age to Recent Times by C. Anne Wilson

Over a Red-Hot Stove edited by Ivan Day

Fairfax House, York

York Castle Museum

Shibden Hall, Halifax

Cooking & Dining in the Victorian Country House by Peter Brears

The Food Museum

Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper by Neil Buttery

Previous podcast episodes pertinent to today’s episode:

18th Century Dining with Ivan Day

Recreating 16th Century Beer with Susan Flavin & Marc Meltonville

18th Century Tavern Cooking with Marc Meltonville

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

Both are published by Pen & Sword and available from all good bookshops.

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 Neil at [email protected], or on twitter and BlueSky@neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery. His 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.