Comfortably Hungry

In Episode 6 I am joined by chocolate historian, archivist and novelist Alex Hutchinson to discuss the rise and fall of the Bristol based Fry’s chocolate company. In this episode I discover what made quakers such good business people and why chocolate in particular appealed to them (aside from its delicious taste, obviously). We chat about the innovations in chocolate processing and business oppor...

Before you tuck into your chocolate eggs today I thought you might like to hear a little bit about how they came being. In the UK Fry’s of Bristol are credited with inventing the first moulded chocolate bar in 1847 and hollow chocolate eggs a couple of decades later. I had a chat recently with chocolate historian and archivist Alex Hutchinson about Fry’s which led to a discussion about the unsung...

In this episode I explore the life of some extraordinary business women in the eighteenth century with Helen White, Senior Interpretation Manager from the Old Royal Naval College and Dr Sara Pennell, Associate Professor in Early Modern British History at the University of Greenwich. We had a fascinating chat about chocolate house owner Grace Tosier and confectioner Mary Eales. There is a teensy er...

Apologies for the radio silence folks! 2024 has been hectic so far hence no new Comfortably Hungry episodes. There will be some more additions to Season 2 but in the meantime I wanted to share this new podcast I am working on with Dr Neil Buttery (of the British Food History Podcast) and Dr Allie Pino (of the Fear Feasts Podcast). A is for Apple is an encyclopaedia of food and drink in podcast for...

In this episode  I will be discussing the enduring popularity of the yule log or bûche de noel (the edible version rather than the flammable one) with American baker and author of Sweet Paris , Frank Adrian Barron who you may know from Instagram as @ cakeboyparis . We’ll also be talking about how this dessert has evolved and the secret to making a great bûche de noel. To whet your appetite here is...

We all know that chocolate can be lovely but it definitely has a darker side and I’m not referring to the amount of cocoa solids there are in a single bar. In this episode I am joined by author Dr Alessandra Pino, who has co-written the forthcoming Gothic Cookbook, and food writer and novelist Sue Lawrence (check out the links below to Sue’s books) to explore how chocolate has been used in the pas...

Ever since Europeans encountered chocolate in the sixteenth century it has been a divisive substance as I explore in my latest book The Philosophy of Chocolate. So you probably won’t be surprised to learn that wars have been fought over it. We’re not talking about modern warfare with guns and tanks but in the field of commerce where chocolate and who or what it represents can be a controversial su...

Welcome back to Season 2 of the Comfortably Hungry Podcast! Today is the 2nd of November (unless of course you are listening to this episode after this date). In the Christian calendar it is known as All Souls Day and in Mexico specifically Dia de los Muertos or day of the dead. But as we shall see it is far from a mournful occasion. ‘ To the modern Mexican death doesn't have any meaning. It has c...

Welcome back to the comfortably hungry podcast where yesterday’s dinner is tomorrow’s history. I hope you’ve been keeping well over the past few months and are ready for a new season of delicious episodes. 2023 has been a hectic year for me. As well as the podcast I’ve busy writing articles on everything from my pet subject gingerbread to festive food which appears in the new Christmas Book publis...

Welcome back to Part 2 of Make Do and Cook, the final episode of Season 1. Last time I chatted to food writer Urvashi Roe and food historian Sejal Sukhadwala about resourcefulness in the kitchen particularly when it comes to store cupboard ingredients and leftovers. In this part I discover that eating leftovers was not always embraced by some sectors of Indian society while others took more of a s...

In this last episode of season 1 of the Comfortably Hungry Podcast I wanted to take a slightly different approach to the theme of austerity. I’m sure many with you are familiar with the ‘ Make Do And Mend ’ initiative launched by the British government in 1941. New clothing was rationed from June of that year so people were encouraged to repair or repurpose clothes (you can hear one of my earlier...

In Episode 6 I chat with Professor Rebecca Earle from the University of Warwick about the fascinating history behind the potato. The potato is one of the most versatile vegetables we eat in the western world. To quote Rebecca from her book Feeding the People: The Politics of the Potato : ‘Today the potato is a remarkably successful global food. It ranks just behind wheat, maize and rice in terms o...

It’s very easy to get carried away when chatting to my guests so I’ve collated a few of the bits that didn’t make it into the original pressure cooking episode. Given that we’re in the height of summer I thought it would be interesting to explore how nations with consistently hotter climates than Britain utilise pressure cookers and even slow cookers to great effect. As an aside I was intrigued to...

Pressure cookers have been hailed as a saviour of the kitchen in these financially straitened times. They cook food quickly and efficiently thereby saving energy and money. BUT… I can’t get the idea of the pressure cooker being a steaming demon out of my head, ready to spew forth its contents like Regan MacNeil of The Exorcist fame being told she has to attend church on Sunday. Hence, my pressure...

In this week’s episode I will be exploring the benefits of using a haybox or Wonder Bag to prepare meals and cut down on energy costs. My guest is Liz Trigg ( liztrigg_ ), one of the hosts of the Original Home Economist , who has had first hand experience of this mode of cooking. As the name suggests haybox cookery involves placing partially cooked food in a box lined with hay although other mater...

Welcome to Episode 3 where Dr Neil Buttery and I continue our exploration of the curious world of tripe. This time we’re keeping our feet firmly in Britain. ‘So home and dined there with my wife upon a most excellent dish of tripes of my own directing, covered with mustard, as I have heretofore seen them done at my Lord Crew’s, of which I made a very great meal.’ Samuel Pepys, Friday 24 October 16...

Welcome to Episode 2 and the first part of my journey to find out more about the alien like substance called tripe. Assisting me in this quest is food historian and host of the British Food History podcast Dr Neil Buttery. Tripe refers to the stomachs from cows, sheep, pigs and other animals. It was once widely eaten across Britain by all levels of society and was regarded as a nutritious and econ...

In Episode 1 Sam discusses a nineteenth century food protest with freelance writer and illustrator Josh Sutton . The early years of the nineteenth century were marked by social and economic upheaval caused by war, rising inflation and the loss of access to common land due to the The General Enclosure Act of 1801. As a result, many agricultural labourers during this period struggled to support them...

You may be aware from my posts on social media that this inaugural series of Comfortably Hungry has been somewhat delayed. So far 2023 hasn’t gone according to plan. The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry as they say and in my case spectacularly so. I spent the first few months of the year wallowing in chocolate history like a veritable Augustus Gloop researching a book for the Britis...

Welcome to the very first episode of Comfortably Hungry with food historian and author of First Catch Your Gingerbread Sam Bilton! I will be discussing this delectable treat with fellow food historian, podcaster and author of A Dark History of Sugar , Dr Neil Buttery. Joining us is Dr Alessandra Pino writer and researcher on how cultural memory, food and the Gothic intersect and co-author of A Got...

A short introduction to the new podcast from food historian Sam Bilton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit comfortablyhungry.substack.com/subscribe