Smy Goodness Podcast : Food History & Food Art

It's the mid point between Christmas and New Year…we might benefit from a break from the excesses. We can't go cold-turkey from the excesses of non-stop food and drink so a gin and tonic or a bit of sloe gin is a welcome comfort. The Sloe, or wild Plum, is the fruit of the Blackthorn found in the hedgerows. By autumn these small fruits are oval, blue-black and their sourness makes them perfect to...

How do you eat your chutney? What is your favourite cheese and chutney combination? Today's Christmas food is chutney. Since the last 12 Foods of Christmas episode featured cheese, it would seem only fitting that we follow that up with chutney. I have often been asked by Spanish or Italian friends or customers what a chutney is. Chutney originated in India and has now become a staple condiment tha...

It's a perfect symphony of seasonality. Many cheeses that we enjoy at Christmas have been made in the summer and are just coming in to peak maturity around the holidays. What's your cheese? British classics or continental cheeses? Are you someone who goes for the cheese board rather than a pudding? Luckily at Christmas you can sample ALL the cheeses and all the puddings! It's a perfectly delicious...

In the 5 or 6 weeks prior to Christmas is when clementines, satsumas, manderins and tangerines come into season and join forces to dominate the fruit bowl. Their flavours and essences appear throughout our food, drink and traditions throughout Christmas. Find out about the roots and origins of oranges and the differences between the easy-peelers. We'll learn about St. Nicholas and why we put orang...

It has lots of the familiar spices we associate with Christmas infused together in warmed wine, spirits, fruit and sugar. Walk in to a party from the cold and serving mulled wine and you'll know instantly as it saturates your sense of smell and warms you up as it fills your belly. Since pre-history we have found ways to drink fermented beverages and we owe thanks to the Greeks and the Romans for s...

Goose - the squatted, more flavourful, dark meat alternative to their dry, white-melted fowl cousin the turkey. The custom and popularity of eating a goose during autumnal and winter harvest and holidays stretches from when they were domesticated by the Egyptians over 4000 years ago. This episode looks at traditions throughout the ages including the long-running Tavistock Goosey Fair, Michaelmas,...

It works sweet or savoury and can be oh-so overpowering if you let it. It's not my favourite spice and is one that I use sparingly so that it doesn't dominate a dish, but properly balanced, cinnamon brings warmth and depth of flavour to dishes all year round but particularly at Christmas. We'll look at its importance throughout the ancient world, how beneficial it is in terms of health and how it...

These small, round, bright-red berries are more tart than sweet which makes them a perfect accompaniment to roast meat and dinners bringing a nice bright dash of Christmas red to ones plate. This week we look at how these North American fruits have become part of Christmas, gained status as a superfood and the many ways they can be enjoyed throughout the holidays and year-round. Save

When I was little I was sure that someone with magical powers had shrunk cabbages into bite size portions. If you don't think they taste delicious, you're probably cooking them wrong! And if you're just eating them at Christmas…well lots of people do but they deserve a place at the table beyond the Christmas holidays and sprouts are a £650,000,000 business with loads of varieties to try and invent...

Mincemeat and mince pies are markers of Christmas. Mincemeat is the filling baked inside pies and they originally contained dried fruit, spices, vinegar and meat when they first appeared in the 15th century. There's the old wives' tale that you should eat a mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas for good luck in the upcoming year...if I eat two per day will it bring me double the good luck...

This week I sat down with Tim Parker the Web Developer, Designer, DJ and host of the NTS radio programme You'll Soon Know. We discussed food and music memories, travel, design and how we approach and share all of the above. Before my chat with Tim I look at the history of plates from our pre-history days as humans and their quick evolution from functional pieces to decorative, artistic and even sp...

Figs are one of the earliest if not our earliest cultivated plant.  Their reverence surely stems from their historic connection to our own agricultural journey and they are a symbol of abundance and important to ancient peoples, cultures, art, cookery and religions. They are symbols of fertility, wealth, youth and the brevity of life. This episode will look at the Greek etymology behind 'sycophanc...

They occur all over the world in some shape or form - you might know them as ravioli, empanada, gyoza, fufu, piroges, tortellini - pastries filled with savoury meat and/or vegetables or even sweet versions filled with fruit. They can be steamed, boiled, broiled, baked or fried. This episode will focus on the Chinese dumpling, and look at how this ancient food is the epitome of a food so steeped in...

Grapes are one of the first plants to be grown domestically by people and their cultivation cycle has been embedded deep within us. One only needs to look at the symbolic, religious and cultural importance of grapes to get a small fathoming of what they must have meant to the early peoples who first fermented them to what they mean across the world today. Since Ancient Greece artists have used gra...

Show Notes: 0-2.30 - Episode Intro 2.30-7.30 - Ice cream, history and design 7.30-10.15 - Picasso, Axell, Burman - artists and ice cream depiction 10.15 - 57 - Tara Esperanza of T.O.I.C. interview 57-59 - episode closing comments This week it's ice cream! Listen above to hear how, why and when ice cream became the world-wide popular dish that it is is. Everyone has their own memories and preferenc...

This week I'll be looking at pancakes and chatting to Aimee Furnival, Founder and Director of Another Studio. Aimee and I made pancakes together, something we have done countless times. Pancakes are the popular breakfast food that are generally enjoyed on the weekend, at brunch or special occasions. It's always a special occasion to spend time with Aimee who is a truly wonderful friend and a creat...

Diana Pinkett of Vegan Peasant Catering and I discuss how canapes, travelling, family and life have impacted on her everyday life and that of her and her partner Adrian Smith's 100% plant based catering company. Join us for that as well as a little exploration in to canapes and their evolution from ancient times to today. Where did they come from? How did they get their name? And how are they repr...

Come and join me on a little cherry adventure! Throughout the ages cherries have been symbolic of life, love, rebirth, fertility, reproduction and sexuality. I was joined by visual artist, street photographer and dear friend Mike Wolff to discuss his work, creative inspirations and to reminisce about the Black Forest, Black Forest Cake and more.

I sat down with Emilio de la Morena to chat about quince, the fruit from antiquity resembling a pear/apple hybrid which has inspired cooks, artists and lovers. Emilio is the Creative Director at Emilio de la Morena, a fashion brand that designs and manufactures luxury womenswear. The aim of the podcast is to explore how food, art, history and design intersect. Born in Spain, Emilio studied at Cent...

This podcast will look at food, history, art and design. How, why and where they intersect and the impact that they have had and have on our culture and experiences. Together we'll travel the world throughout time and space to uncover tales, facts, people and objects that have shaped our everyday lives in ways we may not have realised.