Show notes
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 neil@britishfoodhistory.com, 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
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