About A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink
A is for Apple is an encyclopaedia of food and drink that takes a deep dive into food and drink culture letter by letter.
Written and presented by Sam Bilton, Neil Buttery and Alessandra Pino.
Bonus minisode: Serve it Forth Food History Festival 2026
Hello and welcome to a little bonus minisode all about this year’s Serve it Forth Food History Festival 2026, which is online and on Saturday 17 October 2026.
The team, made up of the A is for Apple crew - Sam Bilton, Alessandra Pino and Neil Buttery - plus The Delicious Legacy's Thomas Ntinas, go through the day’s sessions to whet your appetite before the big day.
This episode also includes an interview by Sam Bilton with Kevin Booth of English Heritage ahead of her session on the Bayeux Tapestry, all about the skeleton and facial reconstruction of Conquest Man.
We can’t wait to see you there!
Serve it Forth website: https://serveitforthfest.wixsite.com/info (https://serveitforthfest.wixsite.com/info)
The Bill of Fare: https://serveitforthfest.wixsite.com/info/bill-of-fare (https://serveitforthfest.wixsite.com/info/bill-of-fare)
Serve it Forth Tickets (£12 + booking fee): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/serve-it-forth-food-history-festival-2026-tickets-1992224789976?aff=oddtdtcreator (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/serve-it-forth-food-history-festival-2026-tickets-1992224789976?aff=oddtdtcreator)
More on Conquest Man: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/search-news/310826-conquest-man/ (https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/search-news/310826-conquest-man/)
16 Jun 2026
S3E7: C is for Custard, Chancellor's Buttocks and Crumpets
It’s a Listener Choice special as the team tackle three very different culinary favourites. Sam champions custard in all its forms, from medieval recipes to modern puddings. Allie investigates the mischievous history of Sicily’s “Chancellor’s Buttocks” pastry. And Neil celebrates the crumpet, exploring the history of those hole-filled griddle cakes that have become a staple of the British tea table.
Sources/ Useful links
Custard
There’s a very good overview of custard by Neil on the (https://britishfoodhistory.com/2012/02/18/custard/)British Food History Podcast (https://britishfoodhistory.com/2012/02/18/custard/) website along with a (https://britishfoodhistory.com/2012/03/02/proper-custard/)recipe (https://britishfoodhistory.com/2012/03/02/proper-custard/) for proper custard.
The history of (https://www.birdscustard.co.uk/our-story/)Birds Custard (https://www.birdscustard.co.uk/our-story/)
How to make pastry cream (https://www.seriouseats.com/vanilla-pastry-cream-creme-patissiere) (Crème pâtissière)
Two Fifteenth Century Cookbooks (https://ia802907.us.archive.org/32/items/twofifteenthcent00austuoft/twofifteenthcent00austuoft.pdf) by Thomas Austin (1888)
Cooking and Dining in Medieval England (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16372/9781903018873) by Peter Brears (2012)
Dumas on Food (https://archive.org/details/dumasonfoodselec0000duma) (Translated by Alan and Jane Davidson) by Alexandre Dumas (1979)
A Room of One’s Own (http://www.apple.com/uk) by Virginia Woolf (1935)
The Tale of the Custard Dragon (https://nvseng10.weebly.com/uploads/2/4/6/8/24686000/10._the_tale_of_custard.pdf) by Ogden Nash (1936) - a cute poem about a cowardly dragon called custard.
Laurel and Hardy - The Battle of the Century (https://youtu.be/aHY5SM0YFv0?si=tq3QklpG1l_3gwJ3) (1927) - The Pie Fight
Dr Who ‘Fish Fingers and Custard’ on (https://youtu.be/Oo2RKAHu-kI?si=yj37h2cc16Mm1O6O)YouTube (https://youtu.be/Oo2RKAHu-kI?si=yj37h2cc16Mm1O6O)
Rhubarb and Custard (the 1970s cartoon) on (https://youtu.be/9RSaqZR9Ajk?si=gtWUPFlh3X0YqrUb)YouTube (https://youtu.be/9RSaqZR9Ajk?si=gtWUPFlh3X0YqrUb)
Custard Pie (https://youtu.be/kPjDqylUUpQ?si=9fZ4P3UEbo-8SKpK) song by Led Zeppelin
Byron’s letters, including references to custard and other food-related observations, can be accessed via Peter Cochran’s edition of Byron’s Correspondence (https://petercochran.wordpress.com/byron-2/byron/).
Allie’s talk on Byron and baked rosewater custards, hosted with Sam Hirst, is available here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AQCFf1drzY).
Chancellor’s Buttocks
Simeti, M.T. (1989) Pomp and Sustenance: Twenty-Five Centuries of Sicilian Food (https://share.google/YtYeCOlYvp8bvkhqJ). (https://share.google/YtYeCOlYvp8bvkhqJ)
"Palermo's Secret Dessert Scene" ( (https://www.saveur.com/story/sponsored-post/palermos-secret-dessert-scene/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)Saveur (https://www.saveur.com/story/sponsored-post/palermos-secret-dessert-scene/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) – an introduction to Palermo's historic pastry culture, including (https://www.saveur.com/story/sponsored-post/palermos-secret-dessert-scene/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)fedde del cancelliere (https://www.saveur.com/story/sponsored-post/palermos-secret-dessert-scene/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) (Chancellor's Buttocks). (https://www.saveur.com/story/sponsored-post/palermos-secret-dessert-scene/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Cavalli, Rita, “Fedde del monastero, il dolce delle monache di Palermo che si prendevano gioco del fondoschiena del Primo Ministro”, FIRSTonline (17 February 2024): FIRSTonline article on the Fedde del Cancelliere and Palermo's convent confectionery traditions (https://www.firstonline.info/fedde-del-monastero-il-dolce-delle-monache-di-palermo-che-si-prendevano-gioco-del-fondoschiena-del-primo-ministro/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Crumpets
Neil’s crumpets recipe from (https://britishfoodhistory.com/2020/12/03/to-make-crumpets/)British Food: A History (https://britishfoodhistory.com/2020/12/03/to-make-crumpets/)
Neil’s muffins recipe with table of crumpet-muffin recipes showing the fluidity between the two (https://britishfoodhistory.com/2020/12/08/to-make-muffins/)
Knead to Know: A History of Baking (https://hodmedods.co.uk/products/knead-to-know?srsltid=AfmBOoq1bmj405T6QoDzZ-O9QkcAc8q5csSc0AFOhd4rr6xD6as3x9ZC)by Neil Buttery (2024) (https://hodmedods.co.uk/products/knead-to-know?srsltid=AfmBOoq1bmj405T6QoDzZ-O9QkcAc8q5csSc0AFOhd4rr6xD6as3x9ZC)
English Bread & Yeast Cookery (https://britishfoodhistory.com/2022/11/17/favourite-cook-books-no-5-english-bread-yeast-cookery-by-elizabeth-david/) by Elizabeth David (1977) (https://britishfoodhistory.com/2022/11/17/favourite-cook-books-no-5-english-bread-yeast-cookery-by-elizabeth-david/)
The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy (https://archive.org/details/TheArtOfCookery) by Hannah Glasse (1747) (https://archive.org/details/TheArtOfCookery)
Crumpets with Potted Shrimps on Foodism (https://foodism.co.uk/recipes/make-cornerstone-potted-shrimp-crumpets/)
Want to make the dripping crumpets of Rebecca? Pre-order Allie's A Gothic Cookbook (https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781837052295?sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=247385&awc=3787_1781213236_9e786b108b1dbfe08a7ebb645e3c556a&utm_source=247385&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehistorypress.co.uk), out this October, published by The History Press.
Don’t forget Allie will be exploring food and feasting in the works of the Brontë sisters and other classic gothic writers at an in-person event at the Brontë Parsonage Museum (https://www.bronte.org.uk/events/a-gothic-feast) on 18 July 2026.
Allie will also be presenting an online talk on Gothic feasts (https://www.morbidanatomy.org/events/2026/10/26/ugus4lu1esf9hpgbvwwf58zjaj9src)with Morbid Anatomy on 26 October 2026.
Join Sam, Neil and Allie in person for a live recording of A is for Apple at Ludlow Food Festival (https://www.ludlowfoodfestival.co.uk/)on 11 September 2026.
Allie will be appearing at the Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival (https://www.burylitfest.co.uk/) on 11 October 2026, where she will be in conversation with author Kate Young.
The Serve It Forth Food History Festival (https://serveitforthfest.wixsite.com/info)returns online on 18 October 2026. Keep an eye on social media for further announcements.
This is the final episode of Season C of A is for Apple. Thank you to everyone who listened, shared episodes, and sent in suggestions for our Listener Choice special.
We look forward to welcoming you back for Season D. Until then, happy cooking, happy reading, and thank you for joining us on this alphabetical adventure through food and drink culture.
1 Jun 2026
S3E6: C is for Cabbage, Celery and Cauliflower
The team return to the theme of vegetables for this episode. Neil champions the much maligned cabbage which he calls the ‘dog of vegetables’. Sam expresses her beef with celery and why it needs a lot of help from its friends to make it more palatable. And Allie delves into the anthropomorphic qualities of cauliflower.
Sources/Useful Links
Cabbage
Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book (https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Niewe_Herball_or_historie_of_plantes_F/t5pkAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0) (1978)
A Nievve Herbale, or Historie of Plantes (https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Niewe_Herball_or_historie_of_plantes_F/t5pkAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0) by Dodoens (translated by Henry Lyte; 1578)
Regula Ysewijn’s Cabbage Pudding on CKBK (https://app.ckbk.com/recipe/prid67377c01s002r009/18-century-cabbage-pudding)
Celery
‘Herbs in History: Celery’ (https://www.ahpa.org/herbs_in_history_celery) on the American Herbal Products Association
Apiaceae (https://www.britannica.com/plant/Apiaceae) description on Britannica
How to Grow Celery (https://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/celery/grow-your-own) by RHS
‘Ancient Greek Funerals Were Decked Out in Celery (https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/history-of-funeral-wreaths)’ on Atlas Obscura
Cauliflower
The People of 1381 (https://www.1381.online/)The website of an innovative new research project set to produce the most comprehensive interpretation of the Peasants’ Revolt to date.
Opera dell’arte del cucinare. (https://archive.org/details/operavenetiascap00scap) Bartolomeo Scappi (1570)
The Art Of Cookery (https://archive.org/details/TheArtOfCookery)Hannah Glasse (1747)
A Cauliflower in Her Hair (https://www.scribd.com/document/325364070/A-Cauliflower-in-Her-Hair) (1944) by Shirley Jackson
Mark Twain on cauliflower in The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/102/102-h/102-h.htm) (1894)
Roasted cauliflower steaks BBC Goodfood recipe (https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cauliflower-steaks-roasted-red-pepper-olive-salsa)
Don’t forget…
Sam will be discussing food in Shakespeare with Will Tosh, Sheila T Cavanagh and the actor Sir Simon Russell Beale at the British Library (https://events.bl.uk/events/much-ado-about-cooking) on Saturday, 13 June 2026.
Allie will be digging into food themes and motifs in a series of classic and contemporary gothic novels from the 19th century to the present day at the Brontë Parsonage Museum (https://www.bronte.org.uk/events/a-gothic-feast) on 18 July 2026.
Coming up next is our Listener’s Choice episode. Which culinary C’s did we miss?
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Spotify
4.8 / 5
10 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
34
Social presence
94
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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