A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink

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,

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 puddin

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

BONUS EPISODE: Natural Cider with Tom and Lydia of Artistraw Cider

As promised in the last episode of A is for Apple, here is the full interview with Tom Tibbits and Lydia Crimp of Artistraw Cidery and Orchard in Herefordshire. Lydia an

S3E5 C is for Caudle, Cider & Cappuccino

Drink is the theme for this episode! Sam explores the (reputedly) perfect beverage to drink while giving birth. Neil chats to Tom and Lydia from Artistraw who make natura

S3E4 C is for Caraway, Curry & Cinnamon

C is for Caraway, Curry & CinnamonIn this episode of A is for Apple, we turn to aromatics and ask what these ingredients carry with them beyond flavour. From the binding

S3E3 C is for Cod, Cockles & Caviar

Things get wet and wild in this episode as the team explore fish and seafood. Allie explores the world of caviar, bumps and all. Sam introduces the gang to cockle bread a

S3E2 C is for Cradock, Cook & Castelvetro

Today’s theme is PEOPLE! Allie, Neil and Sam bring some guests with them to this episode (metaphorically speaking). One is renowned for her flamboyancy; another is an avi

S3E1 C is for Carbonado, Carrot & Cabinet Pudding

Sam Bilton Allie Pino and Neil Buttery are back with a brand new season exploring the culinary alphabet. This time it’s the letter ‘C’. In the first episode of this seaso

S2E7 B is for Boiling, Bayleaf & Bloody Mary

Welcome to Episode 7 of Season B. This is a Listener’s Choice ep, and things get hot, messy and monstrous as Sam, Neil and Alessandra look at Boiling, Bloody Mary and bay

BONUS EPISODE: Brains and the BSE Crisis

Welcome to this bonus episode of A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink. Last episode the theme was Meat, and as usual, the three of us nattered away for a bi

S2E6 B is for Beef Wellington, Brains & Bovril

Welcome to Episode 6 of Season B. The theme is ‘Meat’ and Sam, Neil and Alessandra get beefy with three choice nuggets of fleshy goodness, looking at Beef Wellington, Bra

BONUS EPISODE: Stichelton Cheese with Joe Schneider

Welcome to this bonus episode of A is for Apple: An Encyclopaedia of Food & Drink. Last episode had the blue theme, and Neil chose to look at blue cheese, in particular

S2E5 B is for Blue Cheese, Blue Corn & Borage

In Episode 5 the intrepid team enter their blue period. Neil finds out how a unique blue cheese was resurrected from obscurity thanks to some mouldy leather. Allie explor

BONUS EPISODE: Barbecue like an ancient Greek with Thomas Ntinas

Check out Thom's podcast The Delicious Legacy here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-delicious-legacy/id1494707127 Watch Thom smoke pork and mutton over a cha

BONUS EPISODE: Barbacoa with chef Edson Diaz Fuentes

In this bonus episode, Allie explores the rich tradition of barbacoa from  Chef Edson Diaz-Fuentes' hometown, diving into its regional variations and the traditional pit-

S2 E4: B is for Bakestone, Béchamel and Barbecue

Cooking is essentially a series of techniques. In Episode 4 Neil, Sam and Allie explore an ancient form of hearth cookery; find out why being called Béchamel could merit

BONUS EPISODE: Bagels

In this bonus episode of A is for Apple, Allie looks into the unexpected Britishness of bagels, their nostalgic ties to celebrations, and even their royal connections. I

S2E3 B is for Baked Beans, Bath Buns & Bagels

In this episode of Season B, Sam, Neil and Ally focus on the world of baking. Sam cooks up some delicious (or not) baked beans, Neil considers the Bath bun and Ally dives

BONUS EPISODE: The Upper Servants

Welcome to a special extra tidbit excised from the previous episode where Ally, Sam and Neil talked about butteries. We ended up going off on one about the upper servants