This post outlines how I make unhopped ale of the kind my female English ancestors did in their own kitchens until just a few hundred years ago. Because, yes, ale was women’s work. For most of history, the realm of … Read More
“Jannock is scarcely ever seen in south east Lancashire now; but it used to be highly esteemed. The common expression “That’s noan jannock” applied to anything which is not what it ought to be, and commemorates the fame of this … Read More
Many of the cereals we see on breakfast tables these days are ridiculously-processed. Ridiculously-processed is my term…‘extruded’ is the scientific term. Yes, some of the contents of the cereal packet may have started life as a grain but let me … Read More
The Weston A. Price Foundation published my article So Much More Than Scottish Porridge: The Rich Culinary History of British Oats in the Winter 2023 edition of their journal Wise Traditions. It is an exploratory dive into the wonderful legacy of … Read More
This post describes the health benefits of the ancestral technique of fermenting grains. It then explains that very few Scottish (and Welsh) traditional oat recipes included fermentation and yet the oat-eating communities enjoyed incredible health. It asks why this could … Read More
If I say the word beer, what do you think of? For me, it’s that men drink it, and it tastes bitter. Because of these two things, for most of my life I’ve thought beer wasn’t for me. Beer’s a … Read More
The Weston A. Price Foundation published my article Fact Or Fiction? Uncovering The Fats Of Italy’s Past in the Summer 2022 edition of their journal Wise Traditions. It was a deeper dive into my previous piece ‘The Myth of Olive … Read More
What ingredients do you associate with Italian cooking? If I ask you this question, I’m guessing a list starts forming in your mind. And I’d lay money on olive oil being close to the top. Italians have been cooking with … Read More
Honey from a Weed is a book from 1986 written by Patience Gray. It is a collection of recipes, techniques, and experiences gathered in the 1960s and 1970s in five communities around the Mediterranean. Gray describes the “Honey” in the … Read More