Sam Bilton
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Articles by Sam Bilton
To eat or not to eat: The food that shaped Shakespeare’s plays - and how to cook it today
There’s much ado about dinner (and supper for that matter too) in the plays of William Shakespeare (1564-1616). Lavishly expensive dinners; wedding breakfasts; funeral suppers; sheep-shearing feasts; al fresco meals; and even magical banquets that disappear before the guest can eat a morsel, grace his pages. Meal times are the perfect vehicle for conveying the plot. We witness the gradual unravelling of Macbeth when he sees the ghost of Banquo at the banquet.
What is haggis? Here is the story behind Scotland's national dish
I Tried the Viral Scottish Morning Trend. Here's How I Felt Afterwards. Hurkle-durkle isn't about being "lazy." It's to remind us to be grateful and live in the moment. As a health writer, I try to stay informed about the …
What is haggis? Here is the story behind Scotland's national dish Original
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). A quintessentially Scottish dish, haggis is a savoury, offal-based pudding, described as a ‘super sausage’ by food historian F. Marian McNeill, inThe Scots Kitchen (1929). It forms the centrepiece of Burns Night suppers, held on or around 25 January to commemorate the Scottish national poet Robert Burns.
How beef wellington became a British classic Original
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). In 1839, Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, hosted a sumptuous supper to commemorate his victory over Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815, an annual tradition he’d started in 1820. A surviving menu from this banquet shows that his guests tucked into a lavish multi-course feast, but there’s one glaring omission: the dish to which to the duke lends his name, beef wellington.
Why yule log has become a Christmas favourite
Initially a genuine piece of wood burned over the joyful duration, the yule log has actually existed in cake kind given that the 19th century. Picture by Hannah Hughes Please be considerate of copyright. Unapproved usage is forbidden. Travel Understood as a bûche de Noël, this joyful favourite was motivated by a centuries-old Christmas custom and popularised by the pâtissiers of Paris.
Gorgeous gifts
BOOKS A good book packs power. A good book thoughtfully chosen as a gift can add a layer of joy. The holidays are a great time to track down just the right coffee-table reads for loved ones. There's a wide array this time of year.
Pop art to ballet, reach for a coffee-table read when choosing holiday gifts
A good book packs power. A good book thoughtfully chosen as a gift can add a layer of joy. The holidays are a great time to track down just the right coffee-table reads for loved ones. There's a wide array this time of year. Some options: "The Christmas Book": By Phaidon editors, with essays by David Trigg, Sam Bilton and Dolph Gotelli. The holiday, in festive cultural imagery. This is a jolly look at Christmas via design and artifacts.
Ingredient spotlight: Wild garlic
Eating & drinking | Recipes | Food waste James Evans 13th April 2022 Wild garlic is one of the most recognisable and widely foraged vegetables in the UK. Its unmistakeable entrance into the season is a welcome sign that spring is tantalisingly close, and the dark, miserable winter days are behind us for good – at least for another eight months. Provenance and history Wild garlic (Allium ursinum) is also known as ramsons, wild cowleek, cowlic or wood garlic.
How seasonality went from way of life to watchword
Farming | Eating & drinking Sam Bilton 14th April 2022 "Good things that are out of season are but a ghost of their true selves,” mused author Ambrose Heath in the introduction to his 1932 cookbook Good Food, a month by month account of what’s good to eat. When Heath wrote these words, affluent Britons were already on board with being able to buy unseasonal foods even if it was for novelty’s sake. Today we have so much choice it is hard to know exactly what is genuinely in season.
Deconstructing Christmas pudding: secrets of a seasonal staple
In the ensuing decades, the porridgey version eventually yielded to the more solid incarnation we recognise today, with recipes for plum pudding starting to appear in cookery books in the early 18th century. Although animal intestines and stomachs had been used to encase puddings (like haggis) for some time, it was a cloth that revolutionised the way puddings were cooked.
A history of the Christmas Pudding
What would Christmas dinner be without a Christmas pudding? As Stir Up Sunday (the day that you’re traditionally supposed to make your pud) approaches, Sam Bilton looks at the origins of the Christmas pudding. She’s also found some historical recipes to try at home, including medieval figgy pudding and a classic Victorian Christmas pudding recipe – straight from Queen Victoria’s chef.
To Mature or Not To Mature? (Part 1)
‘The longer the dough standsthe better will be the resultant gingerbread. In the old days it was always a rule to put away the gingerbread sponges early in the spring, and then it would be in prime condition for use about September; but at the present time it would, most probably be deemed ripe in from one to three months.
The Origins of the Wedding Cake
The wedding cake is an essential part of most English nuptial feasts, but it has had many different guises over the centuries. The earliest examples, including the ‘bride pye’, were rather less sweet and often included some gruesome surprises. With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle about to tie the knot, food historian Sam Bilton explores the origins of this symbolic wedding day treat. During the 16th and 17th centuries was ‘bride pies’ rather than cakes that were most popular at wedding feasts.
A berry old tradition: the history of English strawberries - English Heritage Blog
Summer wouldn’t be the same without a bowl of strawberries drizzled with cold cream. So quintessentially British is the treat that a whopping 140,000 portions are served up every year at Wimbledon. The tennis tradition links back to the innovative Victorians, with the history of the nation’s taste for strawberries dating even earlier. But how much do we know about the origins of the English strawberry and how long has it been connected with the most famous tennis tournament in the world?
Could you be a Butler? - English Heritage Blog
Butlers were key members of Victorian households, often dedicating their lives to the service of their masters. Do you think you’re up to the task of leading a Victorian staff? Here are some things you should know before you undertake the role. A successful butler will have a dignified and modest disposition with an eye for perfection. You should always be smartly turned out, although often it is advisable to wear slightly mismatched trousers and coats to avoid being mistaken for a gentleman.
Why do we have Easter eggs?
Easter is the most important date in the Christian calendar. Every year, Christians around the world remember Jesus’ crucifixion and celebrate his resurrection three days later. But how did the egg come to represent Easter? We take a look at some of the theories, explore the traditions that have come and gone over the centuries, and show you how to make your own traditional Easter Egg. Throughout history, people across the world have given each other eggs at spring festivals to mark the seasons.
Why do we have pancakes for Shrove Tuesday? - English Heritage Blog
As Pancake Day or ‘Shrove Tuesday’ approaches, Sam Bilton explores where the tradition comes from. She’s also found a recipe for a kind of pancake pie – the ultimate Shrove Tuesday treat – for you to try at home. In Christian traditions, the 40 days before Easter are known as Lent, and they mark the time that Jesus spent fasting in the desert. Traditionally, Christians would mark the period with prayers and fasting, abstaining from foods including meat, eggs, fish, fats and milk.
How did Queen Victoria and Prince Albert popularise Christmas? - English Heritage Blog
One of the main reasons the Victorians fell in love with Christmas was because of the way the Royal family celebrated it. Sam Bilton investigates the festive feasts and other Christmas traditions. Queen Victoria had grown up with the tradition of decorating a tree at Christmas time. The custom had been introduced to the English court by her Hanoverian ancestors and was continued by her German mother. However, it was the queen’s husband, Prince Albert, who truly relished this ritual.
Stir Up Sunday: a history of the Christmas pudding
What would Christmas dinner be without a Christmas pudding? As Stir Up Sunday (the day that you’re traditionally supposed to make your pud) approaches, Sam Bilton looks at the origins of the Christmas pudding. She’s also found some historical recipes to try at home, including medieval figgy pudding and a classic Victorian Christmas pudding recipe – straight from Queen Victoria’s chef. A thoroughly Victorian invention?
A Brief History Of Curry in England: A Dish Fit For A Queen - English Heritage Blog
Curry was almost as popular in the Victorian era as it is today thanks to Queen Victoria’s penchant for this spicy dish. Food blogger Sam Bilton investigates the origins of this classic Indian dish. Britain has had a foothold in India since 1600 thanks to the East India Company. Long term British residents in India became known as Anglo-Indians. As stories of the exotic food eaten by the Anglo-Indians filtered back home so the interest in Eastern culture grew, particularly during the 19th century.
How to do afternoon tea like the Victorians - English Heritage Blog
Tiny cakes and sandwiches, freshly baked scones, buttered toast and a pot of tea – what could be more English? But how, when and why did the ritual of afternoon tea evolve – and how can we recreate it today? Food blogger Sam Bilton explores the institution that is afternoon tea. Tea became the nation’s beverage during Queen Victoria’s reign.
Meat to sweet: A history of the mince pie
Today there’s nothing remotely savoury about the mince pie. But this wasn’t always the case. Like so many dishes, the mince pie has evolved over the centuries. We recognise them as the quintessential Christmas confection, packed with citrussy dried fruit plumped with brandy, spiked with spices and wrapped in crumbly pastry. However, long before Nigella introduced salted caramel to the nation, the English had a fascination for combining the sweet with the savoury.
Festive Food & Drink Book Round Up
Christmas is galloping up to greet us and with it will the inevitable gamut of food and drink books. The big hitters like Jamie and Nigella will undoubtedly top the cookbook sales this year but sometimes it’s nice to think outside the box (or book…) and perhaps consider an unfamiliar but equally fascinating or delicious author. Here are a few books that have caught my eye recently. For those fond of a tipple or two….
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