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 explores the significance of blue corn to the Hopi in Arizona. And Sam explains why a blue flower was believed to lift the spirits (and also looks great in a glass of Pimms).

Blue Cheese

• Stichelton Dairy
• Neal’s Yard Dairy
• Eau de Stilton
• Harold McGee, On Food & Cooking (1984)
• Val Cheke, The Story of Cheese-Making in Britain (1959)

Blue Corn

• Flour: A Comprehensive Guide by Christine McFadden, 2018
• Hopi Culture - https://itcaonline.com/member-tribes/hopi-tribe/
• The Corn Maiden in Hopi Tradition: https://blog.kachinahouse.com/the-corn-maiden-unveiling-the-harvest-and-fertility-symbolism-among-the-hopi/

Borage

• ‘Borage – A Star Of Nature’ on Stories From The Museum Floor , 25 August 2017
• Robert Tyas, The sentiment of flowers; or, Language of flora (1841)
• John Gerard, The Herbal, or a Generall historie of plantes (1636)
• Pliny, Natural Histories VII
• Anon, A Proper New Booke of Cookery (1575)

You can follow the A is for Apple Podcast on Instagram and Bluesky

Sam Bilton also hosts the Comfortably Hungry Podcast and is the author of First Catch Your Gingerbread, Fool’s Gold: A History of British Saffron and The Philosophy of Chocolate. You can find her on

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 charcoal fire like an ancient Greek:

https://youtu.be/u7JN1pl_JVs?si=k-j6dZGYVne_0zUa

The Odyssey by Homer:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1727/1727-h/1727-h.htm

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-cooking techniques that define its deep, smoky flavours. They also discuss his journey through London’s dynamic food scene and how his three restaurants bring the heart of Mexican cuisine to the city.Ciudad de México: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Mexico City by Edson Diaz Fuentes (2021)

Useful Links

• Ciudad de México: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Mexico City by Edson Diaz Fuentes (2021)
• Edson and Natalie Feary have three restaurants in London- find out more here: https://www.santoremedio.co.uk/

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 a kick in the posterior and get sizzling on the barbie. (No cakes or dolls were harmed in the making of this podcast 😉).

Useful Links

Neil’s recipes:

• https://britishfoodhistory.com/2012/02/21/pancake-day/
• https://britishfoodhistory.com/2020/12/03/to-make-crumpets/
• https://britishfoodhistory.com/2024/10/29/singin-hinnies/
• https://neilcooksgrigson.com/2015/07/13/411-brains-with-curry-and-grape-sauce/
• Delicious Legacy Podcast- A Short History of Barbecue
• Motherland Pig Episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07rsphm
• The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover - Peter Greenaway (1989)
• Goodfellas BBQ Scene
• Saint Lawrence Patron Saint of Cooks
• First Catch Your Gingerbread - Sam Bilton (2020) Perkins recipe
• Mark Meltonville - https://www.meltonville.uk/
• The Culinary Triangle Claude Lévi-Strauss (1966)
• Sumario de la historia general de las indias - Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés (1526)
• A New Voyage Round the World - William Dampier(1697)
• Dictionary of the English Language - Samuel Johnson (1755)

Suggested Reading

• French cookery: comprising L'art de la cuisine francaise, Le patissier royal, Le cuisinier parisien - Marie Antoine Carême (1836 edition)
• Kettner’s Book of Table - E. S. Dallas (1877)
• English Bread and Yeast Cookery - Elizabeth David (1977)
• A Book of Bakestone Cookery - Bobby Freeman (1984)
• The Scots Kitchen: It’s Lore and Recipes - F Marian McNeill (1929)
• Cooked - Michael Pollan (2013)
• The Saucier’s Apprentice - Raymond Sokolov...

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.

In this episode:

• Discover how bagels earned a place in Good Housekeeping's 2024 best street party food list
• Learn about bagels' links to Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee and William and Kate's visit to Brick Lane's famous Beigel Bake
• Explore inventive modern bagel fillings, from peanut butter and strawberries to chicken katsu
• Hear from Debs Rinkoff of the iconic Rinkoff Bakery, who reveals their all-time best-selling bagel fillings - salmon and cream cheese, and salt beef with gherkins and mustard - and shares her thoughts on bagels' growing popularity

Please note: This episode was recorded on location at Rinkoff Bakery, so the audio may be less polished than usual, but the insights (and bagel talk) are well worth it.

We’d love to hear from you. Connect with us at:

Twitter: @aisforapplepod

Instagram: @aisforapplepod_

Email: aisforapplepod@gmail.com

BlueSky: @aisforapplepod

Enjoy this tasty bonus bite of food history!

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 into bagel culture.

Useful links, references and things mentioned in the episode:

Baked Beans

Beans: A History by Ken Albala (2007)

The Frugal Housewife by Lydia Maria Child (1829)

The Boston Cooking-School Cookbook by Fannie Merrit Farmer (1896) - (this is a link to the 1910 version)

The Truth about Baked Beans by Megan Muckenhoupt (2015)

America’s Founding Food: The Story of New England Cooking by Keith Stavely & Kathleen Fitzgerald (2004)

A shilling cookery for the people : embracing an entirely new system of plain cookery and domestic economy by Alexis Soyer (1854)

Britain’s obsession with baked beans

What’s For Tea, Mum? Beanz Meanz The Who!

Martha Stewart’s Boston Baked Beans

Bath Buns

English Bread & Yeast Cookery by Elizabeth David (1977)

English Food by Jane Grigson (3rd edition, 1992)

The Taste of Britain by Laura Mason and Catherine Brown (1999)

Neil’s recipe for seed cake

Neil’s recipe for wigs

Cobb’s Bath Buns recipe on Neil Cooks Grigson

The Bath Bun Teashoppe

Bagels

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/g43212153/street-party-food-ideas-recipes/

https://www.vice.com/en/article/these-black-bagels-are-the-anti-rainbow-bagel/

The Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread by Maria Balinska

https://fairmountbagel.com/bagels-in-space/

Prince William and Kate Make Bagels in East London: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhhDQeLWMfY

https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2014/06/17/curious-history-bagel/

In this episode, we explore food places beginning with 'B.' Neil uncovers the buttery—not the hearty Scottish roll, but the traditional place where wine is stored. Allie dives into the origins and charm of the bistro, with its revolutionary roots where food and culture come together in cosy, intimate spaces. Meanwhile, Sam unwraps the story of Bourneville, where chocolate and community collide.

Useful links and things mentioned in the episode

• Good Food by Ambrose Heath (1932)
• What the butler saw : two hundred and fifty years of the servant problem by E. S. Turner (2001)
• Cooking & Dining in Tudor & Early Stuart England by Peter Brears (2015)
• Cooking & Dining in Medieval England by Peter Brears (2012)
• What’s in a Name?: Buttery by Neil Buttery (2016) British Food: A History blog
• The Invention of the Restaurant: Paris and Modern Gastronomic Culture by Rebecca L Spang (2000)
• A Bite Sized History of France: Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War and Enlightenment by Stéphane Henaut and Jeni Mittchell (2018)
• The Bistro: French Food and the Culture of Place by Bertrand Auboyneau and François Simon (2018)
• French Provincial Cooking by Elizabeth David (1960)
• What is Olla Podrida?
• A Siege of Paris ‘Menu’
• Cadbury World
• Bournville Village Trust
• Bournville Village Heritage Tour
• A Brief History of Birmingham
• You can visit some examples of the city's Back-to-Backs run by the