A History of Pies and Pudding

Food historian Neil Buttery (author of The Philosophy of Puddings and Knead to Know: A History of Baking) explores the history of some of our most beloved British foods: pies and puddings, from their origins on the top tables in medieval meals to the present day, where they are beloved by many (and treated with suspicion by some).

In the Middle Ages, Britain used to have a great tradition of baking huge pies – called coffyns and pasties – filled with whole joints of venison and wild boar. There were large luxurious mince pies too, filled with expensive exotics and plenty of meat, but these fancy pies all pale in comparison to the humongous and rather grotesque Yorkshire Christmas Pye of the Georgian era, filled with the bounties of the northern landowners sent by horse and carriage to their city friends.

The history of puddings is much more convoluted – the simple question of ‘what is a pudding?’ is a surprisingly difficult one to answer: black pudding, haggis, jam roly poly, steamed treacle sponge, trifle, ice cream – how can all of these be puddings? Then there is the added complication of any dessert or afters also called ‘pudding’. The pudding has gone through quite an evolution since its humble origins as a mixture of blood and fat boiled in intestines.

Neil will also present some of his research on regional foods: there’s a regional pudding associated with almost every region of England, why did such a proliferation of regional puddings occur and what does this tell us about the origins of some of our most beloved regional and national pies and puddings: Manchester pudding will, of course be represented, plus Yorkshire pudding (and the fact it’s not from Yorkshire), Cornish pasties (and the fact they’re not from Cornwall) and haggis (and the fact it’s not Scottish). Bombshells these may be – but they tell us much more about the social history of food and how foods become associated with particular places and quickly integrated into the cultural landscape of a region or country.

Refreshments (mulled wine, mince pies, tea, coffee and soft drinks) will be available for an additional cost. Please select the appropriate ticket type when making your booking.