If afternoon tea is ‘not your cup of tea’ (although I guess you would not be on this site if it wasn’t), I also offer a selection of other popular food and drink related topics. All have been previously given to very appreciative audiences. All talks are richly illustrated and approx 45 minutes plus Q&A.
All talks are the same price. Please contact me for prices, which are according to size of organization or event. Nothing scary!
The French Revolution and the surprising birth of French restaurants
It is reasonable to assume that France has had a long culture of restaurants. In fact, fine dining in restaurants only started in the aftermath, and as a direct result of, the French Revolution of the late 18th century. As a passionate foodie, I will explain the foundations of dining out (for the poor as well as the wealthy) and will introduce you to some of France’s most renowned chefs de cuisine over the ensuing two centuries.
Café Society – The social history and culture of coffee drinking
The coffee bean, which is actually dried from a fruit, was accidentally discovered by a poor goat herder in 9th century Ethiopia. It went on to change the destiny of coffee producing and imbibing countries. I look at coffee houses and their importance in medieval Asian, then European, societies, and subsequently the New World. I show examples of fine antique coffeeware. I discuss how social coffee drinking underwent a later 20th century slump, followed by a huge revival in the 1980s, due to a radical new approach to high street coffee shops.
Mediterranean food – how it changed British dining
In the middle of the 20th century the British adopted a curiosity about new cuisines both in their own kitchens and eating out, through cookery writers and restaurateurs who dramatically changed the face of the British home and restaurant scene. I describe the impact on the post war British diet of Mediterranean flavours and ingredients, as well as the history of immigration to Britain from the relevant Mediterranean countries and the development of British tourism to those countries.
A bittersweet love – The history, culture and economics of sugar
This talk covers how the global love of, and indeed addiction to, sugar arose and its importance in world history, including in the international slave trade. I explore the economic and political impact of the sugar trade on Europe and the Americas, and key milestones in the introduction of desserts, confectionery and tea time treats.