iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Just 2 weeks before the @serveitforthfest.bsky.social so Allie & I visited a few of our sponsors last weekend.

Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Catch me and Kathryn Laverack of Cocoa Encounters at the Gloucester History Festival on Saturday. Click on link in bio for further details. #chocolate

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

It’s National Macaroni & Cheese Day! I had a chat with Karima Moyer-Nocchi about the history of this iconic pasta dish for a two part bonus issue. The book is fascinating and beautifully written. Part 1 covers the early history and how macaroni & cheese found its way to Britain. Part 2 out soon!

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

A treat for paid subscribers - Elizabeth Raffald’s pink pancakes with beetroot cured salmon using #droitwichsalt coastline mix containing natural brine salt, wild fennel, dulse and lemon verbena. Inspired by last week’s #comfortablyhungrypodcast episode ICYMI

Pink beetroot pancakes topped with creme fraiche and beetroot cured salmon and chives

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

NEW EPISODE ALERT Episode 12 focuses on the veneration of the rain god Chaak. I discuss this god’s importance to Mayan society and the role foods played in ceremonies to celebrate him with Dr Gabrielle Vail. Available now wherever you get your podcasts or via the link in the bio.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

NEW EPISODE ALERT! In the latest episode of the Comfortably Hungry podcast I explore the history of Britain’s watermills with Barry & Chris from Burton Mill in Sussex. Link in bio or wherever you get your podcasts. National Mills Weekend is 9-10 May 2026

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

In the latest episode of the podcast I chat to @nader_mehravari about how the Persians made ice in the desert. This episode was recorded way before the conflict across the Middle East erupted. My thoughts are with the civilians who are suffering the consequences. 😞 Video credit Pond5

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

The wild garlic is out in force so time to whip up an impromptu soup while I wait for the simnel cake to come out of the oven. The leaves of wild garlic are at their most pungent now before they flower (although the flowers are delicious in a salad). What’s your favourite wild garlic recipe?

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

In episode 7 I explore the remarkable life of Eliza James, in time for International Women’s Day 8 March Despite many challenges she rose to become one of the most successful business women London had ever seen earning her the title of The Watercress Queen. Episode available now - link in bio.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Bacon & watercress sandwich Top tip from Tom Amery of The Watercress Co who features in a forthcoming episode of the Comfortably Hungry podcast What’s you r favourite way to eat watercress? #watercress #baconsandwich #comfortablyhungrypodcast #mrsbilton #breakfast

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

It’s beginning to smell a lot like chocolate on this Valentine’s Day! I’m delighted to announce that my series of lectures for the great courses on the History of Chocolate are available now on Audible! #audible #greatcourses #chocolate #foodhistory @pastpreservers.bsky.social

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

The latest episode of the podcast explores the history of bog butter found in Ireland’s peat bogs. Some of these finds date back to the Bronze Age! Image courtesy of The National Museum of Ireland.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

On this Burns Night can I tempt you with a bowl of neeps & tatties soup with crispy haggis? Perhaps with a wedge of cheese & onion soda bread (more to follow on that in a future substack). I added a touch of fresh ginger to this soup which gives it a pleasing warmth. #burnsnight

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Steamed Coconut & Lime Marmalade Pudding I’m a bit of a sucker for a steamed pudding in the winter months, aren’t you? Last week’s podcast episode featuring the Lime Run on the Grand Union Canal inspired this recipe for the lovely paid subscribers to the Comfortably Hungry podcast. Link in bio

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

The latest episode of the Comfortably Hungry podcast is out now where I explore the history of ‘taking the waters’ and healing wells.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

I recently consulted @kitchenwitchjb to find what cheese could tell me about my past, present and future. It was a truly fascinating experience. Find out how @alessandrapino.bsky.social and I got on at the @serveitforthfest.bsky.social at A Christmas Feast of the Uncanny. Link in bio!

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

What are you serving with your Christmas pudding? Here’s a suggestion for you.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

I’ve created a couple of wild rice recipes for my paid subscribers. First up is a wild rice & roasted squash salad with dried cranberries & pecans which mirror the nuttiness of the rice. Then there’s a wild rice pudding inspired by an 1854 recipe by Catharine Parr Traill.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Do you like a spooky story at Christmas time? If so join me, @neilbuttery.bsky.social @alessandrapino.bsky.social & @deliciouslegacy.bsky.social at the next @serveitforthfest.bsky.social event for a Christmas Feast of the Uncanny on 11 December 2025

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

Let there be light! Once you’ve made your plum pudding it seems rude not to flambé it! If you didn’t make your pudding this weekend and would like the recipe for my Medlar Plum Pudding you can find it over on the NEW Comfortably Hungry YouTube channel (link in bio).

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

In this week’s podcast episode I look at some of the less well known foods mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays namely sack, medlars and Banbury cheese. Joining me are Victoria González-Gordon from Gonzalez Byass wines, Jane Steward of Eastgate larder and Ned Palmer of cheese tasting Co

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

It’s publication day! Much Ado About Cooking is finally here! #muchadoaboutcooking

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

In this instalment of the food & Shakespeare mini series I explore how food (or lack of it) is used to punish characters with Professor Sheila T Cavanagh. We discuss leeks, cannibalistic pies & the withholding of nourishment to help modify women’s behaviour. Link in bio.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Why were alliums & other veg so reviled in Shakespeare’s day? In this special episode of the Comfortably Hungry podcast I chat to Professor Diane Purkiss about what everyday folk ate. Don’t forget you can pre-order my new book Much Ado About Cooking now. Link to this episode is in the bio.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Coconut scones with courgette & lime marmalade ‘cos there’s always time for tea!

Coconut scones with courgette & lime marmalade

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

@serveitforthfest.bsky.social is a new online food history festival happening on Saturday 18 October 2025. Early bird tickets are now on sale with 25% off. Be there or be square! #serveitforthfest #foodhistory @deliciouslegacy.bsky.social @neilbuttery.bsky.social @alessandrapino.bsky.social

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Gooseberry Buckle Cake (courtesy of Sam Goldsmith & @goodfoodeveryday.bsky.social I did seriously consider making a fool but decided to go with this cake instead. The tangy gooseberries are sandwiched between vanilla scented sponge & an oaty crumble topping - genius!

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

In honour of this month’s bonus podcast episode I decided to make a Tomato Soup Cake from Lee Miller: A Life With Food, Friends and Recipes. Link in bio.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Fried rice ‘thing’ with roasted cauliflower. No idea what to call it but it was bloomin’ lovely.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

Very excited to reveal the cover of my next book in collaboration with The Globe published by welbeck in October 2025. It features recipes inspired by the food mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays & was a pleasure to research & write. #shakespeare

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

So this happened last night!!!! (Still pinching myself)

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Great potluck lunch at the Leeds Food Symposium (in York) yesterday. This is just the dessert table (gingerbread galore) Fantastic line up of speakers too for the Food in Literature theme.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 20/04/2025

Chocolate & prune cake Rich & decadent - perfect for Easter Sunday. #chocolatecake

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

This is excellent news! Comfortably Hungry has been shortlisted in the audio category for the @fortnumandmason.bsky.social food & drink awards! A huge thank you to Thom at @deliciouslegacy.bsky.social for mixing the episodes & of course to Dr Peggy Brunache for being such a superb guest.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Borodinsky Bread It’s been years since I attempted a rye sourdough but pleased with the result. I love the flavour of rye and it combines beautifully with coriander seeds, barley malt extract & molasses (I used carob molasses) in this loaf.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Happy spring equinox! Cracking breakfast @craftystmartins & a brief mooch around Leicester this morning in the beautiful spring sunshine. #leicester #spring #equinox

Leicester cathedral with a tree covered in blossom

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

Henry Buttes recommends eating figs with oranges and pomegranates or pickling them in vinegar. These figs were roasted briefly in vinegar & honey then served on a salad with Serrano ham & roasted almonds and dressed with a Seville orange vinaigrette (no pomegranates to hand).

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Boiled salad anyone? Doesn’t sound too appetising but they were a thing in the early modern period. The addition of eggs was highly recommended. (And for the record both the roasted onion & asparagus salads were good)

Roasted onions with raisins on pewter plate

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Mussels ‘seethed’ with onion, parsley & a splash of sack (sherry). Sometimes the simple things are best. #muchadoaboutcooking

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

After learning about the death of David Lynch I felt compelled to channel my inner Dale Cooper & make a cherry pie. It’s a wonderful accompaniment to a damn fine cup of coffee. (Yes, I was a huge fan of Twin Peaks)

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

To make a tart that is courage (😉) to a man or a woman. I feel that this sweet potato & quince tart from Thomas Dawson should be announced with a lascivious wink. Spanish Potatoes & quinces were deemed to have aphrodisiac qualities in the sixteenth century.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Does this bag contain my food heaven or my food hell? Find out in the latest episode of the podcast when I chat to Brontë Aurell about liquorice. Link in bio.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

That’s a wrap for the first course of season 3 of the Comfortably Hungry podcast. Episodes 1-7 are available now on your favourite podcast platform. Thank you to all my lovely listeners, subscribers and guests. Merry Christmas everyone!

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

A Pepperpot from ‘Meg Dods’ cookbook c. 1826 This is a good demonstration of how dishes originally created by the enslaved made their way into middle class cookbooks (albeit an anglicised interpretation). You can find the recipe & podcast on the Comfortably Hungry substack (link in bio).

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

One of the reasons I love podcasting is the fact I get to talk to so many interesting people and this episode is no exception! This time I’m chatting to Dr Peggy Brunache about how the enslaved people of the Caribbean used food as a form of resistance. Link in bio.

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Entries for the @thegfw are open! I’m thinking about entering the #comfortablyhungrypodcast but which episode should I choose? You can pick any episode that has been ‘published’ in 2024. A full list is available on Substack! Please let me know!

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Sam Bilton @mrssbilton.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Blue cheese & date scones ‘cos it’s that sort of day.

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