Episodes

  • Victoria Sponge

    Victoria Sponge
    Apr 26 2026
    Light as air, this neat sandwich of cake, jam and cream is often seen as emblematic of British baking – but its story is richer and more complex than its simple ingredients might suggest. In this episode of History's Greatest Dishes, Emily Briffett and food historian Annie Gray explore how an unassuming cake became a national icon. They chart its rise amid the 19th-century boom in baking technology and its later association with afternoon tea and the Women's Institute – and discuss how its ingredients reveal a darker side to the food industry. You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    44 mins
  • Pizza

    Pizza
    Apr 19 2026
    Think pizza has always been the ultimate crowd-pleaser? Think again. Before it became a global fast-food favourite, pizza was a humble Italian street food with a far more complicated backstory. In this episode of History’s Greatest Dishes, Emily Briffett and food historian Annie Gray explore the rich (and occasionally controversial) history of pizza. From its simple origins on the bustling streets of Naples to its transformation into an international icon, they trace how migration and innovation turned a regional speciality into a worldwide obsession that has been endlessly reinvented – busting popular myths along the way. You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Blancmange

    Blancmange
    Apr 12 2026
    Welcome to History's Greatest Dishes – the series from HistoryExtra in which food historian Annie Gray chats with Emily Briffett about the origins of some of the most unusual, innovative and enduring delicacies. First on the menu is blancmange. For some people, the word conjures moments of horror from the school cafeteria. Yet, as Annie and Emily discuss in this episode, the original medieval recipe for a meat-and-milk dish enjoyed by the well-to-do is, if anything, even stranger to modern sensibilities. So what sparked its transformation from an elite treat to a mass-produced dessert? And what can this shift tell us about changes in social class, culinary technology – and our appetite for food that wobbles? You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • Introducing History’s Greatest Dishes!

    Introducing History’s Greatest Dishes!
    Feb 23 2026
    Ever wondered who we have to thank for pineapple on pizza? Or whether the Victoria Sponge was really named after the long-reigning monarch? History's Greatest Dishes, the new series from HistoryExtra, serves up a feast of facts about some of the past's most remarkable delicacies. Expect culinary legends, half-baked myths and deliciously odd tales – all in the company of Emily Briffett and food historian Annie Gray. It's sure to leave you with food for thought. Listen to new episodes on this feed weekly from 13th April, or get them early and ad-free by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 min