Talk - Pie Fidelity: In Defence of British Food

In an informative, funny and sometimes quite poignant illustrated talk, award-winning food and drink writer Pete Brown talks us through the complex mathematics behind the full English breakfast, explains the link between roast beef and Brexit, and argues that our traditional food and drink have been unfairly maligned.

In Britain, we have always had an awkward relationship with food. We've been told for so long that we are terrible cooks and yet when someone with a clipboard asks us what the best things are about being British, our traditional food and drink are more important than the monarchy and at least as significant as our landscape and national monuments in defining a collective notion of who we are. 

Taking nine archetypically British dishes - Pie and Peas, A Cheese Sandwich, Fish and Chips, Spag Bol, Devonshire Cream Tea, Curry, The Full English, The Sunday Roast and a Crumble with Custard - and enjoying them in their most typical settings, Pete looks at just how fundamental food is to our sense of identity, perhaps even our sense of pride, and the ways in which we understand our place in the world.

This event is part of Heritage Open Days and is free for members, but we have only been able to secure limited tickets so book now to guarantee your space. Guests pay a small fee to cover our administration costs and a donation to Heritage Open Days.