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Dining with Great Writers

Courses & Series History Literature & Arts
4.9 out of 5 From 124 reviews

Being able to pick and choose activities and either attend at the specified time or watch a recording later suits me perfectly.

Susan
, reviewed on 10 Oct 2022

Entertaining and instructive presentations by knowledgeable speakers.

Margaret
, reviewed on 18 Nov 2022
  • DURATION 60 mins x 4
  • HOW TO ATTEND Attendance is live via Zoom
4.9 out of 5 From 124 reviews

Being able to pick and choose activities and either attend at the specified time or watch a recording later suits me perfectly.

Susan
, reviewed on 10 Oct 2022

Entertaining and instructive presentations by knowledgeable speakers.

Margaret
, reviewed on 18 Nov 2022

Event Description

A short history of British food - what we ate, how we prepared it, and what it showed about our society – seen through the immortal drama, poetry and prose of its most famous writers.

14th October: Cakes and Ale

The man who first used phrases like ‘in a pickle’ and referred to eating someone ‘out of house and home’ was reflecting all the extremes of Tudor and Jacobean England, from beggars on the street to exotic foods from the New World. But what did William Shakespeare himself eat and drink?

28th October: Samuel Pepys on Food

Along with his other appetites, Samuel Pepys relished his meals, and recorded the choosing, buying, cooking and eating of food and drink in hundreds of diary entries. Join us to enter his culinary world, featuring period dishes such as salmagundi, apple and orange tarts, and sack posset.

11th November : Tea with Mr Darcy

Apart from £10,000 a year and his good looks, the Regency hero’s attractions include the best in genteel cuisine, offered to his guests at Pemberley. We’ll explore what his creator, Jane Austen, knew about food – and how she used it in her novels. Expect (virtual) syllabub, rout cakes and ratafia biscuits.

25th November: Christmas Dinner with Dickens

The writer most associated with food, especially at this time of year, delighted in lavish entertaining but also created timeless scenes of scarcity – who can forget Oliver Twist asking for more? Less well known is the menu and recipe book published by Dickens’ wife Catherine under the name of ‘Lady Maria Clutterbuck’. Laughter, pathos and online over-consumption guaranteed.

  • Duration: 60 mins x 4
  • Online Zoom event: Join from your computer, phone or tablet (no replay available)
JAH portrait IMG_20230821_163003227

Meet the Host, Judith

Judith loved history and literature equally at school, and hated having to choose between them – but opting for an English degree led her on to further studies at the Shakespeare Institute, based then in Birmingham. Since then a career in secondary teaching has developed beyond retirement into teaching adults. Judith has given dozens of courses in the novel, poetry, social history and the history of food, and delivered popular talks on everything from Georgian cartoons to poets laureate.

"There’s so much to learn, and more and more ways to do it", says Judith. "When I find something fascinating I want to share it, and to find the best way of bringing history and literature to life. Learning and entertainment needn’t be mutually exclusive."

More Information

What if I can’t make the event?

If a recording’s available for the event, you can still register for it and we will send you an email with a link to a recording shortly after it ends.

Will my camera be on and will I be visible to the other people?

Your camera and microphone does not need to be on for you to enjoy the event. The choice about whether to do this is completely yours.

How do I watch the live event?

Rest Less events are hosted on Zoom, a computer application that allows you to attend online events just by clicking a link. For detailed instructions, please go to our "FAQ" page, which you can find a link to in the nav bar at the top of the page.

How do I sign-up for and access the recording? (Recorded events only)

Book the event as normal (as if you are attending live). After the event ends you will automatically receive a post-event email with a link to the recording, as long as the event was recorded. You do not need to do anything else and there is no separate booking process for recordings only. Please note it can take up to 24 hours for Zoom to process recordings.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 From 124 reviews