Daily Bread

'Fascinating' Philippa Gregory

'Thought-provoking, erudite and moreish' Ned Palmer

Welcome to the early modern era - a revolutionary age when the rituals and rhythms of food underpinned all of daily life.

From raucous nights at the alehouse to the sumptuous delights of a Tudor Christmas, join historian Charlie Taverner as he uncovers a lost culinary world of surprising diversity, where every dish held deep significance. As colonial expansion brought new flavours to Europe, religious divides, civil war, economic turmoil and a changing climate shook society's foundations - and upended ancient ways of eating and drinking.

Journeying to cacophonous markets and sombre monasteries, joining ravenous crowds of bread rioters and leaping aboard carnival floats made of meat and cheese, Daily Bread reconstructs this vibrant and visceral pre-industrial past, and asks what it can teach us about eating and living well today.