Annie Gray

Annie Gray

Author

Dr Annie Gray is a food historian specialising in the Georgian, Victorian and early twentieth centuries. She’s a popular speaker and broadcaster and also works as a consultant to museums and heritage sites.

Annie’s first book, A Greedy Queen, was published with Profile Books in spring 2017 (shortlisted for the Jane Grigson Trust Award). She has also written for The Guardian onlineBBC online and The Sun. You can find more of her writing on her website at anniegray.co.uk/writing

Annie is the resident food historian on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet, and has appeared in the show since its inception, as well as contributing to The Food ProgrammeToday, and PM. Annie’s TV appearances include BBC Four’s Icing on the Cake and Home Comforts which aired in January 2015. Annie has also appeared on The One ShowHidden Killers: The Victorian HomeThe Great British Bake OffHeston’s Great British FoodBBC Food and Drink and Newsnight. More recently, she has worked as consultant (and presenter) on Victorian Bakers, a 3 part living history documentary on BBC in November 2015.She was also the adviser on the BBC4 documentary Calf’s Heads and Coffee, which won a Guild of Food Writers Award.

Annie has worked in heritage for over ten years, both as a food historian, and also advising on domestic history and the lives of servants. She regularly dons period costume and works in character, portraying long-dead cooks to bring history to life. She also trains others, working to bring to life historic sites across the country.  She’s available to talk on heritage interpretation and public history, below stairs life in the 18th to the 20th century, and of course her core area of the history of British food and dining from the Restoration onwards.

The Sweet Makers – new three-part series beginning Wednesday 19th July on BBC2

Publications

Annie Gray @DrAnnieGray

Can we just LEAVE THE DAMN CLOCKS WHERE THEY ARE please. Yours, grumpily.

🚨SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EPISODE!!! 🚨#YoureDeadToMe

On March 26th 1923 the world said goodbye to megastar actress #SarahBernhardt - she was brilliant, independent, and proudly defiant. It’s a great episode with expert @MarcusSharon & comedian @Isysuttie https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0fb1c7d?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

This, from the @FT (hence ££) is fabulous - on the myths of Italian food (the principles being exactly the same here). I'd also recommend Cesari's A Brief History of Pasta, cited here, as incisive and fascinating.

https://www.ft.com/content/6ac009d5-dbfd-4a86-839e-28bb44b2b64c

Wild book spotting @WaterstonesPicc and @DavidsBookshop - while working hard on the next one, OBVS. Reader, I went into two bookshops and DID NOT BUY ANYTHING. This may be a record.

Want. (Writing week, the desire to raid the fridge every five minutes is HARD TO RESIST).

Yesterday, one of our book club members - @BWormBlogger – shared this image of the picture book her six-year-old son had written and illustrated.

https://twitter.com/BWormBlogger/status/1636082306413744131?s=20

Niche tweet, purely to vent about the hideousness of the VLEbook reader online. I thought it was just the @britishlibrary and @theUL which used it, but I just found it @UniOfYork library and now I am SAD.

(No page numbers, awful scrolling, basically unusable).

Rant over.

This week, the brilliant @DrAnnieGray 's exciting new book was released! Fans of @CallTheMidwife1 and home cooks alike can celebrate the timeless classics of British cuisine at home. https://twitter.com/TitanBooks/status/1633408744221450241

Call the Midwife: The Official Cookbook by @DrAnnieGray is out today!

This elegant cookbook celebrates the characters and cuisine of the popular BBC period drama Call the Midwife.

🍰 http://bit.ly/3ZPXgYx

Published today ⬇️. (I think the series starts in the US this weekend hence the release being after it ends in the UK). If you like crazy cakes and retro ways with sandwiches, it's ideal. Or, you know, if you love @CallTheMidwife1 and want to cook the food....

On a train for a talk (HOORAH!) and I have a Loud Man Talking / Phone Wanker. I await with evil pleasure the signal dead zone round Manea. Sometimes there are secret treasures in the Fens.

This! So much this https://twitter.com/urbandictionary/status/1632111498028883968

PINCH ME! I’m a panellist on @BBCRadio4 The Kitchen cabinet alongside the inimitable @jayrayner1 and a host of culinary superheroes. Last few days to listen to my debut episode with strawberries, scotch bonnets hibiscus & buckets of pineapple inspo🍍🌺🌶️https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001hwqv

This is an absolute must-have for anyone in a studenty, sharey, budgety situation. (Regular #BBCTKC listeners will already be like 'yes, this is totally a good thing from a good person').

Holidays with CAKE! And @bosburybecca @kjbh15 @leeds55

Podcast alert for food people:
Jay Rayner rapid-fire panel show with the fab @DrAnnieGray that combines food history, food/cooking anecdotes, cooking tips. @4KitchenCabinet
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b01klvhq?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

This is excellent. (Want more? So is Jay's book, A Greedy Man).

There’s still time to apply for a FREE bursary place on our Spring Conference in Greater Manchester 11-15 April, available to students and early career professionals - don't miss this fabulous opportunity! Application deadline extended to 3 March - see https://www.vag.org.uk/conferences.htm.

This is the content which keeps me on twitter.