The Augustinians sometimes wonder if a talk will turn out to be just a load of rhubarb. Well this time, in part, it was. Christopher Hirst, the award winning food writer and journalist, eloquently explored the exotic roots of some favourite English foods, including rhubarb, but also oysters, and goose and turkey.

Chris’s favourite Christmas meal first course is Oysters. He reviewed their history as a food through history and added later literary references by Jonathan Swift, Samuel Pepys, Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, and Dr. Samuel Johnson.

Johnson loved his cat, called Hodge, so much that he bought oysters for him. There is now a statue of Hodge with oysters outside Dr. Johnson’s old home.

From the Romans to the Victorians, oysters were a food even the poor could afford. Sadly pollution, overfishing, and disease mean there are very few native oysters left. Chris applauded a recent effort to reintroduce them in the Humber.

Chris described the taste as a hint of the sea, but sweet and delicious. Chris acknowledges they are not to every one’s taste. Someone described the taste as like licking a copper pipe.

Chris’s next topic was Goose and Turkey. Geese were driven to the London markets on a 100 mile trek from Norfolk.  For this long walk their feet were protected with tar and sand. Turkey feet were protected by little leather boots.

Geese were thought to have been introduced to Britain by the Romans. They also provide fine quill pens and arrow fletches.

 

Turkeys probably originate in Mexico and the USA.  We know of the turkey lectern in Boynton church, but how many people know that the weather vane on Kilham church also displays a turkey.

Chris related how the stories by Charles Dickens popularised the Christmas turkey.

Chris’ last topic was Rhubarb, nature’s broom. Shakespeare’s Macbeth says, “What rhubarb, senna or purgative drug would scour these English hence”. A herbal of 1597 suggests rhubarb as a cure for just about any internal ailment.

Rhubarb root has been made into a tea, an aperitivo, and even flavoured gin.  But perhaps best of all is a rhubarb tart as a Christmas desert.

Chris explained that even the growing of rhubarb commercially is unusual, in that it is forced in dark sheds in a relatively small geographical area in west Yorkshire.  This rhubarb was awarded Designation of Origin status in 2010.

The Scribe Garry Sunley thanked the speaker for his knowledgeable and entertaining talk.