Views on London Podcast

Philip Carey
Views on London Podcast Podcast

This fortnightly podcast series explores the things that help define London and the British. Imagine if London could speak to you – what would she talk to you about, what sight would she show you, and what questions would you ask her? This is what this Podcast is all about. Views on London will cover an eclectic mix of subjects including • Our drinking and eating cultures • Britishness and London icons • Our way of life and eccentricities • Pleasures and Pastimes • Exploring and getting around London • Royalty and History • Its People and places • And some photographic tips and ideas to help you capture those special London moments.

Episodes

  1. London Nosh - An overview of British  cuisine

    14/07/2021

    London Nosh - An overview of British cuisine

    This podcast will look at the some British foodie facts, it will explain some of the history behind the British pallet ,  and give an overview of some of the stranger British dishes I do briefly touching some of the ones that are more associated with typical British cuisines like fish and chips but – these will be subject to their own Podcast Where as British drinks are well respected around the world, the same is not so true of British Cuisine.   We are reasonably happy with it, and are quite loyal to the traditional  foods but like Cricket it can seem a bit confusing from the outside.   We do have many great restaurants – especially in London and fantastic home cooks – family favourites  - just ask any of our mothers! And we do take a lot of interest in other people cooking given the number of Morning and weekend television programs devoted to cooking – however it’s the eating that we tend to focus on!     Somehow  British food  an unfair reputation with  some visitors  will generally describe their impression of British food as as Pleasant ,  ‘nice’ ‘not too bad’ and sometimes as bland, soggy, overcooked, and visually unappealing.   However that’s a bit unfair , with a rich mix of cultures and restaurants, you can find great food in London but you may need to do some sleuthing – like Sherlock Holmes to find the best ones for your pallet and there are plenty of websites blogs and apps such as Tripadvisor Toptable and bookatable that can help with booking and reviews and you will get a good meal – but may be not as memorable as those on Continental Europe. Although the company and venue may well be!   Why is this ? - well find out more in this podcast when we explore its hstory and some of the stranger  british and London dishes

    26 min
  2. London Drinking Culture - Tea

    16/06/2021

    London Drinking Culture - Tea

    This Podcast Explores the things that help define London and the British  and todays subject is Tea – and why its so in grained in the British Psyche. We will look at the facts, its history,  how to drink it  and why is so hard to get a decent cup of tea in London. Tea is the most widely consumed substance  after Air and water, It propped up the British empire, helped the industrial revolution defined class, funded wars and made life more bearable   For example Its effect on the British It Drove society - In Victorian society ladies regularly visited each other and had had tea their social networking It Drove Commerce – Made business more productive when they met in coffee house to strike deals or exchange information in a sober manner with of tea or coffee It Drove International Trade - government helped to establish tea as main drink for the empire and exported to its colonies and collected taxes.  And in the late 17c   the government a Tax on tea that went  up to 119% and  accounted for almost 10% of its revenue.   However this led  to a rich trade in Smuggled tea! It helped the Industrial revolution  and made the workforce more productive - sweet drink – and energising them - plus purifies the water - up until then the nations was dependant on beer as the only dependable safe drink - therefore it made us less dependant on alcohol It created to wars - the Opium wars with China in the Victorian era ( mid 1800) and the American Revolution (Boston Tea Party) in the 1773 An it’s Protected by Government - So much so that in WWII – tea stock were hidden and stored in  strategic locations  and was part of the  key supply line for the British troops.       An it has always been  – Anytime any place anywhere – it’s best known as the  general drink to Welcoming people of the Btitish  -  come in for a cuppa and for a gossip! But we have it formally for Breakfast Tea breaks Afternoon tea High tea/ Tea (traditional common word for evening meal at 6:00  - Teatime Even as a night cap hydrate after a drinking session – especially with Toast and a chat.

    26 min
  3. London Drinking Culture - Beer

    19/05/2021

    London Drinking Culture - Beer

    This podcast will focus on the London Pint of Beer It will look at the facts, its history, the different types of beer,  how and where to drink it Beer has a lot going for it Around the world, humans consume over 50 billion gallons of beer every year. Beer is the most widely consumed alcoholic drink on the planet. beer is one of the oldest beverages in the world - Dating back to 7000 years – at least!   And beer has been given 5 star ratings from the great and the good – and here are a few examples    Plato He is a wise man who invented beer Shakespeare, Henry V  I would give all my fame for a pot of ale and safety. – Benjamin Franklin  Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. – Homer Simpson  Ah, beer. The cause of and the solution to all of life’s problems.– Henry Lawson – Australian poet Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer. – Beer is in grained in British and European society  - and ironically  it’s  Grain that has provided us  food (bread) and drink (beer) for centuries  in fact Prior to 1700, the average European consumed 182 kg of bread and 182 litres of beer per year (Allen 1992) – so in equal weight as I litre of beer is around a kg in weight.. Half of all spending was on beer and bread, and three-quarters of all calories came from these two sources alone. The reason for massive beer consumption was simple – water was often contaminated. The problem note by – WC Fields who said that the problem with by water is that you never know where its been  This was especially true in the cities where  clean drinking water was in short supply but beer was plentiful cheap and safe to drink. It is hence not surprising that it was consumed throughout the day, from breakfast until  the late evening. We have evolved to drink less beer but its still a firm favourite As is bourn out from the figures – physical and numerical Quantity wise In 2018, 8.5 billion pints of beer _ more than any other alcoholic In comparison 7.4 billion  glasses of wine were sold in the UK And 1.2 billion pints of cider And the government benefits from this as the British  pay a staggering 11 times more beer duty than drinkers in Germany or Spain.

    21 min

About

This fortnightly podcast series explores the things that help define London and the British. Imagine if London could speak to you – what would she talk to you about, what sight would she show you, and what questions would you ask her? This is what this Podcast is all about. Views on London will cover an eclectic mix of subjects including • Our drinking and eating cultures • Britishness and London icons • Our way of life and eccentricities • Pleasures and Pastimes • Exploring and getting around London • Royalty and History • Its People and places • And some photographic tips and ideas to help you capture those special London moments.

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