Tea. Toast. and Trivia.

Rebecca Budd

Blogger. Visual Storyteller. Traveller. Exploring the creative spirit through books, art, history, travel, and the remarkable people whose stories shape our lives. Every episode is an invitation to gather around the table, share a cup of tea, and celebrate curiosity, creativity, and the joy of lifelong learning. One conversation at a time. Tea, Toast & Trivia Podcast. All Rights Reserved © 2019–2026 Rebecca Budd.

  1. 6d ago

    Entering Gothic Horror with Catherine Cavendish

    S8 E12: Entering Gothic Horror with Catherine Cavendish Why do we willingly enter the dark? In this episode of Tea, Toast & Trivia, I am brewing a cup of Lapsang Souchong. Its dark, smoky flavour becomes our doorway into the world of Gothic horror. We travel back to Horace Walpole and the beginnings of the Gothic novel before considering how Frankenstein and Dracula helped shape an enduring literary tradition. Catherine Cavendish was the person who encouraged me to enter this world. Her novel, Ghosts of Chanterlands, carries the Gothic tradition into our own time. Through excerpts from our earlier podcast, we hear Cat’s own voice lead us into Chanterlands, where everything appears ordinary—until the house begins to remember. Gothic horror is about far more than frightening us. It asks what happens when the past refuses to remain buried. It allows us to approach the darkness from the safety of a story and perhaps recognize something of ourselves within it. Put the kettle on and join Cat and me as we step across the threshold. Rebecca 🎙️Tea Toast and Trivia Podcast Music by Epidemic Sound “Hope and Prayers” Howard Harper-Barnes https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/51b2a5b6-f1e3-31f0-8375-68f3fcae5414/ “Danger Lures” Trailer Worx https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/4921e8ac-b7a7-32b7-b3d9-92b8545a3fa8/ “Colossal Terror” by Jon Björk https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/d48581ad-f9ec-392d-b5f3-fc64a4558620/ “The Glass Sea” Dian Shuai https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/60c6dae8-f205-4235-8ba8-0141c56b176a/

    Entering Gothic Horror with Catherine Cavendish

  2. Sep 14

    Jam First, Then Cream: What a Cream Tea Taught Me About Memory

    S8 E11: Jam First, Then Cream: What a Cream Tea Taught Me About Memory I was sitting in Port Isaac with a warm scone in front of me when I discovered that I might be about to commit a Cornish offense. There was jam. There was thick cream. There was tea. And somewhere nearby, a newspaper headline was warning of a cream tea “blunder” serious enough to inspire calls for a boycott. Suddenly, the order of things mattered. In Season 8, Episode 11 of Tea, Toast & Trivia, I return to that afternoon in Cornwall and to the wonderfully spirited question of whether jam or cream should come first. What begins as a local disagreement over a scone soon opens into something much larger: a reflection on cultural memory, belonging, and the ordinary customs that quietly connect one generation with another. Perhaps some of our deepest inheritances are carried not in monuments or history books, but in kitchens, recipes, familiar rituals and the way we prepare a scone. So pour yourself a cup of tea, find a scone if you can, and come with me to Cornwall. And when it comes time to choose what goes on first, just remember — in Cornwall, it is jam first, then cream. Rebecca 🎙️Tea Toast Trivia Podcast Music by Epidemic Sound “Never a Goodbye” by Gavin Luke https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/23d78dc4-1dce-48cd-a10a-9bded0529d84/ “The Sweetest” by Gavin Luke https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/eb75ebc0-a558-44f8-a176-b109cc621a8a/

    Jam First, Then Cream: What a Cream Tea Taught Me About Memory

  3. Aug 10

    “The Grand Adventure” by D Wallace Peach

    S8 E10: “The Grand Adventure” by D Wallace Peach Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia. Thank you for listening in. I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I look forward to sharing this moment with you. There is a quiet magic in short stories. Within just a few pages, an entire world unfolds, fleeting, yet unforgettable. Short stories ask us to pause and listen closely. They remind us that even brief encounters can hold the full weight of a life. In their condensed form, they carry the pulse of human experience. Love, loss, wonder, and revelation are distilled into something both fragile and enduring. Today’s reading, “The Grand Adventure” by D. Wallace Peach, set in the late 1800's, embodies that rare gift. It is a journey of discovery and transformation, told with poetic precision and heartfelt insight. Diana captures how every threshold, real or imagined, invites us to step beyond comfort, into the grand adventure of becoming. This story is especially meaningful to me, as my mother, Frances, recently turned ninety-four. Her life, rich with courage, faith, and gentle humour, reflects the same spirit of resilience and renewal that echoes through Diana’s words. At ninety-four, each day truly is a grand adventure, a continuing act of discovery. So, settle in and pour yourself a cuppa tea! Let us walk together into this wonderful story, proof that even the shortest tales can open the widest doors. Until next time we meet, safe travels wherever your adventures lead you. Rebecca Music by Epidemic Sound My Little Friend by Franz Gordon https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/b0cabd7d-83df-45c0-b906-e0945952c3d9/ Remember by Emily Rubye https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/e45d3079-f4f6-3450-b379-944fe6ce63e3/ Watercolor Fountain by Trail Worx https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/e178eaee-b7b1-3436-beef-a2ddb6e602be/ Try Your Wings by Helmut Schenker https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/95c9c0a7-9e3a-4375-9f94-f859380b8254/

    “The Grand Adventure” by D Wallace Peach

  4. Jul 13

    Catherine Cavendish Reads Ghosts of Chanterlands

    S8 E9: Catherine Cavendish Reads Ghosts of Chanterlands Welcome to Tea Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in! Author Catherine Cavendish joins Tea, Toast & Trivia to read the opening chapter of her haunting new Gothic novel, Ghosts of Chanterlands. Known for her atmospheric stories of haunted places, hidden secrets, and supernatural suspense, Catherine invites listeners into a world where old houses remember, history refuses to remain buried, and the past is never truly gone. Pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy this special author reading, presented in Catherine’s own voice. Rebecca 🫖 Tea Toast & Trivia Podcast Music by Epidemic “Hope and Prayers” by Howard Harper-Barnes https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/51b2a5b6-f1e3-31f0-8375-68f3fcae5414/ “Danger Lures” by Trailer Worx https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/4921e8ac-b7a7-32b7-b3d9-92b8545a3fa8/ “Colossal Terror” by Jon Björk https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/d48581ad-f9ec-392d-b5f3-fc64a4558620/ “The Glass Sea” by Dian Shuai https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/60c6dae8-f205-4235-8ba8-0141c56b176a/

  5. Jun 29

    The Comfort of English Breakfast Tea

    S8 E8: The Comfort of English Breakfast Tea Welcome to Tea, Toast & Trivia. I’m your host, Rebecca Budd. Today, we begin with one of life’s simplest pleasures — a cup of English Breakfast tea and a slice of buttered toast with cinnamon and sugar. In this episode, we explore the history behind this beloved tea, trace the origins of breakfast through the centuries, and reflect on how small morning rituals can carry comfort, memory, and meaning. So put the kettle on, settle in, and join me for a thoughtful pause before the day begins. Rebecca 🎙️Tea Toast & Trivia Podcast 🫖It’s All About Tea Music by Epidemic Sound “No One Else on Earth” by Howard Harper-Barnes https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/19460e6f-1ed9-32b5-bd17-f9620f9993d7/ “The English Affair” by Howard Harper-Barnes https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/a92bcb8f-85e8-3885-be9b-ea9c8e310c4b/

  6. Jun 15

    Writing the Edges: A Conversation with Alex Gunn

    S8 E7: Writing the Edges: A Conversation with Alex Gunn Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. I’m your host, Rebecca Budd, and I look forward to sharing this moment with you. Today I’m delighted to welcome Scottish writer Alex Gunn, author of Soft As Nails. In this thoughtful conversation, we step beyond the pages of the novel and explore the writer behind the work. Together, we discuss Alex’s creative beginnings, the Scotland that shaped him, the importance of friendship and mentorship, and the courage it takes to find one’s own voice. So put the kettle on, settle in, and join us for a warm and engaging conversation with Alex Gunn. 🎙️🫖Tea Toast & Trivia Podcast Music by Epidemic Sound “Never” Emily Rubye https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/4c6e6ce8-4202-3f1c-a136-c20c600a64ff/ “Watercolor Fountain” Trailer Worx https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/e178eaee-b7b1-3436-beef-a2ddb6e602be/

  7. Jun 1

    The Happy Tea and the Tower Nobody Wanted

    S8 E6: The Happy Tea and the Tower Nobody Wanted Welcome to Tea, Toast & Trivia. Today, I’m pouring a cup of The Happy Tea as we revisit one of history’s most surprising reversals of opinion—the story of the Eiffel Tower, once mocked, resisted, and nearly dismantled before becoming one of the most beloved landmarks in the world. What can this famous tower teach us about patience, beauty, and the slow work of acceptance? Settle in, pour yourself something warm, and join me for a quiet reflection on first impressions, endurance, and the joy of what remains. Rebecca 🎙️Tea Toast & Trivia Podcast 🫖It’s All About Tea Music by Epidemic Sound “Paris in Spring” by Trabant 33 https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/0231d807-be5a-3e85-93ab-d808d53d3190/

  8. May 11

    Wryson’s Eternity by Shehanne Moore

    S8 E5: Wryson’s Eternity by Shehanne Moore In this special episode of Tea, Toast & Trivia, I reflect on the work of Scottish author Shehanne Moore, with a focus on her latest novel, Wryson’s Eternity. After a technical mishap prevented our original interview from being shared, I chose another path: a personal reflection on Shey’s storytelling gift. Her characters are flawed, wounded, passionate, and real. They face danger, risk love, and search for healing in worlds filled with adventure, hope, and redemption. Pour yourself a cup of tea and join me for a thoughtful journey into memory, love, and the stories that stay with us. Music by Epidemic Sound ”A Life of Devotion” by David Celeste “The Fellowship” by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen

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About

Blogger. Visual Storyteller. Traveller. Exploring the creative spirit through books, art, history, travel, and the remarkable people whose stories shape our lives. Every episode is an invitation to gather around the table, share a cup of tea, and celebrate curiosity, creativity, and the joy of lifelong learning. One conversation at a time. Tea, Toast & Trivia Podcast. All Rights Reserved © 2019–2026 Rebecca Budd.

Information

  • Creator
    Rebecca Budd
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    272
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rebecca Budd
  • Show Website
    Tea. Toast. and Trivia.