By At this time of the year many of us will over-indulge in either food or drink, or both. We rarely question our ability to gorge ourselves on festive treats like mince pies. However, as regular readers of this blog are no doubt aware, early modern men and women questioned and
Poisons, Potions and Unicorn Horns
Paul Middleton Within early modern medical texts, scattered among curatives for fevers, vomiting, aches, and pains, were remedies that targeted the many poisons and toxins that posed a threat to the lives of contemporaries. Whilst poisons have famously been reserved for elaborate assassinations and vengeful wives, the regular inclusion of
A Festive Food
As advent is underway I thought I would enjoy a brief excursion and write about something seasonal. Every year as the Christmas season approaches I look forward to making, baking and eating LOTS of mince pies. They are my favourite festive treat. Perhaps as expected, a mince pie was something a