Neil Buttery

Author, historian and chef

Biography

Neil Buttery is an author, food historian and chef who specialises in the history of British food. His first book A Dark History of Sugar was published in 2022, followed by his biography of Manchester legend Elizabeth Raffald, Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper in 2023. His career in cooking started at his artisan market stall, first opened in 2012, then his pop-up restaurant (for which he was nominated for a Manchester Food & Drink Award in 2015). He was head chef of The Buttery in Manchester 2016-2018, a small restaurant bar bringing classic, and forgotten, British classics back into the fore. His enthusiasm for British history and food was ignited by writing his blogs Neil Cooks Grigson and British Food: a History (initially as a hobby). He started his popular podcast, The British Food History Podcast, in 2020. Neil has a particular enthusiasm for puddings.

New British Classics

Gary Rhodes

Simply the best book on British Food around. Everything from lowly haslet to lobster. Absolutely essential.

English Food

Jane Grigson

Amazing coverage of English Food from a historical perspective. Gives so much context. The most used cookery book I own. Almost worn out my second copy.

English Bread and Yeast Cookery

Elizabeth David

A wonderful treasure trove of bread recipes spanning all of British history, beautifully written

Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course

Delia Smith

All the basics in one foolproof place. Even though some recipes seem dated, it's still very relevant and still teaching me

Be-Ro Home Recipes: Scones, Cakes, Pastry, Puddings

Be-Ro Flour

I have my Mum's copy and I still use it all the time, good, homely family cooking. Used to cook from it with my Mum.

Good Things

Jane Grigson

Jane make you think about certain ingredients that you've never considered before such as celery, and renews enthusiasm about forgotten ones like sweetbreads and rabbits as well as the more obvious chapters on strawberries. Just shows how ANY ingredient can be versatile

Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate Curry Bible

Madhur Jaffrey

So much is covered in this single volume. I've adapted so many of these recipes and put them on my menus. Great 19th century British Raj recipes in there too, which I find so interesting.

A Celebration of Soup

Lindsey Bareham

Such comprehensive coverage in one single volume. Every recipe you could possibly think, written with wit, simplicity and brevity. Worth it for the stock recipes alone.

English Seafood Cookery

Rick Stein

Written before he was well-known, and is his best work. Simple and useful recipes as well as complex multi-stage recipes that really help you learn to organise yourself in the kitchen

Bread, Cake, Doughnut, Pudding

Justin Gellatly

The most recent book on my list. An amazing range of recipes that encourage savour and greed.

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What's playing in Neil's kitchen?

I'm old school and listen to the radio - Radios 4 and 6 mainly