Gray, Annie – The Bell Bookshop

The Bookshop, the Draper, the Candlestick Maker

Emma — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

‘Annie Gray’s fascinating history of a British institution in crisis illuminates and entertains’ GREG JENNER’Properly immersive, full of juicy sensory detail – Annie Gray’s romp down British high streets through the centuries is a blast’ TESSA BOASEBustling with rich detail, historical vignettes and surprising wares, this is the story of Britain’s best-loved but ever-changing public spaces.What makes a high street? It’s certainly not just about the shopping; these thoroughfares are often the beating heart of our towns and cities and, by extension, of the people who use them. As spaces where local life and culture unfolds, our high streets can be playgrounds of personal indulgence and community spirit, or sites of contentious debate and politicking. Historian Annie Gray takes us down the street and through the ages, from medieval marketplaces to the purpose-built concrete precincts of the twentieth century. Peeping through the windows of tailors, tearooms and grocers, we explore everything from the toyshops of yesteryear – where curiosities were sold for adults, not children – to the birth of brands we shop at today.Vibrant and enticing, The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker is an essential reflection on how we shopped and lived in days gone by – and what the future may bring.

The bookshop, the draper, the candlestick maker

Emma — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

‘The queen of food historians’ LUCY WORSLEY’Annie Gray’s fascinating history of a British institution in crisis illuminates and entertains’ GREG JENNER’Properly immersive, full of juicy sensory detail – Annie Gray’s romp down British high streets through the centuries is a blast’ TESSA BOASEBustling with rich detail, historical vignettes and surprising wares, this is the story of Britain’s best-loved but ever-changing public spaces.What makes a high street? It’s certainly not just about the shopping; these thoroughfares are often the beating heart of our towns and cities and, by extension, of the people who use them. As spaces where local life and culture unfolds, our high streets can be playgrounds of personal indulgence and community spirit, or sites of contentious debate and politicking. Historian Annie Gray takes us down the street and through the ages, from medieval marketplaces to the purpose-built concrete precincts of the twentieth century. Peeping through the windows of tailors, tearooms and grocers, we explore everything from the toyshops of yesteryear – where curiosities were sold for adults, not children – to the birth of brands we shop at today.Vibrant and enticing, The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker is an essential reflection on how we shopped and lived in days gone by – and what the future may bring.

At Christmas We Feast

Emma — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

‘A joy to immerse oneself in’ Andi Oliver’In the field of food history, Annie Gray leads the pack’ Jay RaynerFor many people Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a turkey and trimmings, pudding and brandy butter. And yet it wasn’t always that way. Gone are the gluttonous banquets featuring boar’s head and brawn – but how did we get to the Christmas food of today? Historian Annie Gray digs into the evolution of our festive meal, from the birth of the twelve-day celebration under Edward I and the the restoration of holiday splendour under Victoria to the present day. Organised by festive dish and illustrated throughout, At Christmas We Feast is a delectable trip through time – stuffed full of classic recipes, doused with history and tradition, and sprinkled with the joy of the feasts of Christmas past.

At Christmas We Feast

Emma — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

One of Spectator’s Best Cookery Books of the Year’A joy to immerse oneself in’ Andi Oliver’In the field of food history, Annie Gray leads the pack’ Jay RaynerFor many people Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a turkey and trimmings, pudding and brandy butter. But where do our traditions come from – and when modern writers ‘reinvent’ the Christmas meal, are they really doing anything so very different?Annie Gray presents a delectable trip through time, from the earliest mentions of gluttonous meals at Christmas to the trappings and traditions of the present day. Tracing the birth of the twelve-day celebration under Edward I to the restoration of holiday splendour under Victoria, At Christmas We Feast is organised by festive dish, and features classic recipes alongside vibrant cultural and historical context.From the familiarity of plum pudding and mince pies to the extravagance of boar’s head and brawn, At Christmas We Feast is stuffed full of recipes, doused with history and tradition, and sprinkled with the joy of the feasts of Christmas past.

The Kitchen Cabinet

Emma — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

*INCLUDED THE TIMES AND WATERSTONES’ BEST FOOD & DRINK BOOKS OF 2021*

Fill your year with flavour.

The official The Kitchen Cabinet compendium is here at last, with over 100 hours of dinner table talk distilled into this handy almanac, a year in the life of our kitchens to aid you in yours.

Open up to find food tips and tricks, stories, recipes, anecdotes and seasonal fun, all held together with our trademark titbits of history, science and often rather lively debate. Join us as we travel across the country, ready to respond to all your culinary conundrums – as well as sharing lots of things you never even thought to ask.

Greedy Queen

Emma — Thu, 03 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000

From Dr Annie Gray, presenter of BBC2’s Victorian Bakers What does it mean to eat like a queen? Elizabeth gorged on sugar, Mary on chocolate and Anne was known as ‘Brandy Nan’. Victoria ate all of this and more. The Greedy Queen celebrates Victoria’s appetite, both for food and, indeed, for life. Born in May 1819, Victoria came ‘as plump as a partridge’. In her early years she lived on milk and bread under the Kensington system; in her old age she suffered constant indigestion yet continued to over-eat. From intimate breakfasts with the King of France, to romping at tea-parties with her children, and from state balls to her last sip of milk, her life is examined through what she ate, when and with whom. In the royal household, Victoria was surrounded by ladies-in-waiting, secretaries, dressers and coachmen, but below stairs there was another category of servant: her cooks. More fundamental and yet completely hidden, they are now uncovered in their working environment for the first time. Voracious and adventurous in her tastes, Queen Victoria was head of state during a revolution in how we ate – from the highest tables to the most humble. Bursting with original research, The Greedy Queen considers Britain’s most iconic monarch from a new perspective, telling the story of British food along the way.