Bill Griffiths – författare

Stotty 'n' Spice Cake brings together regional recipes, dialect, social history and kitchen technology to give us an insight into how kitchen skills, tools and diets have developed. Bill Griffiths takes us on a journey through cooking history - from the griddle on an open fire and the 'beehive' oven to the widely used, much loved and polished kitchen range (th' yuven).This book describes the changing tastes - as well as changes in supplies of meat, fish and grain over the years to include traditions such as the popularity of oatcakes, broth and bread. Recipes from across the region, such as Leak Pudding, Carlins, Singin'-hinny, Taffle Apple, Barley Broth and wartime recipes 'Warton Pie' (Wartime Pie) of course, all served with much home grown North East humour. A joyous celebration of the history of the food and its people from the North East of England.

Until the 20th century, dialect was a marker of economic, social and cultural change. We know that the North East maritime connections with the Dutch led to the introduction of many 'new' words. The Scottish influence of the keelmen (fisherman) on the Tyne and their effect on local language was much more radical. Although the Tyneside dialect and identity and this way of speaking is fast waning, the popularity of discovering this language and dialect shows there is still a great interest in the languages and dialect of the past.

The last major mine in the North East region closed in 2005 and with it went a way of life. Through dialect words, humour, stories and songs Pitmatic will help you to understand the everyday lives and work of miners. Miners who provided fuel, helped sustain an economy, consolidated communities and created a unique and rich regional culture. This book is a joyous celebration of the history of the North East bringing together the words spoken by miners and their families and how they related to the wider languages of the world.

This volume is the first comprehensive overview of Roman experimental archaeology, exploring its key themes, methodologies and applications through a diverse array of international case studies. Experiments, simulations and reconstructions are important methods for understanding the past, from uncovering how ancient objects and structures were made, used, destroyed, deposited and affected underground, to illuminating the experiences of tasting ancient foods, fighting alongside comrades or living in replicated structures. Although the incorporation of experimentation has had great success in prehistoric studies, greater reliance on the wealth of literary and material sources remaining from the classical period has meant that its potential for Roman studies has yet to be fully realised. The 26 chapters in this book are divided into 5 thematic parts, each of which opens with a contextualizing introduction that frames the detailed case studies found in individual chapters and showcases the actual and potential diversity of experimentation as applied to the Roman past by scholars, re-enactors, and practitioners in the heritage sector. In laying out a detailed guide to Roman experimental archaeology, the volume as a whole maps its past, present and future, and provides a firm foundation for further practical research and collaboration. In doing so, it reasserts that experiments and reconstructions are a significant resource for testing or developing theories, rather than merely artistic replicas, and that the vast amount of quantifiable data they yield can be invaluable in support of interpretations of relevant archaeological or historical evidence, regardless of the period in question and beyond the confines of academia.