About

The Hungry Historians podcast is the creation of Dr Kelly A. Spring and Dr Matthew Phillpott. We had been convening the Food History Seminar through the Institute of Historical Research (University of London) for a decade and were both in a position to look to a spin-off. We quickly decided on the podcast format and to interview researchers in food and drink studies, who had recently published a book. Thus, the podcast was born.

 

Kelly A. Spring | The Fork Front

Kelly A. Spring, PhD, is an author, entrepreneur, researcher, and lecturer of food history. Her work examines the impact of domestic crises and international conflict on domestic and global food systems in British and American history. Her company, The Fork Front, which is based in Washington, D.C., offers services ranging from consulting, researching and writing about food history to creating curated food history narratives, courses, and menus.

Kelly’s latest book, SPAM: A Global History (Reaktion Press, 2025), charts how food was used by the United States to spread its culture and values in wartime, impacting people’s foodways and lifestyles around the globe. She founded and is the lead convener of the Institute of Historical Research’s Food History Seminar in the UK. She is also a Fellow of the Institute. To find out more about Kelly’s current projects, as well as her food musings and adventures, you can follow her on Instagram @theforkfront. 

 

Matthew Phillpott | Honeybee Histories

Matt Phillpott is an educator, writer, and historian, with interests in histories of food, ecological, and knowledge, with specific interests in the history of honeybees and the Reformation. With a PhD from the University of Sheffield, Matt has published a book on The Reformation of England’s Past: John Foxe and the revision of history in the late sixteenth century (2018) and regularly writes about history at honeybeehistories.substack.com and historycommonplaces.substack.com. He is also a co-convener of the Food History Seminar at the Institute of Historical Research.