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We thought it would be interesting to see what John Parkinson’s herbal, Theatrum Botanicum, published in 1640, made of capsicums or chillies. These were a fairly new item of trade in his time, the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I. He knew the plants as ginny peppers (because of coming from Virginia). He noted that small quantities of chillies were medicinal and pleasurable, and recommended taking them baked in bread form (recipe given below). He explained the benefits to the digestion and for removal of phlegm, in treating coughs and sore throats, to improve period pain, and...

Julie and Matthew Bruton-Seal have a smart new website. Their six books on foraging and herbal medicine are published in the UK by Merlin Unwin Books and it has been a pleasure to work with them over the years.

Each title is beautifully illustrated, informative and easily accessible, with recipes and itemised uses. From plants of the hedgerow, wayside, backyard and kitchen, their books cover foraging for food and medicine. 

Author Paula Sells was contacted by a customer about her book, The Tack Room, and the information about an unusual and beautiful saddle. 

The Civil War saddle, known as The Stuart Saddle, is not on public display so Paula went to the Walsall Leather Museums' storage depot where she had special permission to view and photograph it. 

Book review: Etheldreda’s World: Princess, abbess, saint by Charles Moseleyhttps://www.churchtimes.co.uk/ 07 JULY 2023 Sarah Foot considers a devout queen whose cult is still popular IT IS 1350 years since an East Anglian princess, Æthelthryth, established the first religious community at Ely, the “isle of eels”. In the saint’s honour and to mark this anniversary, Charles Moseley has written an engaging and slightly quirky account of Etheldreda (her Latinised name), her world, and the afterlife of her cult. He is fortunate in his publishers, Merlin Unwin Books, who have created an attractive, slender volume with a few illustrations of appropriate medieval artefacts. Not a...