Originally released 15 Mar 2020.*Best listened to on the third Sunday of Lent*In part four, we look at how Lent was dumbed down over the years from extremely strict to almost non-existent. Then Neil investigates the natural history of Lent and has a conversation with Brenda Smith of Bud Garden Centre, Manchester, about what the plants are up to and the food that’s growing in early spring. Neil then talks to Matthew Cobb, Professor of Zoology at Manchester University, about animals and their odd behaviour at this time of year.For episode notes, photos and recipes please visit https://britishfoodhistory.com/lent-podcast/Written and presented by Dr Neil ButteryProduced by Beena KhetaniMade in Manchester by Sonder RadioMentioned in this episode:Fruit Pig are currently sponsoring The British Food History PodcastVisit fruitpig.co.uk for more details of their products and journey, and to access their shop. Grant and Matthew are very kindly giving listeners to the BFHP a unique special offer: 10% off your order until the end of October 2025 – use the offer code Foodhis in the checkout. Time to fill your boots.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp