The Oxford Symposium 2020 was the first gathering to happen entirely online. In addition to virtual presentations, delegates managed to cook a meal together with Sri Owen’s turmeric lamb curry, a memorable achievement for all. We heard about making curry with the spice known as stone-flower, Parmotrema perlatum, a dried lichen fungus. Yes, it was a shame not to touch and smell it, but you can read about its cooking (steamed, fried, you name it) in Priya Mani’s paper. You will discover that in medieval cooking, saffron was used more often than green herbs, for colour of course, but also for that subtle flavour that makes basic food interesting. All kinds of peppers, saffrons, galangal, similar to Thai ginger get a very thorough airing. Fascinating reading, and of course, a warm and welcoming online group that made us all feel a part of a real Symposium, even though St Catherine’s College was far away.

Mark McWilliams