Welcome to our Oral History archive
The Oral Histories we’ve archived on this page were recorded as part of a project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund between 2023-24. During this project, members of our Local Welcome groups became Oral History interviewees as they sat down to share and record their memories and experiences surrounding the topic of food. These were recorded in both audio and video format. We also developed a longer form film which can be viewed here.
We hope that by sharing them, these interviews will not only be enjoyable and interesting to listen to, but also useful for historical research, and a mode of preservation for the memories and experiences of our interviewees for generations to come.
We’re in the process of archiving some of these oral history interviews. If you’d like to offer a place in your archive please contact us at: events@local-welcome.org
Birmingham
Yasmin Akhtar
Date of recording: 13 September 2024
Yasmin shares her memories of Punjabi food culture growing up in the North West of the UK, including the importance of sharing meals with neighbours… “you never give the dish back empty”.
Raehana Islam
Date of recording: 8 February 2024
In her oral history interview, Raehana shares her earliest food memories - picking fruit in Birmingham, observing Ramadan with family in Pakistan, and watching her mum rolling roti in the kitchen.
Derby
Behbood Whanzadeh
Date of recording: 4 February 2024
Celia talks to Behbood about his background as an engineer, how spaghetti is better in Iran, the comparison between Irani and Afghani cuisine, and his theory that the UK’s weather affects the taste of meat reared there.
Faleh Alanzey
Date of recording: 4 February 2024
Julie talks to Faleh about his secrets of how he cooks rice in the Derby group, as well as memories of holiday BBQs in Kuwait…and whether he prefers manual or automatic cars.
Stephanie Reed
Date of recording: 4 February 2024
John talks to Steph about her memories growing up with traditional English food in Derby in the 60s, introducing her parents to spaghetti bolognese learnt at her home economics class, and how home cooking meant condensation on the walls.
Please note: The interview ends with Steph sharing some feedback about the meals in Derby, which we have not included in the uploaded recording.
Marion Esfandiari
Date of recording: 4 February 2024
Marion reflects on her experiences of food growing up in 1960s Newcastle, the rise of convenience food, and experiencing new tastes and smells in multicultural north-west London in her 20s.
Leicester
Danielle Vaughan
Date of recording: 24 September 2024
Jacob talks to Danielle, who - although she doesn’t identify as a foodie - still has a lot to share about her food memories and experiences. They include a lot of stories about chips, keeping peace at the dinner table, and her current routine of collecting and distributing surplus food.
David Boydon
Date of recording: 23 September 2024
Celia talks to David about his early memories of rural and local foods, a teenage curry obsession, the mindfulness of cooking, and changing perspectives around eating meat.
Louise Forman
Date of recording: 4 February 2024
Louise shares her memories of growing up in 1960s Leicestershire, enjoying a traditional Sunday lunch with her family, and how cookery classes in high school introduced her to an array of new dishes from around the world.
Norwich
Frances Brazier
Date of recording: 26 September 2024
Jacob talks to Frances about knowing where your food comes from, veg banks and social supermarkets, cooking for her dog Rocky, and the challenges of slimming.
Shathy Bano
Date of recording: 17 September 2024
Jacob talks to Shathy, who reflects on how food is a way of expressing her Bengali heritage, food’s significance in celebrating religious festivals, and how food connects us to relatives across the generations.
Antonio Ciccone
Date of recording: 3 March 2024
Antonio shares memories of his upbringing in a culturally mixed household. From Norfolk dumplings to spaghetti carbonara, he reflects on the meals he enjoyed eating with his family when he was younger.
Thanks to National Lottery players
