Victoria Sponge

Light as air, this neat sandwich of cake, jam and cream is often seen as emblematic of British baking – but its story is richer and more complex than its simple ingredients might suggest.

In this episode of History's Greatest Dishes, Emily Briffett and food historian Annie Gray explore how an unassuming cake became a national icon. They chart its rise amid the 19th-century boom in baking technology and its later association with afternoon tea and the Women's Institute – and discuss how its ingredients reveal a darker side to the food industry.

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