About
At Rabbit Pie, we live our history; literally! Every task, demonstration, recipe and story has been painstakingly recreated so that we can speak from experience. We know what a 1940s ration recipe tastes like (mock duck, anyone?), we know what it's like to do the housework in a corset (fairly comfortable, actually) and we know what domestic life was like for real people who lived, worked and played in a bygone era. We believe that immersive play and lived experience are the best ways to learn about history and it is our great pleasure to bring these eras to life for people from all walks of life. ​Read on to find out more about the people behind Rabbit Pie and what makes us tick.
Pam’s love of social history began with the realisation that if she wanted to learn about the everyday lives of ordinary people living in the extraordinary times she was studying at school, she would probably have to do that research herself.
An inveterate reader, encouraged by history-loving parents, she absorbed – and continues to absorb – vast amounts of information about the minutiae of ordinary lives, most of which she will happily recount at the least provocation.
Early retirement was followed by a move from Surrey to Devon, where Pam’s dream of dressing in Victorian clothing was realised in her costumed volunteer role at Lanhydrock House. There she met Laura and recognised in her a kindred spirit. Wearing clothing made to original Victorian patterns, researching recipes and the lives of domestic staff, and being able to recreate those lives for the visitors was pure joy.
Then a conversation one afternoon about the housewives of WW2 resulted in the first of many outings for the Home Front Kitchen Girls and an ever-expanding collection of artifacts and domestic equipment and, ultimately the creation of Rabbit Pie.
Pam’s one wish would be for a time machine, so she could bring back all the furniture and equipment for Laura’s dream Victorian House.
Pam Newton
Laura Fox
Laura grew up surrounded by history and has tried to live there ever since. She graduated from the University of Lincoln in 2014 where she learned how to conserve beautiful old things before realising that in real life that mostly means record-keeping and not much else. Laura worked briefly cleaning dinosaur bones in London’s Natural History Museum and still maintains it was the coolest job she’s ever had.
Whilst working in Visitor Experience at Lanhydrock House in Cornwall, Laura met Pam and many a happy hour was spent researching needlessly intricate details about Victorian country house costume and cookery. A mutual love of British domestic history was discovered and blossomed into a partnership where dressing up, research and talking at people was actively encouraged.
After a few years of the Home Front Kitchen Girls dragging their collection to WW2 events across the Devon countryside, the decision was made to make things official and so Rabbit Pie was born.
It is Laura’s dream to one day own a Victorian house where she can make rabbit pies for real.