Out in Liverpool

01/02/2026

Part 2

31/01/2026

No, Florence Maybrick did not kill Jack the Ripper in Liverpool.

Florence Maybrick was an American woman convicted in 1889 at St George's Hall, Liverpool, for poisoning her husband, James Maybrick, a cotton merchant who lived in Aigburth. She was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment; she served 15 years before release in 1904. She always maintained her innocence, and the case remains controversial due to weak medical evidence and apparent bias in the trial.

The connection to Jack the Ripper stems from later theories:
- In 1992, a diary surfaced claiming to be written by James Maybrick, confessing to being Jack the Ripper (the unsolved Whitechapel murders occurred in London in 1888).
- Many experts consider the diary a hoax.
- Some theories suggest James Maybrick himself was a suspect in the Ripper case.
- Others, including Bruce Robinson's 2015 book *They All Love Jack*, propose James's brother Michael Maybrick as the Ripper, and that Florence was framed for James's death.

There is no historical evidence that Florence killed anyone linked to the Ripper murders, nor that her husband (or anyone she knew) was definitively the Ripper. The idea that she killed "Jack the Ripper" appears to be a modern speculation or myth blending the two separate cases—one a proven 1889 Liverpool poisoning trial, the other the 1888 unsolved London serial killings.

26/01/2026

There were more than 7 Streets/lanes.
The 7 lanes you mention are the ones still in existence today.

25/01/2026

The Ship and Mitre is not an Irish pub but the Server the Irish trinity and on my last visit they had 5 other stouts in tap.
Well I just had to.
I drank and rated all 8 stouts on tap. The have more in cans and bottles.

Liverpool's history is deeply intertwined with Ireland, thanks to waves of immigration that brought cultural staples like stout to our shores. During the Great Famine (1845-1852), over 1.2 million Irish people passed through Liverpool, with many settling here and forming one of the largest Irish communities outside Ireland. This influx embedded Irish traditions, including the love for stout, into Scouse life.

Guinness, brewed in Dublin since 1759, became a key export through Liverpool. From 1913, the brewery operated its own fleet of ships, delivering stout directly to the city's ports for bottling and distribution across the UK and beyond. Cork's Beamish (established 1792) and Murphy's (established 1856) followed similar paths, finding their way into local pubs via trade routes and the diaspora. Today, these stouts are poured in Liverpool's Irish-inspired venues, symbolizing enduring ties—Beamish and Murphy's even rarer sights in UK taps, evoking Cork's heritage.

25/01/2026

Traditional Scouse is a hearty Liverpool stew, typically made with lamb (or beef, or a mix), potatoes, onions, carrots, and sometimes swede, slow-cooked until thick and flavourful. It has no place for exotic seasonings or non-traditional vegetables like peas.

Adding Chinese-style salt and pepper seasoning—usually a mix heavy with Szechuan pepper, five-spice, garlic, and chilli—to a Scouse pie fundamentally alters the dish. It shifts the flavour profile away from the simple, meaty, vegetable-led comfort that defines authentic Scouse, making it unrecognisable.

Using small frozen cubes (often the mixed pea-and-carrot variety) is an even greater departure. Classic recipes never include peas; the core vegetables are root-based for texture and depth. Peas introduce sweetness and a different consistency that clashes with the traditional character.

These additions turn a dish rooted in Liverpool's working-class history into something else entirely. While family variations exist, core elements should remain intact to call it Scouse.

24/01/2026

Big shout out to my newest top fans! 💎 Elizabeth Aird, Stephen Platt, Nicolina Maria, Ann Crookall, Beryl Neary, John Smart, John Carr Snr, Michael Wilson, Lee Mansfield, Debra Jackson, Kevin James, Stephen Andrew Hutchinson, Andrew Wayne Cronin, Sally Collins, Arturo Eduardo Marquez, Ann Critchley

Keep it going. Thank you, fans

24/01/2026

The Athenaeum in Liverpool (often referred to as The Athenaeum Liverpool, located on Church Alley) hosts an annual Burns Night dinner to celebrate the life and work of Scottish poet Robert Burns. This private members' club event features a formal black-tie supper, including traditional elements such as addressing the haggis, toasts, and Scottish fare.

Burns Night is observed on or around 25 January (Robert Burns' birthday). In recent years, the Athenaeum has held its dinner on the nearest suitable date, such as 24 January 2025. For 2026, no specific public details are yet confirmed for the Athenaeum's event, though Burns Night celebrations across Liverpool are scheduled around 23–25 January, including ceilidhs at St George's Hall and other venues.

The Athenaeum's Burns Night is a longstanding tradition within its social programme, drawing members and guests for an evening of poetry, music, and dining in a historic setting.

24/01/2026

The Liverpool spud wars have been heating up this season. SpudBros opened their franchise in the city and brought heavy social media hype with loaded jacket potatoes and viral marketing.

In response, Spud Man (the travelling spud vendor) collaborated with local legend John the Spud — who's been serving quality spuds from his wagon on London Road since 1999 — to counter the newcomers at spots like the Christmas market.

Meanwhile, John the Spud and similar long-standing operators have stayed steady, continuing to deliver straightforward, well-loaded jacket potatoes at £2.50 without chasing trends or inflating prices.

Classic Liverpool resilience in the face of new competition.

24/01/2026

The link between Liverpool's workhouses and scouse reveals much about the city's 19th-century poverty and food culture.

In the Victorian era, scouse—a simple stew of meat (often mutton or beef) and root vegetables like potatoes, onions, and carrots—served as a staple dinner in workhouses. It was economical, filling, and made use of available ingredients.

The Brownlow Hill Workhouse, one of Britain's largest, housed up to around 5,000 inmates at its peak and operated from the late 18th century until 1928 (its site now occupied by Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral).

Breakfasts typically consisted of gruel or porridge, but dinners included more substantial options like scouse on certain days, providing essential calories for both the "impotent poor" (elderly, sick, or disabled) and able-bodied inmates unable to find work.

Discipline was harsh: historical accounts from the period note scouse preparation being strictly enforced. In one documented case from the Liverpool workhouse around the mid-19th century, a pauper faced severe punishment—including flogging—for errors in preparing the dish.

This dish's role in institutional feeding helped embed "scouse" in Liverpool's identity, later evolving into the city's famous blind scouse (vegetarian version) and lobscouse variants.

23/01/2026

Tell me this isn't real.

22/01/2026