In 1988, I was 21 with a tiny baby daughter and—loving her aside—a serious case of not knowing what to do with my life. My family did not greet the news of my pregnancy with delight. My father’s response? “It’s not like a rabbit! You can’
I have developed a (probably irrational) dislike of posts that begin with “Am I the only one who…” and then proceed to describe an incredibly common human experience as though it were a divine revelation. Amplified by social media algorithms that favour superficial engagement, their strong PFB (precious firstborn) energy
Japanese culture is often flattened, fetishised and stereotyped by the media. This is profoundly annoying. Chef and food writer Tim Anderson takes the opposite approach, engaging with Japan and its food with depth, context, and humility. Wisconsin-born Anderson studied Japanese food culture at university and lived in Tokyo for two
Everything is so complicated and overwrought right now but a recent Reddit post asking, “What is an ice cream flavour that is unique to your hometown?” captured my attention, reminding me that the site is home to some pretty decent food discourse—perhaps because of its anonymity and lack of
Here's part two of my cookbook roundup. Part one can be read here. Notes: I have added details of each book (where possible) to my Bookshop.Org store page. This is an affiliate link that earns me a (very) small commission from each sale. A cookbook habit can
Every time I compile a roundup of upcoming food and cookbooks, I marvel at what a great season it's shaping up to be. It's very hard to choose which ones to highlight; there are so many that I am publishing this guide in two parts. Part
I am delighted to announce that I am now the Food Events Curator for the Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival. Inaugurated in 2017, the festival takes place every October and has grown in strength. Last year I was honoured to interview food writers Olia Hercules and Felicity Spector and witness
Happy Tłusty Czwartek ( Fat Thursday) to all who celebrate! Years ago, I wrote about this wonderful Polish holiday for OFM30, where every available bit of space in my local Polski sklep is covered in trays of fat doughnuts (Pączki). They're a traditional treat today, and the line at
,February's food show on Suffolk Sounds Radio show was on the subject of cookbooks; how I decide which ones to add to my collection, and the criteria I use when choosing books for inclusion in my regular book roundups for this newsletter and my column for Suffolk News
christmas
, "The German word Vorfreude means 'joyful anticipation', and for some people, the pleasure of looking forward to Christmas begins on November 11th, St Martin's Day," writes Jürgen Krauss in his newly published German Christmas Cookbook. When Krauss was small, he would parade through the
halloween
When I was 14, a friend decided to throw an Ouija board party while her parents were out. We'd watched pirated footage of The Exorcist, where Regan (played by Linda Blair) found and played with a board in her mother's attic and even though the thought
australia
Here are all the links from my Suffolk Sound radio slot on Wed 1 October. I was delighted to interview Carrie (Caroline) Fitton, an experienced travel journalist for The London Evening Standard, and contributor to other national newspapers and magazines. For the last 12 years, she has worked in conservation