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
, "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
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
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
My personal take on Halloween and Día de Muertos, a prequel to a post about Halloween-themed cookbooks and food writing. I'd love you to subscribe to my newsletter; there's a link on the homepage. Halloween was a slightly ramshackle affair in late seventies-eighties England. Back then,
I'm updating and reposting some early book reviews originally published on my old Miller's Tale WordPress site. Although I love reading new cookbooks and frequently review them, particularly if they are written by authors traditionally underrepresented in Western publishing lists or cover interesting and unusual topics,
Out for a walk. Underfoot, a bosky mulch of fallen leaves. The air is suffused with the scent of wood smoke; the last few nights have been cold enough for blankets over laps and fires to be lit (and in our case, the heating has been put on). It'
american food
"Think about how you feel about hot dogs right now, and let me know how you feel at the end. If it's exactly the same, I promise I won't write another one of these things." I'd love Raw Dog by Jamie Loftus
book reviews
Here's a roundup of some of the things I've found interesting of late, including my pick of the autumn publishing list (which you can order from your local library to save on cost). As usual, most of the links are affiliated with my Bookshop page. I
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News
This is Tales From Topographic Kitchens, a brand new site by Nicola Miller that's just getting started. Things will be up and running here shortly, but you can subscribe in the meantime if you'd like to stay up to date and receive emails when new content
Suffolk Sounds Radio 📻📣🎙️🎧
Everything I discussed during my food slot on yesterday’s Suffolk Sounds Radio show with host Karen Cannard (06/08/2025). You can listen again until Wednesday, August 13th. This post is too long for email; you’ll need to click on the link to read it all. The book
american vintage cookbooks
Rain at last. I woke at six and went into the garden to see my plants looking…erect. They've been so slumped, like bored teenagers in a hot stuffy classroom but now they seem happier and fresher. The tap water in Suffolk is very hard, filled with calcium
Away 🏖️🏝️🍹⛱️🌞
I’m working on a longer piece about Queer Food, a new book by but wanted to say a quick ‘hi’ and tell you about some of the things I have been up to. This post is too long for email and you will have to click on the link
Book Reviews 📔📖📒💻
One for lovers of detailed single-subject cookbooks! "Roti kha kar jaana- if asked for a phrase that encapsulates the era I grew up in, I would quote this one. Unpretentious, earthy and direct, as an invitation to"stay and eat with us", it captures the warm sociability
scottish food writers
A quick roundup of my recent reading
english rural writing
What books do you return to in Spring?
Away 🏖️🏝️🍹⛱️🌞
A day on Suffolk's plashy coastline