A Book Guide On Food (Writing)
#8 love, potatoes and other things worth indulging in.
It’s November. Winter is coming. Or is it already here? Anyways, the festive season is upon us once more.
For many of us, this conjures romantic imagery of log-burning fires, big coats, even bigger scarfs (I like this quilted one) and winter walks. An excuse to watch The Holiday, Bridget Jones and When Harry Met Sally in bed for the umpteenth time (not like you ever need an excuse). Providing the perfect backdrop for guilt-free indulgence and big fat books (or Britney’s record-breaking new memoir).
With that in mind, I thought I’d put together a list of books to accompany you through this season. A ‘book guide’ if you will. Books that will make you feel warm and jubilant and unashamed of the copious amounts of food and alcohol you’re likely to consume over the coming months. And what could possibly be more festive than food?
So here it is, a book guide on food (writing).
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
Originally published in 1983, Heartburn is a fictionalization of the end of Ephron’s marriage to the philandering journalist Carl Bernstein. Ephron makes her character in the book, Rachel Samsat a food writer, opening the door to beautiful food-themed prose, layered with Ephron’s sharp wit and observations.
There are recipes for things like linguine alla cecca, toasted almonds and key lime pie. As well as a vinaigrette that recently went viral because of something to do with Olivia Wilde and Timothee Chalamet.
‘I have friends who begin with pasta, and friends who begin with rice, but whenever I fall in love, I begin with potatoes.’
The part I have gone back to time and time again is a section called, ‘Potatoes and love: some reflections’ where Ephron uses potatoes as a way of signposting the stages of a romantic relationship. Laborious ‘crisp’ potatoes for the beginning and butter-heavy mashed potatoes for the end.
Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
It would be sacrilegious to do a book guide on food writing and not mention this book. Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin is a memoir slash cookbook slash book about cooking. Colwin weaves together memories and her favourite recipes to provide a refreshingly honest portrayal of the realities of home cooking and life.
Throughout the book, Colwin points out endless truths. The novice cook is always over-ambitious (this made me think of Bridget and the blue soup). Scrambled eggs are not a guaranteed success and when they say you need all of the utensils, THIS IS A LIE you never need all of the utensils. Personally, I think the same usually goes for ingredients.
‘It is wise to have someone you adore talking to in the kitchen while you make these eggs, or to be listening to something very compelling on the radio. If you have truly mastered the art of keeping a telephone under your chin without it falling to the floor, a telephone visit always makes time go faster.’
Colwin’s way of using food and cooking as a medium to reflect on life and society feels familiar in 2023. However, in 1987 when the Martha Stewart brand of American homemaking was still at large, the woman was nothing short of a pioneer. If you do decide to read it, this podcast about it is the perfect digestif.
Taste by Stanley Tucci
Another delectable read to add to your list is Taste by Stanley Tucci. I make this recommendation, not only because it is full of wonderful Italian-themed recipes, but also because I am completely in love with this man.
Most amusing is the Christmas Eve chapter where Tucci divulges his determination to keep his family’s Christmas tradition of cooking a ‘Timpano’ (a giant pastry drum encasing pasta) alive and the comical despair this causes to everyone involved.
The gnashing of teeth by a woman … at the mere mention of Timpano and of course the inevitable late-night conversation beginning with the words, now uttered darkly in a posh British accent, ‘That f***ing timpano …’.
There is also a chapter on Spaghetti Carbonara with an exceptional amount of profanity and another on his wife Felicity making his parents very British roast potatoes, which unsurprisingly reduced me to tears.
Other Foodie Must-Reads
If you enjoy reading the above and are ready to delve even deeper into the world of food (writing), here are some more delectable bangers to add to your TBR pile.
In the Kitchen, Essays on Food and Life, this book is one of the best collections of food essays I’ve come across. I particularly loved A Life in Cookers by Rachel Roddy.
For my Irish contingent, Nine Ways of Looking at a Pint of Guinness by Ana Kinsella for Vittles is beautifully written and made me love Guinness even more.
Speaking of Vittles, the online food magazine gets contributions from big names in food writing like Ruby Tandoh and publishes fun things like The Bi-Weekly British vs American Food Debate. You can read it all here but beware there is a paywall.
M.F.K. Fisher is considered one of the greatest food and travel writers of all time. A beautiful anthology of her essays was recently republished called An Alphabet for Gourmets which I thoroughly enjoyed and is great if you’re in the mood to feel more cultured.
More Ephron! An essay called Serial Monogamy she wrote for The New Yorker about the cookbooks that shaped her life.
For fans of the Table Manners podcast (Nigella ep is great) and those of you intrigued by celebrity restaurant culture, Omelette by Jessie Ware is fab. This is also a good book to gift on a night out because it will fit in your friend’s already overloaded Uniqlo crossbody bag.
Midnight Chicken and everything else Ella Risbridger has ever written, including her newsletter on Substack, You Get In Love And Then. I reviewed one of her cookbooks last year, read it here.
My biggest girl crush in the food space is Alison Roman, aka the poster girl for home cooking. She also has a newsletter, called A Newsletter.
If you want to fill up your inbox with foodie delights, another great one to subscribe to is, Debora Robertson’s Lickedspoon. Debora is the author of Notes From A Small Island Kitchen and her newsletter is full of recipes and food stories from her life in the South West of France.
Read along with me!
My review this month is on Dolly Alderton’s much anticipated new book, Good Material, which arrived through my letterbox yesterday. I think if you buy it from BookBar you also get free socks which is fun, get socks here.
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