Why Food Is The Real Star Of My New Novel

When I first had nan thought for my debut novel, The Underdog, which came retired past week, I knew it had to see food. After all, nan received contented is to constitute astir what you cognize and, aft almost 2 decades’ worthy of recipes, features and edifice reviews, it’s surely my master subject. Though a grumpy terrier threatens to bargain nan limelight, nan book’s (ostensible) main character, Katy, is simply a recently qualified pastry cook who goes from turning retired practice duck ovum and black ail mayo sourdough sandwiches successful a painfully ambitious London cafe, to making cheese scones pinch foraged oversea buckthorn jam connected nan westbound seashore of Scotland. Her travel besides involves a Michelin-starred edifice and a bespoke baking business (as good arsenic a mates of disastrous run-ins pinch bitchy critics, including connected a tv gameshow involving Sue Perkins and a cocoa souffle challenge).

I had an absolute blast penning nan book, and nan nutrient sections were decidedly nan astir nosy – reasoning astir what a starred edifice mightiness service pinch a salted cocoa tart, opportunity (Fergus Henderson’s look is here, but I’m beautiful judge he wouldn’t brace it pinch a beetroot sorbet and walnut crumb), aliases what a professional mightiness bid for luncheon astatine Margot Henderson’s Rochelle Canteen (bitter greens, for illustration our ain Rachel Roddy’s, for a start). In fact, from nan glistening, bronzed hunk of pork pinch salsa verde and pressed potatoes group successful beforehand of nan UK’s astir feared culinary taste-maker, to nan merguez and spot baguette Katy eats connected nan pavement aft kidnapping a canine she doesn’t moreover like, nan nutrient is nan existent star.

Tastes arsenic bully arsenic it sounds … pork pinch salsa verde. Photograph: Ola O Smit/The Guardian

And while I don’t deliberately taxable my bedtime reference astir food, I can’t contradict nan pleasance of a matter that leaves maine quiet for nan meals it describes – I’m reasoning of Asako Yuzuki’s Butter, which introduced maine to nan elemental restitution of “a sliver of food perched atop a mound of steaming atom garnished pinch a azygous driblet of soy sauce”, nan kimchi fried rice (like nan 1 pictured top) successful Michelle Zauner’s Crying successful H Mart, and nan “massaged, marinated, oiled, spoiled, pampered, pompous, romantic” Indian kebabs successful Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. Even nan cardinal lime pastry that Nora Ephron describes successful specified loving item successful her classical caller Heartburn makes maine yearn for thing tangy and rich, contempt having overdosed connected nan worldly erstwhile devising my ain recipe.

Such specifications tin linger acold longer successful nan mind than characters, aliases moreover storylines: Charles Arrowby’s fishcakes pinch “hot Indian pickle” successful Iris Murdoch’s Booker-winning The Sea, The Sea are possibly nan only point I retrieve from a book I past publication astatine university. It’s a representation revenge on pinch James Bond’s customary “half a pint of iced orangish juice, 3 scrambled eggs and bacon, and a double information of java without sugar”, nan potted shrimp and endless crumpets successful Brideshead Revisited and nan bully plain rice puddings and rabbit pies that capsicum Elizabeth Jane Howard’s masterful Cazalet Chronicles.

In short, I’m arsenic greedy successful lit arsenic I americium successful existent life. All recommendations for further reading, and eating, overmuch appreciated.

My week successful food

’Tis nan play … elderflowers make delicious cordial. Photograph: Dulezidar/Getty Images

Foragers, to your marks! | I met Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, nan husband-and-wife squad amended known arsenic nan bestselling novelist Nicci French, astatine nan Stratford literate show past Friday (I’ll beryllium doing events astir nan state for nan adjacent fewer months: dates here). I don’t deliberation they’d mind maine sharing that they person been up early recently, collecting elderflowers for cordial – you person to nab them almost arsenic soon arsenic they open. I’m much apt to bargain a bottle, but I was tempted by nan gorse flowers successful Gower, and it is highest play for young nettles, tangy sorrel and fragrant meadowsweet, hawthorn blossom and chaotic roses, among others – arsenic if 1 needed immoderate much excuse to spell retired for a locomotion astatine this clip of year.

Dreaming of dessert | OK, this is cheating, because it was much than a week ago, but this crockery was truthful extraordinarily bully that I’ve thought astir it regularly successful nan past 10 days: nan malted mousse pinch hazelnut, wood sorrel, citrus ice-cream and fermented conifer syrup astatine Beach House successful Oxwich, Gower. Written down for illustration a laundry list, it sounds fussy, but connected nan sheet it was nan benignant of feast of flavours, temperatures and textures that silences nan table. The cleanable extremity to a beautiful cleanable meal. Even nan canine enjoyed himself.

A very Scottish tipple | The barrel-aged Irn-Bru negronis nan squad astatine Clerkenwell’s Auld Hag made for my book launch, paired pinch miniature bridies and macaroni pies successful a motion to nan book’s Scottish ending, proved a astonishing hit. Replacing immoderate of nan vermouth pinch Irn-Bru syrup made for a lighter, tangier cocktail that proved dangerously easy to drink. I’ve already re-created a much basal type astatine home, reducing a tin by astir 75%, past adding it to taste.

A pastry cook successful Paris | Every clip I log connected to Substack, there’s truthful overmuch awesome worldly to get done (including our very ain Guardian Feast). This week, it was pastry cook Sonali’s extremely honorable account of a play successful Paris, caller disconnected a nighttime shift, pinch her Icelandic fiance and chap chef. It features respective useful recommendations, particularly successful nan culinary souvenir department, and gratifying confirmation of my sentiment that nan Maison d’Isabelle does nan champion croissant going.