In  these fractured times l wanted to continue to look at how stories and  food can overcome the distance between people and enhance our shared experiences so earlier this year I spent time exploring storytelling  through food writing. I interviewed some very talented writers who tell  stories through their food writing to find out why how food has shaped  their writing and in what ways food enhances their storytelling.  They  have all had different experiences around food which has influenced how  they write and the subjects they write about.  In their own ways they use their writing to break down barriers through stories and food. I  hope you find these conversations as fascinating as I did.

In my second interview I would like to welcome Olivia Potts, writer of two outstanding books, the first A Half Baked Idea which is ‘a heart-breaking, hilarious, life-affirming memoir about dealing with grief, falling in love and learning how to bake a really, really good cake’. She is the winner of the 2020 Fortnum & Mason Debut of the Year Award and the 2020 Guild of Food Writers Food Writer of the Year Award. A Half Baked Idea is truly wonderful and I would recommend it to everyone.  Her next book, Butter, a joyous immersion in all things butter, revelling in its alchemical power to transform almost any dish is published on Thursday 15 September and I can’t wait to read it. She also is the cook whose recipes provided me with a perfect recipe for pancakes, sausage rolls and cheese straws. She also helped to keep me (and many others) sane through her practical instructional how to videos on instagram in the early days of lockdown. My gorgeous picture of a lockdown hot cross bun can be laid at her door.

Her new book Butter: A Celebration can be found here

🐝: bit.ly/3DcvPA1

💦: bit.ly/3QARuoy

📦: amzn.eu/d/ctHSHVS

You can find Olivia on Twitter  and Instagram

You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller 

You can subscribe (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore,  history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional  cocktail.

You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.  If  you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me on Twitter or Instagram at @FairyTalesFood. If you fancy signing up to my newsletter then you can read my first one and see if you like it.