Iconic literary food moment

Sylvia Plath’s adoration of the avocado

2020-02-27T16:08:59+11:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Iconic literary food moments
To celebrate Richard Glover's book, The Land Before Avocado, set in Australia in the 1970s, we have opted for another modern author, Sylvia Plath, as the subject of our iconic literary food moment. Plath never experienced the 1970s, having committed suicide in 1963, not long after she published her novel The Bell Jar. But it is a fairly safe bet that she would have found the prospects for women in the 1970s just as dreary as for women in the 1950s and 1960s. As Richard stresses in his book, we have come a long way.

Miss Havisham’s cake – one scene never to be unseen

2020-02-08T09:24:39+11:00Categories: News|Tags: , , |

Iconic literary food moments
Charles Dickens' ability to paint a picture with words is perhaps unmatched in literature. From Magwitch swimming in the muddy Thames in Great Expectations, to the rolling London fogs in Bleak House, and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, in A Christmas Carol, the reader is thoroughly immersed in Dickens' England. But perhaps the most unforgettable Dickens scene is that of Miss Havisham's bridal cake in Great Expectations - a torrid, insect infested, decaying mass that mirrors the mired, rotting soul of its would-be bride. Once seen, never unseen.

Ian Fleming’s Bond beauty Bearnaise sauce

2019-07-05T14:50:22+10:00Categories: Recipes|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Iconic literary food moments
"Shaken not stirred". How many people have heard these three immortal words from Ian Fleming's James Bond novels? They speak of adventure, danger, sex, snobbery, desire, pleasure, daring, free rein, humour, fun and elitism, just to name a few. And when it comes to literary food moments, they may well top the lot in terms of sheer international recognition. Yet it is only one of the many food references that Fleming scatters through his Bond novels, a fact that has caused many reviewers to cast Commander Bond as the foodie prototype.

Ian Fleming’s legendary Bond vodka martini

2019-07-04T18:35:56+10:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Iconic literary food moments
"Shaken not stirred". How many people have heard these three immortal words from Ian Fleming's James Bond novels? They speak of adventure, danger, sex, snobbery, desire, pleasure, daring, free rein, humour, fun and elitism, just to name a few. And when it comes to literary food moments, they may well top the lot in terms of sheer international recognition. Yet it is only one of the many food references that Fleming scatters through his Bond novels, a fact that has caused many reviewers to cast Commander Bond as the foodie prototype.

C.S. Lewis’s oh-so tempting Turkish delight

2019-04-22T14:43:29+10:00Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , |

Iconic literary food moments
One of the most powerful iconic food moments in literature is in C.S. Lewis's children's book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It is the moment in which Edward betrays his family, even his own soul, in return for the addictive Turkish delight offered him by the White Witch. I read this when I was seven, and have never forgotten it. They say the strongest memories are attached to the greatest emotion, and this was my first taste of betrayal.

Daphne du Maurier’s Christmas feast in Cornwall

2018-12-26T09:17:46+11:00Categories: News, Recipes|Tags: , , , , , |

Iconic literary food moments
One of our recommended reads for the Josephine Moon episode was Daphne du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel - suspense on steroids. The book is full of food, herbs and tisannes, which in the hands of the irresistible Rachel are weapons of power - rituals that lift the world from the mundane to the sublime. The Christmas dinner is one of the most memorable scenes in the book, highlighting how life can shift around a dinner table; and to honour the mix of Italian and Cornish influences, we have created a pasty bolognaise.