One Upon A Mealtime - The Food Programme Books of 2024
Whether it's Turkish Delight, chocolate cake or ginger beer - some of our earliest food memories are shaped by the books we read. So in our books review programme for 2024, Sheila Dillon goes down the rabbit-hole of children's fiction to discover why young readers find descriptions of food so compelling.
In Once Upon A Mealtime - Sheila hears from bestselling children's author Katherine Rundell who insists on eating the food she features in her books including tarantulas. She describes how they taste (not like chicken).
Professor of Children's Literature Michael Rosen unpicks the themes of greed, temptation and fear that surface in both his work and that of Roald Dahl. The programme also pays a visit to the Bath Children's Literature Festival where Supertato author Sue Hendra and the illustrator Rob Biddulph talk about how children are drawn to the everydayness of food.
The programme concludes in the Children's Bookshop in North London as the Food Programme presenters gather to discuss their favourite food books of the year for both younger and older readers. They are assisted by the bookshop owner Sanchita Basu de Sarkar and the author of The Chronicles of Wetherwhy Anna James.
Below are the food books mentioned by those featured in the programme. We asked our contributors to recommend food books that might inspire children or that inspired them as children. Our presenters also discussed their favourite Food Books of the year.
Food Books of the Year 2024
Sheila Dillon chose…
Bethlehem – A Celebration of Palestinian Food by Fadi Kattan
A Woman’s Place Is In The Kitchen by Sally Abé
Jaega Wise chose…
The Martini, The Ultimate Guide To A Cocktail Icon by Alice Lascelles
Dan Saladino picked…
How The World Eats by Julian Baggini
In Search of the Perfect Peach: Why flavour holds the answer to fixing our food system by Franco Fubini
Children’s Food Books…
Sheila Dillon discussed…
Seed to Supper: The Journey of Your Food from the Ground Up by Michelle Darmody
Chefs Wanted by Allegra McEvedy
Welcome to Our Table: A Celebration of What Children Eat Everywhere by Laura Mucha and Ed Smith (also recommended by Food Programme presenter Leyla Kazim)
Jaega Wise recommends…
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Dan Saladino described…
You Choose by Pippa Goodheart, illustrated by Nick Sharratt
Children’s Authors‘ Recommendations…
Katherine Rundell: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren for her “wild chaos” in the kitchen – most memorably in making pancakes with eggshells and ginger snaps.
Anna James: The Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame (for the picnic vibes), Malory Towers by Enid Blyton (for the midnight feasts) and The Magic Faraway Tree (for the pop cakes). Anna has been cooking her way through The Little Library Cookbook by Kate Young
Rob Biddulph: The Richard Scarry books (for the wonderful illustrations including food)
Sue Hendra: James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (for the description of the peach – “I could smell it, I could taste it!”)
Sanchita Basu De Sarkar, Owner of The Children’s Bookshop in North London
My First Cook Book: Bake, Make and Learn to Cook by former Great British Bake Off contestant David Atherton
The World Kitchen: Family Recipes From Around The World by Abigail Wheatley, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat
Tasty Tales by Anna Lena Feunekes
The Café on the Edge of the Woods, by Mikey Please
And for descriptions of food…
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The Perfect Hamburger by Alexander McCall Smith
