@Elizabeth Campbell's post over the weekend had her come up with such an interesting concept for a cookbook. I'd say this is potentially a best seller! What do you think, everyone? Here it is: "I have been looking at my Great Grandmother's invalid recipes and have discovered that Bread Tea is one of the foulest tasting things I have ever eaten. "That one is going into the cookbook. I mean it is apparently highly nutritious if you use homemade brown beer bread and not Generic store brand, and maybe it tastes...edible. "I think having a section on foods for sick days would be interesting. I will be including Grandfather Joe's Seasonal Cough Cure: Vodka & asparagus juice shots and hot pepper & ginger butter on black toast."

Let’s travel back in time for a moment. When I was just 10 years old — while most kids my age were playing with dolls or scraping their knees outside—I was already running my very first "restaurant" right from our family kitchen. My signature dish? Soufflé omelettes. I’m talking whipped-to-perfection, cloud-like egg whites folded into the yolks, served with all kinds of interesting, experimental fillings. My absolute biggest fan was my father. He was so obsessed with them that he would ask me to whip one up for him at any given time, day or night. (Talk about demanding late-night room service!) Looking back, that kitchen wasn't just a place to cook; it was where my love for flavour, storytelling, and creative expression actually began. It gave me so much joy, and it taught me that food has the power to connect us like nothing else. It makes me wonder about the brilliant women in this community. Did you have a childhood food obsession, or a signature dish that started your culinary journey? Let’s settle this with a quick poll! What kind of kid were you in the kitchen? - Option 1: The Prodigy (Like me, whipping up soufflés, baking from scratch, and acting like a mini-Nigella Lawson). - Option 2: The Mad Scientist (Mixing random ingredients together just to see if it would explode or taste good). - Option 3: The Official Taste-Tester (Strictly in the kitchen to lick the brownie batter off the spoon and supervise). - Option 4: The Late Bloomer (Kitchen? No way. I didn't discover the joy of cooking until much, much later!) - Cast your vote below and tell me your story! 👇 Whether you were a mini-chef or just loved to eat, those early kitchen memories carry so much heart. (And look: if you still possess that deep, lifelong love for food and have ever dreamed of channeling it into words, you don't have to keep those stories to yourself. Whether it’s a vibrant blog, a feature article, or a heartfelt cookbook to pass down your own family legacies, this Skool of Food Writing is where we turn that culinary joy into beautifully structured, published reality.

Let’s skip the polite small talk today and get straight to the things that can destroy friendships, ruin family dinners, and divide whole nations. I want to know your absolute, hills-you-will-die-on food opinions. Because as food writers (or aspiring ones!), our job isn't just to share recipes — it's to have a voice. And nothing reveals a writer's true voice quite like defending a deeply controversial culinary take. I’ll go first to set the stakes: Putting pineapple on pizza is not a crime, but using store-bought, pre-minced garlic in a jar absolutely is. (It tastes like sadness and vinegar, and I will not be convinced otherwise). Now it’s your turn to spark a gentle riot. Which side of the fence are you on? Pick one of these, or drop your own hot take in the comments below: - Team Coriander/Cilantro: Is it a fresh, beautiful herb, or does it taste exactly like dishwashing soap? - The Bacon Debate: Should it be shattered-into-dust crispy, or slightly bendy? - The Tomato Sauce/Ketchup Law: Does it belong in the fridge or the pantry? (Choose wisely). - The Ultimate Offense: What is the one ingredient that instantly ruins a meal for you the second it touches the plate? Let’s hear it! 👇 Drop your most controversial food opinion in the comments below. Don't hold back — this is a safe space for spicy takes!

So much (!) to consider! Logo. Is traffic important? Followers? How to monetise? I'd so appreciate any suggestions. From you as well @David Coffey, since yours is so lovely and engaging. And as they say, 'start at the beginning. It's a very good place to start'.

A lot of modern cookbooks seem to gloss over skill sets. As a bookseller, I love finding old cookbooks, rediscovering some lost classics - some which should remain lost- and discovering different ways of doing things. I have no formal cooking training, just what my Grandmothers taught me (those two women would fight over what a small onion means), what I gleaned from my mom and her elimination weight loss diets (ever toast a rice cake to make a liverwurst sandwich? No? Lucky you.) and my own family with many food allergies. These cookbooks are a blessing for me. Do you all have any that are helpful to you? Post them here!