Ffoice

A novel set in a restaurant kitchen. With ghosts. That somehow gets the industry more right than any chef memoir you’ve read.

That’s Aftertaste by .lavelle.author, and it’s the book we’re reading for the next ffoice Story Club. 🍽️

On 20 May, on Zoom, we’re unpicking what makes this book work so well: its narrative drive, its razor-sharp sensory writing, and why Lavelle’s portrayal of kitchen life cuts deeper than most food writing despite (or because of?) the supernatural twist. 👻

We’ll explore:
🌶️ How she describes taste, smell, and texture on the page
🌽 Why the story moves (and what most food writing gets wrong about this)
🍑 The craft behind writing that’s insightful without being earnest

You don’t have to finish the book to come. But if you do read the whole thing, you’ll be able to go fully spoiler-deep with us (and trust me, you’ll want to.)

Tickets: £18 via link in bio.

This one’s for food writers, writers who eat (so, all of you), and anyone who wants their prose to have a bit more flavour. Hope to see you there! 👩🏻‍💻

Very excited to be hosting this workshop next Tuesday on Rochelle’s novel, Lush, a finalist in the prestigious Debut category of this year’s Nero Book Awards. 🥂🍾📚

If you love literary fiction, grab yourself a copy or download the ebook sample and join us on Zoom, 24 March 8pm GMT. Tickets at ffoice.com/store

Tremendous feedback on our in-depth interview with Anna this morning. She’s an inspiration to so many of you.

If you haven’t got a copy of Silk Roads yet, what’s keeping you?! The proposal for it was so good it prompted an auction - at a time when Anna had fewer than 500 followers.

DM for a link to the article.

Valentine’s vibes at Story Club this Wednesday 💖💕

Talking about the massive popularity of cosy food romances, and what makes them so delicious 🥐☕️🧁

Tickets at ffoice.com/store or via the link in bio 😻😽

Drowning not waving, peeps 🌊🏊‍♀

Which is also to say this is our last week of Office Hours for this year so if you want to pop in and get some input or simply get some writing done, we’re here till Friday. ✨🎄🤶

Choice cuts from Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter - our Story Club read for November.

I’m with her on the peanut butter. 🥜🍞

Have you read it? 📖

If you only know Elizabeth Gilbert for Eat, Pray, Love you are missing out!

Her writing about the creative process is up there with greats like Julia Cameron and Steven Pressfield. 🔥

Most of these 👆come from her book Big Magic, but there’s also two fabulous TedTalks to watch, her still-useful, still-inspiring podcast series from 2016, her Substack...

I’ve had great fun revisiting these in prep for tomorrow’s Story Club session on Zoom.

Yes, we’ll be talking about the memoir/phenomenon that was Eat, Pray, Love ✅ but also how to:

🦹 use clever, E Gilbert-inspired ways to improve your articles and travel writing 🏝
🏗 come up with a fab designing principle (in the literary sense, not the design sense!), and looking at
🦊 COYOTE UGLY.

It’ll be fun. Want to join? We’d love to see you. Wednesday evening 8pm BST. Tickets available from ffoice.com/store or use the links in bio or Stories.

Looking forward to this! 👀💃

Our next workshop is about writing recipes you really want to read, not just follow. 😋 📖

Recipe writing that compels you to the store or into the kitchen, sure, but also that which makes you think and feel more deeply. 💝 🍽

I’m having great fun pulling together examples of the finest – from writers old and new. We’ll be looking closely at why these pieces work and how you can incorporate the techniques in your own writing. ✅

Whether you’re thinking of starting a newsletter, want to pitch magazines, or are looking for ways to reinvigorate your writing and your career, this workshop is guaranteed to inspire. ✨

🎟 Tickets are available via the link in bio or by visiting https://lu.ma/cuycrasa

Hope to see you there!

I’ve been watching Black Cake on Disney+ this week – sniggering that a few of the baddies are British guys. (Elliot Cowan has excellent form on this, btw, playing one of Agatha Christie’s most unhinged killers on Poirot.) 🧨🧨

It’s always interesting comparing tv and movie adaptations to the original novels, not least to see what the directors and scriptwriters felt needed changing to ramp up the tension! 📈😰

👉 Family sagas are brilliant for exploring food, culture and identity – as Black Cake ably demonstrates – and we’ll be diving into the must-haves in this very popular genre during our class on May 21. 🤓

If you’d like to have a go at channelling your love of food and writing into fiction, why not join us!

🎟️ Tickets are £18 from ffoice.com/store and include Zoom replay access for anyone who can’t attend live. 👩🏻‍💻🧑‍💻🧑🏽‍💻👩🏿‍💻

Hope to see you there!

🚀 LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP! STARTS NOON TODAY ⏰

💭 Would you like to write more confidently, to make people’s mouths water, entice them into the kitchen, or out to the shops?

Good food description is the foundation of successful food writing—yet it’s where many aspiring writers falter. 😱

In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn:
🥣 The essential ‘ingredients’ that make food descriptions irresistible—and the pitfalls to avoid
🥣 Skills the most esteemed food writers use to make their work shine—and keep editors commissioning
🥣 Techniques to move beyond predictable sensory adjectives so you’re producing dazzling copy regularly
🥣 How to infuse your writing with authenticity and verve

👉 You’ll take away a toolkit of techniques you can use every time you sit down to write, as well as a workbook filled with examples and exercises to inspire brilliant content in the months to come. 💃💃💃

IS THIS FOR YOU? 🤔
This workshop is perfect for all food writers and bloggers, aspiring cookbook authors, restaurant reviewers, recipe developers, and content creators who want to take their food writing from serviceable to spectacular.✨✨

🏎️ In just two hours you’ll transform your approach to writing and your ability to describe culinary experiences.

Whether you’re producing recipe introductions, book synopses, articles, restaurant reviews, or newsletters, you can make your words as delectable as the dishes you describe—and leave readers (and editors) hungry for more.😋🍴

Sign up now via the link in bio. Looking forward to seeing you!

Is Piglet the foodiest novel of all time? That’s one thing we’ll be discussing tomorrow (Wednesday) evening at our Story Club get-together. Must confess I think Lottie Hazell really nails it.📍

And I’m not alone. 👉 Piglet was named one of the 100 Most Notable Books of 2024 by The New York Times and a Barnes & Noble Discover Prize Finalist (amongst other accolades).

🇬🇧 💂 Yet it’s a thoroughly British story, set in Oxford no less, complete with , and (almost) .

You won’t be surprised to learn that used to work in cookery publishing! 🍜 📚

Do come along tomorrow night if you love food and words and reading and cooking and want to get better at shaping them into something like a career. 🫶 We start at 8pm GMT. Tickets from ffoice.com/store 🎟️