How Food Frames Stories - Aaron Vallance

Folklore, Food & Fairytales

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 first interview I would like to introduce Aaron Vallance, who as well as being a talented food writer, is a psychiatrist, working in a community NHS child and adolescent mental health service. He has pieces in food publications such as Vittles and Lecker, but also publishes on his blog, 1 Dish 4 The Road, which has twice been shortlisted by the Guild of Food Writers. I fell in love with his writing on his blog through the piece he wrote about connections and his grandfather and I’ve been hooked ever since Curry & Kneidlach: A Tale of Two Immigrant Families

He was also kind enough to say that listening to my last series of interviews with storytellers, inspired him to think about the nature of stories and storytellers which is reflected in the the marvellous piece Goats, Stews and Stories

During our conversation we also mentioned

A Warm Embrace at Halwa Poori House

Dhal Puri Roti – A History in Three Vignettes

Plot Kitchen, Flash Fiction, And The Future of Food

Eggy Dates at Nandine – From Kurdistan to Camberwell

Grandma Beryl’s Chicken Soup

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.