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Diana Henry: A Life Through Food (Part 1)

Food writer Diana Henry talks to Sheila Dillon about the writers whose work she loves, including memoirs, online articles and critics. She also shares her tips on food writing.

Food writer Diana Henry has just collected a James Beard Award in America for her latest book 'A Bird in the Hand'. Straight from the plane she joined Sheila Dillon at the Bristol Food Connections Festival.
In this first part of the interview Diana talks about her beginnings in Antrim and how a revelatory French exchange and a move to London opened her eyes to new styles of cooking and fascinating ingredients.
While at University she was mocked for her love of cooking - in the 80s politics was the passion of the day - but the new 'fashionability' of food is not necessarily a good thing, according to Diana.

She's selected a number of excerpts of writing about food - which she feels capture a feeling or describe a moment with beauty and explains why they stand out from others. Her choices include poetry, novels, online articles and restaurant reviews.

The podcast including both parts of this interview are available from the Monday (Part 2) edition of the programme page.
Presented by Sheila Dillon
Produced by Anne-Marie Bullock
Readers: Rebecca Ripley and Sam Woolf.

Available now

28 minutes

Featured Readings from Part 1 & 2

Crazy Water Pickled Lemons by Diana Henry

Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz

Blackberry Picking by Seamus Heaney

Finding Home at Taco Bell by Jon DeVore

A Well Seasoned Appetite by Molly O Neill

Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton

Jigsaw by Sybille Bedford

Review of Ogniska from听The Guardian听by Marina O鈥橪oughlin

Also mentioned:

A New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden

Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook by Alice Waters

Prospero鈥檚 Cell by Lawrence Durrell

A Compass Error and The Legacy by Sybille Bedford

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Diana听also mentions the work of Edward Behr, Jane Grigson, John Thorne and听Calvin Trillin.

Credits

Role Contributor
Interviewed Guest Diana Henry
Presenter Sheila Dillon
Producer Anne-Marie Bullock
Reader Rebecca Ripley
Reader Sam Woolf

Broadcast

  • Sun 22 May 2016 12:32

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