THE SUBSTACK COMETH

Introducing a brand-new way to share my innermost thoughts and unhinged recipe writing

Hello all. Some news:

My writing has grown up, left the charming hamlet of Wordpress-upon-HTML and has relocated to the rapidly gentrifying suburbs of Substackville. I’ll still keep the blog going, but most of my own recipes will be on here now, beamed directly to you every couple of weeks or so, should you be happy to receive such joy in your inbox.

But why the big move?

Well, winning the 2023 Fortnum & Mason Cookery Writer of the Year Award for my work on Student Cuisine for the Gloomy Teen finally drove home the idea that my own creativity should be given more room to grow, this time without the shackles of ‘student’ and ‘teen’ in the publication title. I didn’t want to rename the blog, because it’s still a useful resource for many, and shows how and where I started out. But at the ripe old age of twenty-four, I am neither studying nor am I a teenager, and time is only marching forward; so too must this funny little thing I’m calling a career.

Using a newsletter distribution site to grow my readership seems to be the obvious choice, and Substack the most obvious platform, but let me reassure you, dear reader, not everything is new. Despite the change of name (it’s currently called Amused Bouche but I’m not sure this is permanent), my writing still wears those scruffy second-hand Timberland boots. It still adores talking about yellow-stickered supermarket treasures, and it will maintain that chardonnay tastes like wood glue until proven otherwise. It will also be painting its new writing studio using the same shade of linguistic eccentricity with which it splattered the old office, Student Cuisine for the Gloomy Teen. I’ll even ask it to stack the daft metaphors next to the water-cooler exactly like they were before, just for comfort and familiarity.

Of course, writers are nothing without readers, so I’d love to have you along for the ride. By subscribing to Amused Bouche for the low, low price of FREE, you’ll get lots of deliciously comforting recipes accompanied by some eccentric food writing - and with any luck, a good old laugh every now and again. I’ll even limit how many times I say I’ve written a book to just once per post.

Lastly, before I go and sit in the sunshine with some pals, this Substack is designed for everyone, no matter their level of kitchen confidence - so do feel free to share it with your nan, your dog or even the nearest houseplant. The more the merrier. Thank you so much for subscribing and I’ll be making my way to your inboxes very, very soon.

Love,

F xx