I have complicated feelings about this book, which above all felt like it needed a lot of focus that it didn’t have. What exactly are we talking about here? That all food is wonderful and, as she says very very often, magical? I just disagree so strongly that it’s hard for me to get behind that. Some food isn’t even food. But if yes that’s what we are talking about, that’s one thing, but it seems often like we are talking about food politics, queerness in food, food injustice, comfort food, food history (extremely extremely surface level)...I think if she’d written a book about any one of the above, it would have been better. That and a lot more research.

I tried to go with Ruby’s approach of just treating myself to every little thing, because she’s right, I do have some food anxiety. But over the course of reading this book I bulked up and felt fatigued. Too much treating makes me a dull person.

That said, I highlighted more in this book than I’ve ever highlighted before. I’m throwing my hands up in the air and moving on.

The kindest, most empowering book you will ever read about food and eating and bodies.

This was a little cheesy but overall a fairly enjoyable read. I happened to be reading it while coming out of a period of bad appetite so it was nice to be reminded about the magic of food and cooking! And I appreciated her pushing back on all the different ways that we are shamed about what and how we eat.

I can’t really give this a plot, but it’s essentially a series of “articles” – you might say, maybe essays, columns, thought processes – put together by Ruby Tandoh, contestant in 2013’s Great British Bake Off. Since finding fame, she’s become an authority on eating well, but not in the way you might know it today. Instead of giving a series of rules or guidelines on what to eat, when to eat, how to diet and so on, Ruby’s commentary is on experiencing food and eating, developing a better relationship with what we put into our bodies, whether that’s for our bodies or for our minds. Her words are refreshing to read and really interesting.
There are parts on exploring your mental relationship with food; sections on how different cultures eat differently; sections on how foods evoke memories; parts that really detail the process of eating and cooking.
I was nervous about this book for a couple of reasons. When I watched Bake Off, Ruby reminded me of someone that I didn’t want to be reminded of, to put it plainly, so I wasn’t a big fan of her. It was nothing personal, just one of those things! As a result, I wasn’t sure whether her writing might bother me. I was also nervous because I’ve previously had a complicated relationship with food and eating (haven’t we all?!), so I worried that it might cause me to think too in depth about it and set me off on bad trains of thought.
Fortunately, this book isn’t like that at all. It takes food and eating back to the basics – for nourishment but also for enjoyment. Reminding us why we like to eat, and also why we have to eat; that food sometimes makes you feel better in the long run, but also sometimes the fact that you just need an Indian takeaway to feel better for an hour or two.
And Ruby also explores her own personal experiences with food – telling us her memories, her struggles. I think many people will be able to relate to this, and for me, it’s helped me find a more healthy mindset to think about food and eating, reminding me to take the time to experience and enjoy it.
On top of that, it’s written beautifully – like a poem in parts, where she describes the purchase of a creme egg or the cooking process behind a favourite meal, but also blunt and informative in others.