Bedside Companion for Food Lovers: An Anthology of Food Delights for Every Night of the Year

by Jane McMorland Hunter

A mouthwatering anthology of food in literature, encompassing fiction and non-fiction, prose and poetry, and even a smattering of recipes, with one piquant extract for every night of the year.

This absorbing book is a literary feast for every food lover—and who isn’t?

You’ll discover a wealth of foodie extracts from around the world and throughout the centuries, from marchpane and posset in Shakespeare to Nigella Lawson on how much cheese to buy for a dinner party. It includes literary greats like Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Maya Angelou; stellar food writers such as Elizabeth David, Madhur Jaffrey, and Anthony Bourdain; and some intriguing curiosities such as the surreal recipes in 1932’s Futurist Cookbook . And, of course, Mrs. Beeton makes an appearance. Also on the menu


and much, much more. Keep this delectable book by your bedside and savor a whole world of delicious food writing every night of the year—and it also makes the perfect gift for the foodie in your life!

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Cooking

384 pages, Hardcover

Published October 24, 2023

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredibly enjoyable read!

If you’re looking at getting this as a gift - do it! The collection of food excerpts gathered from books (old and new, diaries, cookbooks, children’s, classics, etc) were clearly hand picked. The writing styles were broad, the customs sometimes odd, the familiar passages endearing; making for amusing daily reading.

Ages: 14+

Content Considerations: nothing to note.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book. It had more poetry than I like, and I was expecting more descriptions of actual feasts (i.e. "The table was overladen with giblet gravy, warm rolls, and butter, etc.) There were a lot of archaic passages from 1600s cookbooks and passages about cookery but not necessarily food. Other than that, I enjoyed reading this a lot.

[Melanie Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dear friend and fellow author gifted me this book last year, and I read a page a day in 2024. It became a nice part of my morning routine throughout the year. If you are also into food writing, this collection of historical excerpts (of a page to three pages a day) by mostly British or American food writers is a lovely daily snippet from authors from the 1600s to the early 2000s.

[Lizzytish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cover, a hefty book full of excerpts from famous authors regarding food.

[Catie · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5 Stars**

[Jenny Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good morning read to select a word for Wordle! Must have helped as now sitting at over 320 days with not missing out on Wordle.