Food is essential to a healthy balanced life, we’re told. I’d say it can be a vital part of balanced writing too and I don’t just mean those favourite biscuits you keep handy while you type.

Can you think of scenes in something you’ve read or seen that stick with you more because of the food in them? I don’t just mean the Royale with cheese in Pulp Fiction (one of the film’s most memorable scenes though it plays no part in moving the story forward). For me, favourites run from The Wind in the Willows (Ratty’s wicker ‘luncheon basket’ opens up to all sorts of beautiful meals in that lovely book) to A Christmas Carol where Scrooge needs a lesson in how food and generosity can bring us all together, and Chocolat where the stranger in town opens a chocolate shop and upsets the community balance in all sorts of delicious ways. This treat (wonderfully named ‘The Passionate Epicure’, written exactly 100 years ago) came up in our writing group chat on Saturday – thank you, Kate!

Food in a story reveals depths in our characters as well as anchoring us with them in their reality.

Here are some prompts I’ve lifted at random from recipe books:

Cordon Bleu Cookery, 1976 (given to me by my mother): ‘Hot souffles are often considered to be the test of a good cook. They are not difficult to make if you follow the basic rules.’ Those lines always makes me laugh as I’ve never baked a good one and can’t be bothered now to try.

Pasta by Carla Bardi, 2010: ‘Warm the yoghurt in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic, chopped kiwi fruit, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.’ Proving you really can put anything with pasta.

Michel Roux, The French Revolution, 2018: ‘Roll out the pastry to a circle about 3cms wider than the pan. Place this on top of the figs, tucking the excess pastry around them.’ Yum.

The prompts below come from Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, 1989:

The news seemed to move the Captain. In a barely audible voice, he replied, ‘That is a pity, a very great pity.’

The steam rising from the pan mingled with the heat given off by Tita’s body. The anger she felt within her acted like yeast on bread dough.

‘Look, it would be better if we didn’t dig up the past; I don’t care what Pedro’s motives were in marrying me. the fact is he did.’

More thoughts are below for a foodie brainstorm with your main characters. Food can arrive by bike via an app, in a packet or from a hob delivered by a kind neighbour in a crisis, whatever comes to mind. Ask your character to tell you in the usual character chat way, explained here –

About their favourite meals: what do they like to eat/ when/ where/ with whom/ in any particular contexts?

Who makes or provides this favourite food? Why? You, the character, or another character in the story? Why or why not?

Ask about food shopping: what/ where/ how/ when etc. Do they enjoy it? Loathe it? Why?

And so on. This kind of discovery can go on as long as you like. It limbers up your writing muscle, invites your characters back into your imagination after a break, and might even lead to you writing something that can go straight into your book. Even if it doesn’t quite do that last one, it might next time. Happy writing!