Food, family and expectation with Lottie Hazell

Lottie Hazell is a contemporary literary scholar, board game designer and writer in Warwickshire. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing and her research considers food-writing in 21st Century fiction. Today, we’re discussing her debut novel Piglet.

Our interview begins at  16:00

We've got a Substack publication now! On the last day of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. Come say hi!

Caitlin recommends: So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong*

A fascinating look behind the scenes of the iconic movie with so many interesting tidbits from those involved.

Michelle recommends: The Whalebone Theatre by Julia Quinn

A beautiful family saga following three children growing up in a crumbling English manor house by the sea, spanning from 1919 to the end of World War Two.

In this interview, we chat about:

• Family, aspiration and why perception is so vital to Piglet
• The 'contract' between the author and the reader and why Lottie wanted to play with that in revealing aspects of Piglet's story
• Food, desire and the connection with family
• Lottie's academic focus on food-centred fiction and how this led to writing Piglet
• Lottie's venture into boardgame designing with her partner

Books and other things mentioned:

• Sex and the City and Us by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
• Simple Comforts by Mary Berry
• Ramsey in Ten by Gordon Ramsey
• The Roasting Tin series by Rukmini Iyer
• The Farm Tabel by Julius Roberts
• League of Lexicon (game)

Follow Lottie on Instagram @LDHazell

Piglet is available in the UK, US and Australia now! Thank you to the publisher for providing us with copies in preparation for the interview.

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