Susannah Rickards, Pippa Goldschmidt, Nikesh Shukla, Elaine Chiew

Food is our common ground, bringing together families, communities and cultures.

Cooked Up is a new short story collection that draws together authors from all over the world, each bringing to the table a unique literary response to food.

A young man attempts to avoid military service by over-eating; students at a cookery school war over woks; a food bank visitor gets more than she bargained for. The book covers meals that are prepared and shared from Cambodia to an Indian kitchen in the US, from Russia to war-torn Croatia.

Four of the contributors – Susannah Rickards, Pippa Goldschmidt, Nikesh Shukla and Elaine Chiew -will share their stories with us and discuss why food is such a rich creative inspiration.

*A two-course supper inspired by some of the stories is available after the readings at 8.30pm. This must be booked. There is a £10 supplement for supper, including BLF Pass holders.