London Review Bookshop Podcast Vittles Issue 1 Launch: Robin Craig, Amy Key & Waithera Sebatindira
Jan 14, 2026
Amy Key, a poet known for her food imagery, explores cravings as a language of desire in her essay. Waithera Sebatindira, an East African lawyer, discusses the Eucharist as a meal with profound political and communal meanings. Robin Craig shares personal reflections on food’s role in hospice care, highlighting dignity and intimacy. The conversation delves into the complexities of food writing, critiquing celebratory narratives and examining food as a gateway to vulnerability, desire, and societal connection.
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Rethinking Who Writes About Food
- Odhran O’Donoghue explains Vittles chose pieces by writers outside traditional food media to rethink what food writing can be.
- The magazine curates work that interrogates who can write about food and why their perspective matters.
Cravings Translate Inner Life
- Amy Key links cravings to emotional states, saying food often translates elusive feelings into sensory form.
- She describes craving as a mode of expression where food makes intangible desires tangible.
Dream Recipe For 'Palest Greens'
- Amy Key shares a dream-recipe for a 'palest greens' salad that embodied a craving for newness in January.
- She uses sensory food images to negotiate identity, body boundaries and denied pleasures.
