S&S serves up Abbs' Language of Food

Simon & Schuster is to publish The Language of Food, a "remarkable" historical novel by Annabel Abbs.

Sara-Jade Virtue, brand development director at Simon & Schuster UK, snapped up UK and Commonwealth rights from Sharon Galant of Zeitgeist Agency. The Language of Food will be published in spring 2022 in hardback first edition. Rights have sold in nine territories and TV rights have been optioned by LA-based producer Stampede Ventures/CBS Studios in a deal brokered by Rebecca Watson at Valerie Hoskins Associates.

Known as Miss Eliza's English Kitchen in the US and foreign territories, The Language of Food tells the story of an English poet, Eliza Acton, who dreams of seeing her words in print. However, when she takes her new manuscript to a publisher, she’s told that "poetry is not the business of a lady". Instead, they want her to write a cookery book.

The synopsis goes on: "England in 1837 is awash with exciting new ingredients, from spices to exotic fruits, and that’s what publishers want from women. Despite never having cooked before in her life, she is determined to learn and to assist her; she hires 17-year-old Ann Kirby, the impoverished daughter of a war-crippled father and a mother with dementia. Over the course of 10 years, Eliza and Ann develop an unusual friendship—one that crosses social classes—and, together, they break the mould of traditional cookbooks and change the course of cookery writing forever."

Virtue said: "With recipes that leap to life from the page, The Language of Food explores the enduring struggle for female freedom, the creativity and quiet joy of cooking and the poetry of food. From the very first chapter, I became utterly obsessed with Eliza Acton, a woman now recognised as one of the world’s most successful cookery writers. Her story is fascinating and inspiring, and Annabel absolutely bought her to life in this completely page-turning novel."

Abbs grew up in Bristol, Sussex and Wales before studying English Literature at the University of East Anglia and marketing at the University of Kingston. She has written two other novels.

She said: "When I inherited a collection of ancient cookery books, I suspected a story might be lurking in one of them. Researching and writing the story of Britain’s first domestic goddess has been a wonderful culinary adventure which I’m looking forward to sharing."

Galant added: "From the very first pages of The Language of Food I was gripped by the life of Eliza Acton, which is shrouded in mystery lost letters, destroyed wills and family rumours. Annabel went the extra mile and patiently tried out almost every recipe of Acton’s landmark cookbook in order to weave together this powerful and dramatic story with remarkable prose and an exceptional sense of place."