Head of Zeus to publish 100 Conversations About Food by Risbridger and Young

Head of Zeus has acquired The Dinner Table: 100 Conversations About Food, edited by authors Ella Risbridger and Kate Young.

Acting publishing director for fiction Madeleine O’Shea acquired world English language rights from Zoe Ross at United Agents and Daisy Parente at Lutyens & Rubinstein. The book will be published in hardback and e-book, under the Apollo imprint, on 12th October 2023. 

The synopsis reads: “In this big, beautiful collection, Kate Young and Ella Risbridger present you with their ultimate fantasy dinner party. Here you’ll find authors, cooks and poets including Maya Angelou, Virginia Woolf, Jimi Famurewa, Laurie Colwin, Helen Fielding and Colin Grant discussing eggs, bread, fridge raid suppers, wedding feasts and much, much more.” 

Risbridger said: “It has been so wonderful to get to work not only on something this gorgeous, but also with one of my favourite people, to share our favourite stories about our joint favourite subject. Kate and I have talked every day for years now about the wide and beautiful world of food writing – what we love, and how those pieces speak to one another – and it’s truly a joy to finally make those conversations into something real and tangible. I think and hope this book feels like the best kind of dinner party: old comrades, new friends, good wine, good food, and the occasional spark. I’m very grateful to the team at Head of Zeus, especially Madeleine O’Shea, for giving us this opportunity and letting us run with it.’

Young commented: “It has been a true joy to work in partnership with Ella, and with the team at Head of Zeus, to shape this anthology. We’ve filled it with stories and recipes and poems and articles that we love, that speak of food in so many different forms. It’s been an utter pleasure to find the perfect piece about washing up, about bagels, about cooking for someone you fancy, and we can’t wait for people to discover them too.”

O’Shea added: “This anthology has long been in my mind to commission, and it’s a real joy to see Kate and Ella mould the concept into a book far beyond my wildest ambitions. Their selections are creative, engaging and truly delightful. This book is a treat for anyone who loves food – not just eating it, but thinking about it, talking about it and reading about it – and shows just how expansive the world of food writing has become.”

Risbridger is a writer and editor. Her debut, Midnight Chicken (& Other Recipes Worth Living For), was published by Bloomsbury and became a Sunday Times Book of the Year 2019 and the Guild Of Food Writers General Cookbook of the Year 2020. 

Young is a writer and cook. Her award-winning Little Library cookbooks feature food inspired by works of literature. Her first novel, Experienced, a queer rom-com set in Bristol, sold in a seven-way auction and will be published by Fourth Estate in 2024.