From A for (dining) Alone to Z for Zakuski, (a Russian hors d’oeuvre), An Alphabet for Gourmets is an anthology of food essays by the incomparable M. F. K. Fisher, alighting on long-time obsessions and idiosyncratic digressions to wholly charming effect.Admired by W. H. Auden as one of the greatest American writers, M. F. K Fisher never focuses on just the food set before her. Instead, with unfailingly elegant prose, an eye for evocative detail and a knack for sharp-edged wit, she draws us in to the whole experience: from the company to the setting, from the preparation to the scraped-clean plate. She liberates her readers from caution, sweeps away adherence to culinary tradition, and celebrates cooking, eating and dining in all its guises.Evocative, thoughtful, with a light touch and a wry humour, these essays illustrate with captivating ease why M. F. K. Fisher has become one of the most beloved and admired food writers of the twentieth century.
About the author
Ella Risbridger is a writer and editor. Her bestselling debut, Midnight Chicken (& other recipes worth living for), was a Sunday Times Book of The Year, and won the Guild of Food Writers General Cookbook of The Year award. Her new book, The Year of Miracles (recipes about love + grief + growing things), was praised by Nigella Lawson, Nigel Slater, Diana Henry, and many more. She also writes children’s books; poetry anthologies; and journalism, including for the Observer, the Financial Times, and Vogue. Her books have been translated into multiple languages, including Russian and Chinese. She lives in Lewisham with three thousand books and a cat.