When the tides turn, do we?
Taking stock five years on in a season of food
Hello to all my new followers and thanks for reading to my long term ones. It’s been a busy few weeks. I’m delighted to report that I’ve lost only five of 50 paid subscribers since restarting paid subscriptions. This is a completely free newsletter, however you can choose to support it with a paid subscription. Thank you for being here, caring and sharing!
I’ve found myself reflecting on how far we've come in five years — and how quickly the winds can shift. It’s hard to believe how different life felt despite global geopolitical crises, economic chaos and unhinged national politics before the US presidential elections. All hell seems to have broken loose since. This is not that sort of newsletter so I’ll start with my own experience in this time, and the winds of change that have blown through the food community to bring you to where we are now, and why we need to be more engaged and interested than ever before.
The tragic events that unfolded in 2020 made it a year of reckoning. A year that cracked open the food world, and many others, to uncomfortable truths. At the height of Black Lives Matter, I got an unexpected call from Katy Jackson, adult learning manager at British Library. Would I like to run an introduction to food writing session for them?
I said yes with all the fearless energy of a toddler reaching for a hot hob.
The reaction online to my happy news was mixed, to say the least. Some questioned her decision and others my credibility. One writer even WhatsApped to say I wasn’t really a food writer. She listed familiar white, female, national newspaper names Katy could have called instead.
I shared my sadness about this (no names named) on pre-Elon Twitter. The outrage about my experience it generated meant the course sold out within hours. A second one had to be organised immediately. I saw my moment and inserted a slide in my training presentation on culture, diversity and inclusion in food, drink and hospitality.
That page became a 20-minute talk, then a 1.5 hour and longer session, which I’ve now delivered to countless individuals and organisations across media, publishing, brands, retailers, hospitality and beyond. It paved the way to roles like Board Advisor at Be Inclusive Hospitality and Committee Member of the Guild of Food Writers — the latter a position I still proudly hold.
Progress on pause?
There has been much progress in this time. The Fortnum & Mason Awards shortlist, the variety in restaurants we love and the range of cuisines we enjoy at home with deeper appreciation and understanding are all examples in plain sight.
What I didn’t expect was how five years later, that momentum would slow. Caring, fairness, climate action, diversity, equity and inclusion have become politicised —dismissed as leftist “woke” obsessions. A shift to the right has legitimised hate and intolerance. Political events across the pond in recent months have hardened the stance. And now, it seems, we’re watching the tide retreat.
Across the Atlantic, diversity and inclusion programmes are being shelved. Budgets slashed. Rights reversed. I asked leadership coach and author Pooja Sachdev what she saw during a recent visit to the US:
“There is a palpable anxiety that seems to pervade daily life. ‘You don’t know what’s going to be thrown at you in the news when you wake up each day’ was a line I heard a lot, from both friends and colleagues. This affects everyone, but particularly those in minority or marginalised groups.
If you’re disabled or gay or Hispanic or a female working in a male-dominated industry, you can’t help feeling under threat by some of the decisions and statements that have come out. Organisations are having to navigate this and support their staff, while also dealing with the Executive Orders and legal confusion around what they can and can’t do when it comes to DEI. It’s a huge challenge to operate in this environment.”
Are we next?
The DEI heads I’ve spoken to in the UK have resolved to double down on their efforts in a show of strength and common sense. While there’s been progress, there is much to be done. It makes no sense to undo the achievements and good work of the last five years.
However, we’re not immune in the UK. As Pooja says:
“We will inevitably see the impact here in the UK and Europe as a fallout soon enough. Publicly, a few companies are ‘doubling down’ and others appear to be ‘backing off DEI. Behind the scenes, what I’m seeing is that the majority are actually (quietly and diligently) continuing the work for now, and that’s exactly what they should be doing.
Those who are hastily cancelling programmes or backing off on commitments face reputational, talent and legal risk - equal opportunites legislation continues to be in place, and employees have not stopped caring about fairness.”
In my experience, people haven’t stopped caring. They haven’t stopped noticing. And when balance returns, they’ll remember which brands stood firm — and which ones gave up too quickly and easily.
So, what can we do?
We can choose to be the tide that doesn’t turn.
That’s why I’m doubly delighted to be returning to the British Library this May and June for the Food Season, doubling down on food, fairness and flavour. You can read co-director ’s excellent piece on the seven-month process to curate it. Whether you're a passionate eater, emerging food writer, or curious citizen — come along. There’s something for everyone.
My two sessions are:
1. Food Matters for Food Lovers
🗓️ Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th May 2025, 10:30am - 4:30pm
Two days of immersive, delicious learning. Whether you're food-obsessed or want to level up your storytelling, this weekend is for you.
What to expect:
Day 1: Sustainable food systems, climate, culture and diversity
Day 2: Food writing, publishing, storytelling — and getting your brand out there
Food, drink and a trip to the Unearthed Garden Exhibition
Special guests:
Keshia Sakarah, chef & cookbook author
Lulu Grimes, Managing Editor, Good Food & Olive
Past attendees have gone on to:
Be shortlisted for Fortnum & Mason Awards (👋🏽 Toyo Odetunde)
Write for national newspapers (Raj Thandi flew in from Canada for the course!)
Launch menus, substacks, memoirs and more
This is what Toyo and Raj had to say about their experience of my course (proud and grateful!):
2. Beyond the Promises: Food & Drink Five Years On
🗓️ Sunday 1 June 2025, 19:00–20:30
An urgent, honest conversation about where we go next with DEI in hospitality. I’ll be joined by industry leaders:
Lorraine Copes, Be Inclusive Hospitality
Aji Akokomi, Akoko
Jackson McClarty, Black Eats
We’ll explore the progress made in food and drink since 2020—and what still needs to change.
Change in action
I was already riding a high from seeing Toyo’s name on the award shortlist, when I had the joy of meeting Althea Brown. A Guyanese food writer, she attended when I delivered my culture and mindset session for Whole30. One of the challenges Althea faced was seeing fellow members create seemingly random recipes based on her shares with inexplicable “tweaks”.
Playing pick and mix with cultural recipes with no deep understanding is a matter of disrespect. It also has a name - cultural appropriation. Something I know a fair bit about. I advised Althea later on doubling down on her deep knowledge and cultural heritage. Harder to appropriate those!
Althea brought us signed copies of her beautiful new cookbook Caribbean Paleo and organised an intimate Guyanese lunch at Aunty Faye’s Kaieteur Kitchen Original. Wonderful to spend the afternoon eating, laughing and sharing stories of how we reclaim our cuisines and foodways.
It was particularly lovely to share the table with Melissa Thompson, co-director of the British Library Food Season who asked me to come along this year. You can watch the reel I created here with some content support from Melissa! This is one of the best things about the food community - we come together in more ways than one.
A final push, if you need one…
If there’s one takeaway from the last five years, it’s this: Whether you’re writing your first food piece or trying to build a fairer future — your voice matters. Let’s keep showing up, sharing stories and holding space for change.