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Join an expert panel of chefs and food writers who have, at different times, experienced loss and found their relationship with the kitchen transformed.  

Marie Mitchell, author of the forthcoming Kin, re-evaluated the role of food in her life following the birth of her first child and the deaths of her mother and brother. Food historian Bee Wilson has written about the end of her marriage and the lifeline cooking offered; and Michelin starred chef, Daniel Galmiche, who supported his wife with cancer, has talked about how his relationship with food and cooking changed  while his wife underwent cancer treatment. Author Rebecca May Johnson, whose book Small Fires has been celebrated for providing an intimate and bodily account of cooking, will be steering this important conversation about an important but often overlooked topic. 

Included in Food Season Big Weekend Sunday or Weekend tickets, or available to book as a single session. Discounts available for over 60s and BL Members and half-price tickets for students and under 26s  

Food Season Big Weekend Day or Weekend Pass holders please note that entry to this event will be subject to venue capacity and early arrival is recommended. 

Daniel Galmiche has all the characteristics of a successful chef; intensity, passion and fiery ambition! He has been described as "the champion of classic cooking with a contemporary twist". Daniel draws upon his unique experience and passion to share his love of food and authentic French/Mediterranean cooking and is passionate about using ingredients from local and sustainable sources. He is a regular guest chef on BBC 1’s Saturday Kitchen, and now on ITV with James Martin new cookery series Saturday Morning. He has written a regular column for various publications as well as his first book, The French Brasserie Cookbook, published with success in September 2011, and now selling in 11 countries and in 5 languages. His second book, Revolutionary French Cooking was published May 2014. 

Rebecca May Johnson is a writer. Her first book Small Fires, an Epic in the Kitchen was published in 2022 by Pushkin Press and is described by The Sunday Times as, “A manifesto for reclaiming cooking as an intellectual”. Johnson has published essays, reviews and nonfiction with Granta, Times Literary Supplement, Daunt Books Publishing, among others. She was a creative writing fellow at the British School at Rome in 2021 and has a PhD in Contemporary German Literature from UCL. 

Marie Mitchell is a writer, chef, and mental health advocate. Having co-founded Island Social Club, the popular pop up, she will soon be launching her newsletter – Like Cooked Food, a project centred around community and kinship. Marie makes a considered effort to create space in which she can explore Caribbean culture and food with her own version of authenticity and without limits. Developing dishes by focusing on history, geography, and contemporary ingredients found in her locale and home, London, Marie is conscious of driving British Caribbean cuisine, and thus culture, forward. Outside of food, Marie is a champion of social inclusivity, sustainability, and supporting and creating spaces for self-care and mental health awareness. Marie will publish her first book, Kin: Caribbean Recipes for the Modern Kitchen, (Particular Books, Penguin), on the 6^th June, which will feature a collection of recipes from the Caribbean and its diaspora, celebrating the powerful connection food gives us to our families, culture, and to places and people around the world. 

Bee Wilson is a British food writer and the author of seven books on food- related subjects including First Bite and Consider the Fork. Her most recent book is The Secret of Cooking, a cookbook. She writes about food and other subjects for a wide range of publications including The Guardian, The London Review of Books and The Wall Street Journal.  She has been named the Fortnum and Mason food writer of the year in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2023.  She is the founder and chair of TastEd (short for Taste Education), a charity promoting taste education and the joy of vegetables and fruits in schools. 

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