Food, family and expectation with Lottie Hazell

Better Words

Lottie Hazell is a contemporary literary scholar, board game designer and writer in Warwickshire. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing and her research considers food-writing in 21st Century fiction. Today, we’re discussing her debut novel Piglet.

Our interview begins at 16:00

We've got a Substack publication now! On the last day of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. Come say hi!

Caitlin recommends: So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong*

A fascinating look behind the scenes of the iconic movie with so many interesting tidbits from those involved.

Michelle recommends: The Whalebone Theatre by Julia Quinn

A beautiful family saga following three children growing up in a crumbling English manor house by the sea, spanning from 1919 to the end of World War Two.

In this interview, we chat about:

• Family, aspiration and why perception is so vital to Piglet
• The 'contract' between the author and the reader and why Lottie wanted to play with that in revealing aspects of Piglet's story
• Food, desire and the connection with family
• Lottie's academic focus on food-centred fiction and how this led to writing Piglet
• Lottie's venture into boardgame designing with her partner

Books and other things mentioned:

• Sex and the City and Us by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
• Simple Comforts by Mary Berry
• Ramsey in Ten by Gordon Ramsey
• The Roasting Tin series by Rukmini Iyer
• The Farm Tabel by Julius Roberts
• League of Lexicon (game)

Follow Lottie on Instagram @LDHazell

Piglet is available in the UK, US and Australia now! Thank you to the publisher for providing us with copies in preparation for the interview.

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod