It’s arrived. The inaugural edition of ‘Fire & Knives’. I’ve been excited about this new ‘Food Quarterly’ since Tom at Nation told me about it a couple of months ago. The way it was described to me was a food magazine written by and intended for enthusiastic amateurs, and despite contributions by undoubted professionals like Matthew Fort and Ton Parker Bowles, the magazine sets out it’s editorial stall very clearly.
”Fire & Knives’ has to be about love of, enthusiasm for and fascination with food, in all its aspects. It could never be about being a connoisseur – literally ‘one who knows’ – it has to be about being an amateur – ‘one who loves’. Everybody eats. And a fundamentally elitist ‘connoisseurship’ is no longer appropriate in a country that’s finally maturing into a proper relationship with it’s food culture.”
I’ve yet to get properly stuck in, but the articles look really interesting and refreshingly unexpected. From cooking with Vincent Price to what defines English food, the magazine could only be the product of independent publishers with a real love for their subject matter. The magazine has been lovingly put together by the guys over at Present Joys, giving it an old fashioned quality feel, and making it even more of an attractive proposition. I hope it’s a huge success.
Enough of the typing, I’ve got some reading to do.
