March 2024
Cheers to Spring!
Winter has finally started to loosen her grip where I live in the northern US, and color is returning to the landscape. Buds have begun to appear on the trees,…
December 2023
Holiday Greetings, Readings, and Eatings
It’s hard to believe that we’ve reached the end of 2023. Looking back on all of our Kitchen Table activities, from the monthly Conversations, Kitchen Labs, Sifter Asks, and Wiki Club to the…
November 2023
The First-Time Symposiast as Gardener
It all begins so humbly: a tiny seed, a little kernel of an idea. The hopeful symposiast has her eye on the perfect spot for a garden, er… I mean,…
April 2023
Meet the OFS Young Chefs of 2023 and their mentor, artist and restaurateur Jinok Kim-Eicken
Nourish the Body, Feed the Soul” Our Sunday Lunch, last meal of the Symposium Weekend, will be a collaboration between this year’s four OFS Young Chefs taking inspiration from their Muse – Korean-born chef and ceramic artist, Jinok Kim-Eicken. The OFS Young Chefs – Andiswa Mqedlana from South…
April 2023
Meet the 2023 OFS Keynote Speakers
Rules and rituals inform both the quotidian and the extraordinary events of our lives. Our Keynote speakers will launch our investigations into our daily and anniversary practices by contextualizing how…
March 2023
2023 Rules and Rituals: the Meals
Knife and fork at the ready! This year’s communal meals, masterminded by Meals Co-ordinator, Trustee Gamze Ineceli, will be prepared, as usual, by our invited chefs in the kitchen at St…
March 2023
UPDATE and Great News from the Kitchen Table!
Everyone who attended recent Kitchen Tables will already be aware that we are now recording the live discussions, and that they are available to all those who bought tickets, whether they attended the event event or not,…
March 2023
Talking of Rules and Rituals as practised in the past
This time of the year deserves a rest from the present. Talking of Rules and Rituals as practised in the past, none more useful that those laid down by Rev…
December 2022
Season's greetings and all good wishes for the New Year...
…from your friendly neighbourhood blog-hosts, Chair (retired) Elisabeth Luard and Trustee (Meals Co-ordinator) Gamze Ineceli (and btw – please do let us have suggestions/volunteerings for posts). As the year turns,…
November 2022
Remembrance of Christmases past
By way of an introduction to our pot-luck Kitchen Table on December 15, Elisabeth Luard remembers three of her own Christmases past: Upsidedown Christmas in Uruguay Fireflies in mimosa trees,…
October 2022
Talking about our Wiki-Editathons with Roberta Wedge
An important element in the Oxford Food Symposium’s on-line presence (we started in earnest in July 2020 – no need to explain why) are the regular Wikipedia training sessions run…
September 2022
Oxford Food Symposium and The Sifter
As its name suggests, The Sifter, a database for the analysis of cookbooks that allows searchers to sift out the information they actually want, first saw the light of day in…
August 2022
Oxford Food Symposium Trustee Carolyn Steel sums-up our 2022 theme of Portable Food/Food Away from the Table
What follows is extracted, with her permission, from Trustee Carolyn Steel’s summing-up as delivered on the final day of our 2022 Symposium. We met this year at St. Catz…
May 2022
Chair Elisabeth Luard introduces Dr Lizzie Collingham, invited speaker for our upcoming Symposium on Portable Food
Dr Lizzie Collingham, our distinguished Plenary Speaker on Saturday at the Oxford Symposium Weekend – July 8th-10th 2022, as if you didn’t know! – is one of the UK’s most respected…
April 2022
Chair Elisabeth Luard introduces Corby Kummer, invited speaker for our upcoming Symposium on Portable Food
Expect wit, erudition and the view from the sharp end when Corby Kummer, our distinguished invited Speaker, addresses us all at the opening event of this year’s Symposium weekend at…
March 2022
Update from our Chair, Elisabeth Luard, on Keynotes and Guest Chefs
Greetings and good news, Symposiasts, old and new! We’ll be back at St. Catz July 8-10, 2022 (all things being equal) for the first time since our gathering in 2019. Although we’ve…
February 2022
In our second literary musing relevant to this year’s theme, Portable Food: Food Away From The Table, our president Claudia Roden CBE describes a memorable outdoor feast
It is part of the introduction to her book Picnics, first published by Jill Norman Ltd, 1981. “Visions of paradise have always been of the great outdoors, of trees laden…
January 2022
We begin the New Year with a handful of literary musings relevant to this year's theme, Portable Food: Food Away From the Table.
The first of these is an edited extract from a privately-printed pamphlet by Lorenzo Millo Casas of the Spanish Gastronomic Academy dated Christmas 1987 (translated and edited with the author’s permission). Elaboration on why the paella is never served at…
December 2021
Season's Greetings from your friendly neighbourhood blog-hosts, OFS Trustees Elisabeth Luard and Gamze Ineceli, and the merriest-possible New Year to everyone who's stuck with us through thick and thin throughout 2021.
Our monthly gatherings at the Kitchen Table carry on apace (programme news will be on its way shortly). And while we don’t record the actual talk-fests – what’s said at…
November 2021
From the virtual OFS editing-suite with Elisabeth Luard and Gamze Ineceli: Final Volume
Herewith we wrap up the series of edited chatlines from Food & Imagination at the 2021 Symposium Weekend From Keynote Speaker Eric C. Rath’s Chatline: Defining “cuisine”: How could anyone say…
October 2021
From the virtual OFS editing-suite with Elisabeth Luard and Gamze Ineceli: Volume 3
From the Chatline with Chef Skye Gyngell of Spring Restaurant in London, at the 2021 Symposium Weekend on Food & Imagination: Reconnecting to the Past: I have a wonderful photo…
September 2021
From the virtual OFS editing-suite with Elisabeth Luard and Gamze Ineceli: Volume 2
Elisabeth Luard and Gamze Ineceli take another wander down memory lane with the chatlines from Food & Imagination at the 2021 Symposium Weekend From Keynote Speaker Rob Hopkins chatline: If…
September 2021
From the virtual OFS editing-suite with Elisabeth Luard and Gamze Ineceli: Volume 1
This is a new series of questions and comments from this year's Food & Imagination chatlines. While we don't record the discussion-sessions, the chatlines are recordable by everyone present.
July 2021
Elaine Mahon, recipient of one of the first Young Chef Grants, is organising a new venture, The Young Chefs Collective
The idea of establishing an OFS Young Chefs Collective was born out of a discussion at the Symposium in 2020 among past recipients of the Young Chef's Grant. Awarded competitively, the grant (numbers vary from year to year) was first established in 2009 as an annual award-scheme under the guidance of Trustee Harold McGee with the aim of offering young culinary professionals an opportunity to explore what the Symposium has to offer.
July 2021
Food & Imagination: Sharing the Magical Worlds of three Remarkable Chefs from Different Corners of the World
"Cultural practices must evolve and change, as does nature herself. Our shared future depends on it."
May 2021
An Artist's Mind at Work: Jake Tilson
Jake Tilson is an artist, author, typographer, graphic designer, self-confessed typography-addict and many-times-over Oxford Symposium Trustee. Jake’s artworks and books are held in many museums and public collections around the…
May 2021
Our Patron Theodore Zeldin’s thoughts on the foundation of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery
Our founding Symposiast Theodore Zeldin – Palestine-born Emeritus Fellow of St. Anthony’s College, philosopher, historian of all things French, seeker after happiness and intelligent conversation – provided an introduction to the Symposium’s 2011 cookbook, Celebrations, published to mark our 30th anniversary. As President of The…
March 2021
As we get ready to celebrate our 40th year, symposium Chair Elisabeth Luard takes us back to the beginnings of OSFC
Wind the clock back forty years to 1981. Assembled at St Antony’s College, Oxford, is random collection of philosophers, historians, scholars, non-scholars, readers, writers, scientists, biologists and (mostly) subscribers and…
October 2020
Announcing the first OFS Kitchen Table: Tickets available
Book now to pull up a chair at the very first OSF Kitchen Table on Tuesday October 20th for our first informal, interactive gathering by special request from this year’s…
September 2020
Alan Davidson and the Symposium's Turkish connection
Charles Perry pays tribute to the diplomat and food historian Alan Davidson, an incurable romantic who changed the course of food history Elisabeth Luard writes: In celebration of our Turkish…
July 2020
The First Voyage of Starship V-Symp
Naomi Duguid: Final Report from a Crewmember Each year the Symposium is like a vigorous green garden of aromatic and sometimes spicy conversations and ideas. And this year, magically, even…
July 2020
Baking and Filming for the V-Symposium
Symposiast Gerhardus Geldenhuis volunteers his services with the movie-camera and the bread-oven I was filled with excitement when I was asked to film an opening piece for the V-Symposium with…
July 2020
The Story of Amaro: Foraging for Bitter Greens in Sicily
Symposium Chair Elisabeth Luard introduces one of the evening events at the V-Symp Fabrizia Lanza, owner and director of Anna Tasca Lanza, the world-renowned cooking school and centre of culinary…
June 2020
V-Symp guest chef David Tanis shares his Oxford Food Symposium Experience
My Oxford Symposium Experiences Thus Far My first Oxford Symposium experience was in 2019. I had long wanted to attend, but the opportunity never arose until last year, when I…
June 2020
The Stubborn Cuisine of Fogo Island
Symposium Chair, Elisabeth Luard, introduces our Friday evening v-chefs Not all chefs with a barrowful of culinary laurels would consider taking on a challenge such the Fogo Island Inn, brain-child…
May 2020
Meet V-Symposium Guest Chef Asma Khan
Symposium Chair Elisabeth Luard talks about life, liberty and food with this year’s guest chef Asma Khan Asma Khan is a powerhouse for change in the restaurant world. Radical by…
May 2020
Cooking for the Symposium
Tim Kelsey, Head Chef at St Catz, talks about the experience of cooking for 250 Symposiasts for the last fourteen years This year, with the Symposium going virtual, lock-down seems…
May 2020
All about the V-Symposium’s Visit to Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar
Symposium Trustee Gamze İneceli takes us on a journey of the senses to Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar Imagine, if you will, the waters of the Bosphorus at your back. Inhale the…
April 2020
2020: Our very first V-Symp
Update from our Chair, Elisabeth Luard It’s been a busy time since our Trustees took the decision a month and a half ago that we needed to go virtual. Organising…
November 2019
Remembering Richard Hosking
From our former Chair, Carolin C. Young, with Patsy Iddison and Helen Saberi It is with great sadness that we inform the community of the Oxford Symposium on Food and…
October 2019
Lifetime Achievement Award for Symposium President Claudia Roden
Symposium Chair Elisabeth Luard on Claudia Roden’s Lifetime Achievement Award Many congratulations to our President, Claudia Roden, on receiving her Lifetime Achievement Award at Observer Food Monthly’s annual award ceremony…
August 2019
Post-Symposium News
A message from Symposium chair Elisabeth Luard Thanks to all Symposiasts and everyone involved in the success of 2019’s Oxford Symposium on Food & Power. Whether as paper-presenters, invited speakers,…
July 2019
Spotlight on a Meal: A difficult undertaking
Aglaia Kremezi introduces the Saturday night dinner at the 2019 Symposium: The Power of Frugal Greek Cooking Greek frugal cooking can show its real power in an intimate, family environment.…
June 2019
Spotlight on a Meal: The Power of Food in the Columbian Exchange
Sandra Mian describes, how during a fine dinner in Puebla, the idea of sponsoring a meal at the OFSC – Food and Power 2019 was born May 15th 2018: it…
March 2019
Happy International Women's Day from the Oxford Symposium of Food and Cookery!
New Wikithon Date announced – 20th May 2019 On Monday 20th May for part of its Food Season, the British Library is teaming up with the Oxford Symposium of Food…
September 2018
Spotlight on a Meal: The Sustainable Food Story's Lunch
Abi Aspen Glencross and Sadhbh Moore of The Sustainable Food Story introduce their lunch from the 2018 Symposium on Seeds. 1. Please tell us a bit about yourself, your background…
August 2018
Oxford Food Symposium featured on BBC Radio Four's The Food Programme
BBC Radio Four’s The Food Programme recorded an episode at the 2018 Symposium on Seeds. Featuring stories from edible acorns and the links between amaranth and cannibalism to the importance…
July 2018
2015 Symposium Proceedings Free on Google Books
We are pleased to announce that another volume of our proceedings is now available on Google Books for free: Food and Communication. Learn about the etiquette of slurping in Japan,…
July 2018
First Impressions of the Oxford Food Symposium 2018
Symposiast Katrine Klinken has produced this video of her time at our Symposium on Seeds
July 2018
Borlotti Beans
Symposium trustee Gamze Ineceli introduces a seed planting project started after last year’s Symposium on food and landscape This is a story of seven regions and seven landscapes where centuries-old…
