What do your kitchen items mean to you? This book is a brilliant blend of memoir, anthropology, food writing and social history. It was a lot more interesting than it sounded from the blurb. The premise is that soon after Bee Wilson’s husband left, the heart-shaped tin, in which she’d baked their wedding cake, suddenly fell to the floor. This got her thinking about how and why we attach meanings to kitchen items, whether their significance can change, and how different cultures attach importance to things.

The book includes themes such as grief, hoarding, gifting, social status and memory. The chapters switched between her own reflections, those of her friends, the stories of people from the past, and the slightly academic bits from researchers. I have to admit that some were more fascinating than others. The chapters on paper cups and corkscrews, for example, did not really interest me. The chapters on Merry Mushrooms and Agas, for example, were very good. At the end, we are back to the heart-shaped tin, which stands for so much more than its original intention. The book is so well-written and I would definitely consider reading more from this author.

Published by Fourth Estate, 2025.