Let Them Eat Books

Let Them Eat Books is a podcast hosted by Claire Reynolds and Colin Herd about all the food you have and haven’t tried in all the books you have and haven’t read. Leaving jammy fingerprints on book jackets, reading every last word on the back of packets, we combine the two things that make us who we are: a shared passion for the culinary and the literary! We also visit food and book locations around Scotland and further afield.

Episodes

4 days ago

28 min

This week's episode features the Sicilian Pastry Minne di Sant'Agata. Colin and Claire discuss texts by Giuseppe Tomasi de Lampedusa, Michelle Steinbeck, Dorothea Lasky, Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha and Michèle Saint-Michel. As this episode details sexual violence, please do visit Survivors Network for resources if effected by any of the content. 

Aug 6, 2026

35 min

Claire and Colin are joined at The Last Bookstore in Glasgow by Sumayya Usmani, author of Summers Under the Tamarind Tree: Recipes & Memories From Pakistan, Mountain Berries and Desert Spice: Sweet Inspiration From the Hunza Valley to the Arabian Sea  and Andaza, a food memoir. They discuss writing, food and memory. 

Jul 30, 2026

44 min

It's Oranges and Oranges as Claire and Colin up their Hispter Credentials by tasting Orange Wines - Kisi Kikhvi Anapea, Georgia, and Arneis Origins Jauma, Australia,  from Sylvan in Glasgow's Woodlands Road, as well as Claire's homemade Vin D'Orange (the traditional Provencal drink). Writers discussed in the episode include Janelle Tan, Sally Rooney, D.S. Waldman and the legendary French singer Francoise Hardy. 

Jul 23, 2026

49 min

Claire and Colin eat and discuss one of the world's greatest breads... Focaccia from Liguria, featuring texts by Virgil, Dante Alighieri, Laura Accerboni and Kat Dixon. They also eat focaccia from Twelve Triangles in Portobello, Gloriosa in Glasgow's Finnieston and Focaccia in Glasgow's West End. 

Jul 16, 2026

35 min

Colin and Claire visit Brasserie Prince in Edinburgh to eat the French delicacy of Escargot. They also get to grips with global snail-eating culture, and discuss texts by Langston Hughes, William Soutar, Thom Gunn, Selima Hill and Patricia Highsmith!

Jul 10, 2026

38 min

How do you like them apples? Colin and Claire meet artist and writer Annie Lord in Portobello to discuss The Neighbouring Orchard, a dispersed orchard formed of 200 apple trees and grown by more than 170 people, spread across North East Edinburgh and Musselburgh, found everywhere from front gardens to children’s play parks.

Jul 2, 2026

35 min

Hot Diggidy! Colin and Claire chow down on Hot Dogs at Thundercat in Glasgow’s Miller Street and discuss all things Hot and Doggy including poems by Frank O’Hara and Grace Cavalieri and Jamie Loftus’ book Raw Dog. 

Jun 25, 2026

45 min

In our 50th episode, and to celebrate "Quiche and Salad Season", Claire and Colin picnic on one of their all time favourite foods: quiche. Featuring discussion of works by Zadie Smith, Toni Cade Bambara and even the band Getdown Services. They also taste test two quiches from Cottonrake Bakery in Glasgow! 

Jun 18, 2026

47 min

Curl up with Let Them Eat Books' nutty hosts Colin and Claire as they explore all things cashew! This episode features poems by Severo Sarduy, Francis de Lima, Ranudi Gunawardena, a non-fiction essay by Kopal Agarwal, and talks about such cashew treats as Hawkshead Whisky Smoked Cashews, Feed the Squirrel Cashew Cookie Dough Butter and Glasgow's Ceylon Tea Bar's Kaju Mulawa. 

Jun 11, 2026

46 min

Claire and Colin discuss Black Pudding, as it's known in the UK, and many of its variations around the world, including reference to poets and authors including Bill Buford, Eileen P Keane and Luis de Góngora. 

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