Errol-Graham Harsley | Author Profile

What are you reading right now?

Rosewater by Tade Thompson, Out by Natsuo Kirino and Too Dead for Dreaming by Richard Daniels. 

What's the best writing advice you've ever received?

‘Nothing is Precious’ sometimes you're going to have to cut parts you love and adore to make a piece work. 

What's your writing process when writing recipes?

I mainly go off habit, taste, smell and look when cooking. Even following recipes I'll only follow it to a T a handful of times before I know it by habit and what it's supposed to look, smell and taste like. 

Deep one coming up: why do you write?

I write because not writing is simply not possible. 

What advice would you give to writers who want to work on a non-fiction project?

Do your research well. If you're researching a topic that is about another culture go to the experts within that culture, don't go to someone who's researched it by looking into that culture. Go to the people actually in it. 

Talk to us a bit about your writing habits. Do you write early in the morning, or through the night? Pen or laptop?

Writing habits are very slapdash, I like the evening and late at night. There's that fun feeling of early morning, the 4am buzz but it's way too calm. I end up pacing and pen clicking and just creating my own hubbub. I love my coffeeshops and I love love love writing on trains. I don't know why, it just calms my soul. I'll write all my notes out in pen, I cannot do notes on my laptop. It feels like I'm surrendering my thoughts to something and those thoughts no longer belong to me. My thoughts in my writing. But I'll type up first drafts on Google Docs or something.

Errol’s History of Food: Midwinter Feasts is available to buy now. You can follow Errol on Twitter , Instagram, and read the blog that inspired the project: www.errolshistoryoffood.com