Award-winning food writer and restaurant critic Grace Dent celebrated her 50th birthday in her hometown as part of her new book tour.
The MasterChef judge played a gig at Carlisle's Old Fire Station (October 3) 'discussing the food we eat when nobody is watching' in line with her latest release, Comfort Eating - due to be released on October 5.
The night in conversation with Tony Walker was said to be full of 'many laughs and some tears' as the Carlisle favourite celebrated her milestone by delving into the emotive effect of solitary eating - from gooey cheese to sugary treats.
Dent, who grew up in a working-class family in Carlisle, was also presented with a birthday cake on the night, a homemade Battenberg from Jenny Knott.
Grace, thankyou for a wonderful evening @gracedent- such natural & relaxed conversation with Tony Walker & a very enthusiastic Carlisle home crowd. Enjoy the rest of the book tour-tho you won't beat that Carlisle crowd!Great cake by Jenny Nott! pic.twitter.com/l2CsGrTJTP
— Bookends Carlisle www.bookscumbria.com (@BookendsCarl) October 3, 2023
In the book, the writer dedicates entire chapters to mouth-watering comfort food, but as much as it is about food, it is also an homage to her late mother, also called Grace.
Dent would go on to move in with her mother at the end of 2020 when she was dying of cancer, with comfort foods becoming their means of communication.
Carlisle's grub scene has always held a special place in the writer's heart however, most recently documented by her review of Casa Romana in The Guardian in which she recollected feelings of nostalgia to be back in the restaurant she would frequently line her stomach in “before an evening’s shimmying to Jamiroquai at the nearby Pagoda nightclub”.
The Old Fire Station gig, which sold out months ago, came about from a collaboration between Borderlines Festival and festival booksellers, Bookends Carlisle to orchestrate an event in place of the literature festival that was cancelled earlier this year.
As well as Grace Dent, the team behind the festival has also announced Helen Rebanks' presence.
Helen will be talking about her debut book, The Farmer's Wife, at Carlisle's Tithe Barn this Saturday (October 7).
Comfort Eating by Grace Dent is published by Faber on October 5, priced £20.
Signed copies of Comfort Eating are available from Carlisle's Bookends at BooksCumbria.com
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