Why I Wrote Hog Heaven

Hello Book lovers, and welcome to the next in the Why I Wrote blog posts.

Several years ago, I was what they call a bit of a ‘foodie’. My wife and I would travel to food festivals to buy unusual cheeses, expensive and obscure meats, and gourmet ice creams. We learnt all about French wine – how to read the cryptic labels, how to identify the subtle nuances of various grape varieties, and studied the history and geography of the regions. We wanted to visit the Cru villages and master how to slurp and swirl! It was fun but expensive! We were in CAMRA, so we went to numerous beer festivals and tried many varied ales. We watched cooking programmes and then tried our hand at cooking a variety of recipes. We developed an obsessive concern with issues such as animal welfare, Fair Trade, and seasonal vegetables. It was all very pretentious, middle-class nonsense, but at the same time, consuming all the marvellous food and drink was great fun.

So, when it came to writing my next novel, what could it possibly be about but a tale of celebrity chefs, crazed animal rights activists, and the evil corporate practices of a food conglomerate? Throw in a liberal dose of humour, a bunch of lovable yet self-important characters, and the book pretty much wrote itself.

It's been a few years since it was written, and I no longer eat and drink with such abandon (my health will not allow it). But I still look back with fondness at all the Cru Burgundy, craft porter, boeuf bourguignon, Parma-wrapped asparagus, and aioli.

Long live gluttony, one of life's great pleasures!

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