On 12 April 1984, a group of the great and good in the British food world gathered for lunch at London’s Intercontinental Hotel to enjoy a lunch devised by the hotel’s chef Peter Kromberg. Among others, Arabella Boxer, Elizabeth David, Christopher Driver, Jane Grigson, Claudia Roden, Michael Smith and Katie Stewart were in attendance to discuss the formation of an ‘association of food writers’. A debate arose about whether or not it would be an elite academy in the French style or something closer to the existing Circle of Wine Writers. The latter won the day. On 17 January 1985, the first meeting of the Guild of Food Writers took place in Claridges, under the chairmanship of Derek Cooper. Over the years, the Guild has grown to a membership of around 400 professional writers, editors, journalists and broadcasters in the field of food. The Guild has become a significant force in its field, being among the first organizations to lobby government about the potential risks of genetically modified food; to emphasise the importance of local produce and food producers; to encourage seasonal eating; to attempt to raise the standard of food in our national institutions, from schools and hospitals to prisons and even motorway cafés; and to encourage children to cook. The Guild’s annual awards for food books, journalism and broadcasting are now regarded as the premier awards in the field, and its annual Cook It and Write It competitions aim to identify and foster cooks and food writers of the future.
Membership
Membership is open to those who, for payment, under their own or a pen name, write or broadcast on food for consumer, trade, professional or academic publications or organisations, and whose work is regularly published or transmitted in the UK. Prospective members should be able to show one of the following: at least one substantial food or cookery book already published by an established publisher; the equivalent in food or cookery work e.g. editorship/cookery series/food column etc.; have been in regular employment over a six-month period writing or broadcasting about food for a recognised professional publication or organisation. Applications are discouraged from those whose work is entirely or predominantly on behalf of a client or clients who pay the applicant a fee for promoting a specific product or service.
