Backward Running Dinner

Two Cats Kitchen, Sunday 15 October 2017

“It was triumphant” Jim Crace

 

Commissioned by Birmingham Literature Festival as part of their 20th anniversary festival, Backward Running Dinner took participants on an edible journey through the tales written by Jim Crace in his extraordinary work The Devil’s Larder.

Exploring dark and delightful experiences of food – from the mundane to the extraordinary – The Devil’s Larder is a book of 64 short stories, each examining our complex relationship with food – as nourishment, aphrodisiac, poison; with family, friends, lovers and enemies.

The dinner was underpinned by one of Crace’s stories about a backward running dinner party, but the menu and the dining room wove other delicious fictions throughout the dinner, exploring the sheer scope of Crace’s writings around food. It was a privilege to hear Jim Crace reading three of the short stories from The Devil’s Larder during the event.

“Life is uncertain. Eat the pudding first.”

 

Concept – Kaye Winwood

Food – Chris Hughes, Bethan Rees, Marcus Davis

Drinks – Robert Wood & Kyndra Vorster

Set – Kaye Winwood and Matt Moore

Fabrication – Matt Moore

Performance – Sarah Baker Groves, Indra J Adler, Connor Nolan

Lighting – David Checkley

Sound – Annie Mahtani, BEAST

Volunteers – Fadhila Ismail, Noor Mear

Design – Keith Dodds

Venue – Niki Astley, Two Cats Kitchen

Photography – Verity Milligan

Thanks to Antonia, Olivia and the team at Birmingham Literature Festival & of course the inspirational author Jim Crace.

#DreamTeam