The Alliance of Literary Societies is the umbrella organisation for literary societies and groups in the UK. On Thursday 10th April the ALS is inviting all member organisations, including the Trollope Society, to join a mouth-watering Zoom event celebrating the connection between authors and food. Writing on Their Stomachs brings together participants from member societies to share a three-minute talk on their chosen writer’s relationship with food—whether it’s their favourite meals, memorable dining scenes, or the role of food in their work.

From Dickens’ steaming plum puddings to Austen’s tea-time rituals, from Trollope’s garden parties with cold chicken and champagne to Woolf’s sole with white sauce in A Room of One’s Own, literature is full of the joys and rituals of eating. Samuel Johnson, never one to hold back at the table, was known for his love of a good meal, once remarking:

A man seldom thinks with more earnestness of anything than he does of his dinner.

Food plays an important role in Anthony Trollope’s novels, reflecting social class, hospitality, and character relationships. Lavish dinners in The Way We Live Now highlight excess and corruption, while humble meals in The Warden reinforce themes of simplicity and integrity. Trollope’s characters frequently gather over food, from political discussions in London Clubs in Phineas Finn to drinking tea in Doctor Thorne. His depictions of dinner parties, picnics and domestic eating arrangements evoke Victorian dining habits, illustrating both the comforts and constraints of the era. Food in Trollope’s world is never just nourishment—it reveals character, status, and society.

Register free to attend Writing on their Stomachs – A Literary Feast

Meeting Guidance

1. The meeting will last up to 90 minutes.
2. Contributors will be invited to speak in a random order during this time.
3. To ensure everyone has a chance to contribute, we kindly ask speakers to keep their talk to a maximum of three minutes. Timings will be managed carefully.
4. We will make every effort to accommodate all those who wish to speak but cannot guarantee this.
5. If multiple people wish to speak about the same author, we will liaise with them to avoid duplication and agree on whether more than one speaker is appropriate.