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In one of my first jobs I worked for someone who described food as her means of staying alive, nothing more. She’d explain how she derived no pleasure from eating, as she smoked a cigarette and nibbled Hula Hoops from her fingers where she wore them as rings. In between crunches, she’d blow smoke towards anyone who came within a foot of her. I was nonplussed as I came from a family where food was central to life: all important conversations, such as they were, happened at the table – or on cliff walks (me grumbling). But now I look back on those Hula Hoop days I realise, of course, there was probably a lot more going on. Our features this month emphasise just how important food is to all aspects of life: our ability to connect with others, both in our homes and in the broader community; as health-giving nourishment; as a source of solace and inspiration – therapy, even. On p64, journalist Lindsay Nicholson talks about a career that was a paradox: her job centred around food excellence, yet she had never cooked and had zero desire to do so. Her life had been overshadowed by grief and her solace lay in razor-sharp career focus and achievement. Only now, years later, has she discovered the unique pleasure that can be derived from stirring good things on the hob and serving them up to a gathered throng – or just for your dinner.