A&U acquires Legge’s memoir

Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world English rights to Delicious, a memoir “celebrating food and friendship” by author and journalist Kate Legge.

According to the publisher, Delicious: Stories of Cooking, Love and Friendship “considers the alchemy of food and love, the touchstones of our existence”.

“These recipes that document a life well lived – scribbled in biro on the back of a school sports carnival program (Janet’s Date Loaf) or copied out in cursive script on lined paper (Deb’s Chicken Pie) – are tried and true staples of Kate’s table, never-fail, simple fare,” said the publisher.

Beginning her writing career at Melbourne University as a co-editor of Farrago, Legge has worked as a journalist for more than 40 years. She is the author of The Unexpected Elements of Love and The Marriage Club (both Penguin), historical biography Kindred: A Cradle Mountain Love Story (Melbourne University Publishing) and memoir Infidelity and Other Affairs (Thames & Hudsen).

Kate Legge said, “The idea for Delicious came upon me while reading a recipe for an Aunt Maggie’s tea cake in a dentist’s waiting room. I wondered who was this woman? The matriarch of a large clan? A cook on a farm who fed a shed full of shearers? A maiden aunt famous for her afternoon spread?

“I thought of all the recipes that have been handed down to me by friends and family and how these scraps of grease-stained paper are biographical snippets of my days on earth and the people who’ve fed and nourished me. I love the magic and mystery of all that unfolds in the heart and the kitchen. Food and friendship salve our hunger and soothe our troubles. The idea of exploring these two themes lit an urge to write about them.”

Publisher Sally Heath said, “I am a huge fan of Kate’s whip-smart writing. Having worked with her on her first remarkable memoir, I was thrilled that she has let us into her world again via her energetic appetite for friendship, family and yes, a lot of food. It is a knockout combination.”

A&U plans to publish Delicious in March 2026.

Photo credit: Jane Tynan.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions