Fed Up

‘Fierce, insightful and unafraid, “recovering chef” Lucy Ridge investigates  Australia’s disconnected, dislocated food system by engaging with women  daring to farm and produce food differently. Along the way, she queers her  life, makes cheese and gin, and laments the colonial history that turned  a land in balance into a capitalist frightmare. If you eat, this is the book  you need to devour this year.’ Dani Valent, food journalist and restaurant critic 

‘In Fed Up, Lucy Ridge takes us on a wonderful journey through some  epic producers of food across this wide country. With her passion distilled  in kitchens, never dulled by some of the darker moments many of us  experience within these environments, Lucy tells tales of the passion and  the drive that helps make Australia a culinary wonderland.’  Annie Smithers, author of Recipes for a Kinder Life 

‘The opening pages, set in a very nasty kitchen, lead this young food lover  to decide there has to be another way to retain her love of food, without  bullying or sexism. Lucy Ridge seeks and finds opportunities to work  in a variety of creative businesses, all led by women, and all connected  with food. We meet strong women coping with small business, and we  learn a great deal about the different businesses. Ridge gains new skills,  meets some fascinating women and appreciates the effort and dedication  required to champion quality above all. The reader will come away with  new understanding of process and respect for these farmers and growers  who demonstrate care for Country at the same time as following their  own passions.’  Stephanie Alexander, cook, restauranteur and food writer 

‘Twenty-five years after Anthony Bourdain supposedly lifted the lid on the  secrets of the restaurant world with his memoir Kitchen Confidential, Lucy  Ridge has provided a timely reminder that there remains an underwritten  and underexposed side of the “culinary underbelly”: the hospitality industry’s treatment of women. Exhausted by lazy male colleagues,  sexist jibes and eye-rolls when she asks for help with a heavy pot (or  for gloves that fit), Ridge becomes burnt out and fed up. Surely there’s  a better way to feed people? She finds it in a journey across Australia,  where she seeks out women who are farming, foraging, making and  feeding on their own terms, and in ways that nourish their souls, their  communities, and their environments. And though she doesn’t yet know  it, in diving headfirst into these experiences, Ridge is developing the  skills that will culminate in that rare thing: a book of food writing that  really hits the spot … Idiosyncratic, fun, full of flavour and made with  a balanced palate of sweat, tears and love.’ Sam Vincent, author of My Father and Other Animals 

‘Lucy Ridge makes me want to quit my job and take off on a year-long  gap year around Australia to learn from the women who make, grow and feed this country. This book offers a gorgeous, hopeful glimpse of  farming, making and growing at its absolute best.’  Sita Sargeant, author of She Shapes History 

‘A lively and engaging account of Lucy Ridge’s brave jump from the  male-dominated restaurant world to uncover the unrecognised work of  women in food production across Australia. Stories of cheesemakers,  winemakers, oyster farmers and Indigenous bush food harvesters are  told with respect and care, and situated deftly within the wider history  of Australia’s food culture. Not only does this book remind us how  important it is to know where our food comes from and who makes  it, it also reminds us that we can find joy in the things that we love in  unconventional and unexpected ways.’ Lauren Samuelsson, author of A Matter of Taste