I come to you with love, change… and meatballs
A heartfelt, slightly nervous hello from my new home on Substack
Hello and welcome to my very first newsletter-A Lot On Her Plate. Huge thanks to everyone joining me on my exciting new Substack journey (and hi again to existing subscribers who are already looped in on this news). By way of introduction and explanation, I’m Rosie Birkett: food and recipe writer, cookbook author, stylist, new(ish) mum, passionate home cook and as of today - former Sunday Times columnist - hanging up my hat after three wonderful years of monthly recipe columns at the paper… GULP.
To say that it feels a little emotional, nerve-wracking and scary to be writing this is an understatement - not least because - wow, what a time to be leaving a main paid gig - but it also feels exciting and somehow freeing, to tell you that from now on, this is where you’re going to find the bulk of me: my new tried and tested recipes as well as my writing and ramblings, far away from the whims of ever-changing algorithms and the clutches of a large media empire. (Though you can still find my monthly recipe column over at lovely Olive magazine). And don’t worry, I’m not leaving Instagram, I’m just going to be spending a bit less time there, and, if this goes well, much more time over here with YOU, working on my recipes, recommendations, and properly answering your questions, rather than hurried DM responses and comments.
This is a biggie for me. I am, you see, naturally averse to change. I’m a creature of habit , whether it’s my unmissable morning cup of tea, or twice monthly bag of fish and chips from the very best chippy in Deal (there will definitely be more about that in a future newsletter). But like everyone, I’ve had to get used to my life changing drastically over the past few years. Therefore it feels right to be leaning into this massive change with the launch of this newsletter.
So what’s changed in my life? A LOT. Shortly after I started my column at The Sunday Times Magazine three years ago, (a lifelong career dream) there was the small matter of a global pandemic, with many elements of my work as I knew it (events, television appearances, food festivals, food styling jobs, shoots, dinners, lunches, pop ups etc, etc) essentially shutting down, and then suddenly my husband Jamie shifted from working everyday in his charity’s office in East London, to working at home with me.
We took this as our cue to follow our long-deliberated dream of making the full-time move from Hackney to Deal on the Kent coast, where my mum also lives. I’ll go into the whys and hows of this more deeply in another post, but in short, I’d felt the calling of the sea; more tangible proximity to British seasonality and the lure of having a garden tugging away at me for years, along with a sense that I wanted to be geographically closer to my dear mum. And her epic roast dinners. We eventually, after a dark period which I may, at some point elaborate on, managed to buy and start renovating a house of our own and start a family, welcoming our beautiful, much-longed for daughter last year. And life was never the same again.
During covid, while struggling with a gruelling fertility journey, high anxiety and a feeling of total isolation after what had been a self-propelled, but highly collaborative career up to that point, I managed to continue working thanks to my Sunday Times recipes (photographing some myself during lockdown), Olive column and various ad campaigns with brands I love.
Instagram felt like a lifeline to so many of us then and I’ll always be grateful. But lately, I know I’m not alone in feeling somewhat frustrated and disheartened by its identity crisis. With its constant noise, reels and ruthless algorithms, Instagram has become a different beast, and I know that much of my content ends up hidden, or lost in this frenetic quagmire.
I’ve long been a believer in slowing down and savouring the quieter, simpler joys in life. That’s probably why I no longer feel that I’m getting the same creative satisfaction or cherished sense of connection from Instagram that I once did. I’ve also been spending much more time as a reader here on Substack, enjoying the two-way conversation between readers and writers. The fact it also provides a model whereby readers can directly support and fund the work of their favourite creatives only convinced me further it was the place to be. Which brings me nicely on to a small ask…
I should start by stressing that a large part of this newsletter will always be free. That’s important to me. But I will also be offering two different types of paid subscriptions as well. This is new for me. It probably is for you too! I’ve tried to keep things as cheap as possible, and for those who can afford to become a paid subscriber, I’ll make sure you get tons of deeply cool stuff (more of which below). But here’s what else your money goes towards: you’ll be supporting me and the work I do, so that I can keep on going. By becoming a paid subscriber, you help me pay for ingredients - increasingly expensive and crucial to what I do - for recipe development, as well as cover the many hours I spend writing, testing, shooting and sharing my work. It’s £6 pounds a month (the cost of a nice glass of wine, or 1.5 nice coffees), and is cheaper still if you take out a yearly membership at £50 per year (which works out at under £5 a month). Believe me, I hate asking for money, but I also believe hard work and a genuine service is worth paying for, and that we need to normalise creatives charging for their work. (If a window cleaner cleans your windows, you pay them, right? A writer and creative should be no different). So if this is something you think you can support then I’d be so so grateful.
But what else will paid subscribers get?
Paid subscribers will get full access to our wonderful, exclusive community of food-loving peeps, giveaways with brands I love, monthly ‘ask me anythings’, travel guides and a tried and tested ‘Something For the Weekend’ recipe/recipes at the end of every month, picking up where my Sunday Times column left off. You can read the full details of what to expect here on my page. Interested? Then come aboard!
Or maybe you want to become a founding member?
There are some even more exciting perks for the legendary people who choose to join as founding members. This will include Zoom cookalongs with me, signed cookbooks, VIP access to any IRL events, and my eternal gratitude. This costs £150 as a one-off (I’m only offering a limited number) and you can read more on all of these options, along with what you get as a free subscriber, here.
Basically my hope for A Lot On Her Plate is that this will be a collaboration of sorts - I’ll be pulling in chats with my most inspiring, creative, food-focused friends, and listening and writing to you, my subscribers, to understand what you want from me, what you’d enjoy more of, and how I can better serve you as a writer and cook. And yes I know I also promised you meatballs, so here they are, beautifully spiced, poached in a rich, fragrant tomato sauce and swimming in garlic yoghurt and pul biber brown butter. Find the recipe below, enjoy, and let me know how you get on.
Well done for reading this far and big love from me. Thanks for your ongoing support and encouragement, it means the world. Rosie xx
I’ve been thinking about the time suck of Insta and “lost in this frenetic quagmire,” I think sums it up. So great to see you on Substack!
Good luck with your substack Rosie - I’ve always loved your recipes and hope this is a place where you can thrive. I look hierarchical to reading more of these. Xxx