Former Student wins Awards
Huge congratulations to former student Stuart Gillespie for winning a host of awards for his book FOOD FIGHT: FROM PLUNDER AND PROFIT TO PEOPLE AND PLANET.
He won the The Guild of Food Writers Investigative Writer award 2026 (he's pictured accepting the awards from food writer and BBC R4 Food Programme presenter Leyla Kazim); he was a finalist in the Fortnum & Mason Food Book of the Year; and FOOD FIGHT was selected as BBC Food Programme Book of the Year, and Next Big Idea Club must-read selection.
Stuart describes FOOD FIGHT as a hybrid polemic/memoir. 'We’re living in a world in rapid flux as forces affecting food, health, climate, inequality combine in cascading crises. Half the world’s population are now malnourished – we are both overfed and undernourished. The book shines a light on our dysfunctional food system, how it came to be captured by predatory transnationals who don’t care about the harms they generate – as politicians sit on the sidelines. But most importantly, it’s about how we build a better system, with people and planet at its heart.'
Stuart took our two-year Life Writing Programme from 2019-2021. He says of the course: 'The CWP is a really great programme which I would recommend to anyone who shows a smidgen of interest in putting words on paper! I learnt so much...great tips and tactics, reading recommendations from tutors, learning how to become disciplined about writing, having my writing critiqued by tutors and fellow students, reading and listening to their stories...all extremely useful...in helping me shape my book'Food Fight'.
Read more about his journey.
If you want to follow in his footsteps, the Life Writing Programme starts again in September 2026. We’re running a taster session on 11 September so you can see if it’s for you.