Paul Kent, P.G. Wodehouse: Gourmand

P G (‘Plum’) Wodehouse was quite the trencherman. From Chef Anatole’s dinners that stagger humanity to the humble brew in the school dormitory, from the steaming joints of beef in Simpson’s to a slice of dripping toast in Ye Olde Tea Shoppe, food is being sampled and savoured, gobbled and gourmandised just about everywhere in his fiction, from his first novel to the last. Reading Wodehouse can actually make you hungry, whether you share Bertie Wooster’s taste for Noix de Riz de Veau Toulousaine or Lord Emsworth’s penchant for a well-jammed roly-poly pudding. But it’s not all about consumption: Wodehouse is also quite the philosophiser on matters gastronomic. Does enjoying your food make you a happier – and better – person? Is dieting desirable? Forget all the self-help books you ever read: Plum has the answers – and he makes you laugh. In this talk, Paul Kent will serve up…