The Project

Hillingdon Food Stories is an independent, non-funded project that aims to document and understand the diversity, history, and experiences of food practices of people of Hillingdon.

The team is a group of anthropologists seeking to learn from Hillingdon's residents through ethnographic methods:

participant observation - spending time with people going about their usual daily routines, be that shopping, cooking, searching for recipes;
life stories - one to two hour long recorded interviews about food, eating, cooking, dishes during childhood, teenage years, young adulthood, adulthood, middle age, later years;
interviews - speaking with people about specific topics around food, be that changes in the aftermath of the pandemic, favourite recipes, shopping routines etc.

You can learn more about the team below.

2022- 2023 Team

Alina

I am Alina and, inspired by a kind gift of samosas, chicken curry and stories from my dear next door neighbour, I started this project with the desire to discover the foods and people of my local area, Ruislip, and the wider borough of Hillingdon. I have a PhD in anthropology and a sweet tooth, and both have given me wondrous ways of discovering people and places, theories and tastes. With this project, I hope to give something back to my community by creating an archive that documents a moment in the history of Hillingdon - its people and their everyday cooking, recipes, food shopping, and eating.

Gustavo

Hi! My name is Gustavo Cruz and I'm a Chef from Honduras. I've had the opportunity to live and work in many countries, which has fueled my interest in food and culture. Through this exploration, I decided to pursue a MA in Anthropology of Food at SOAS. My main research focuses are food identity/origin, the restaurant industry, and future food systems. I am working towards a PhD to explore future food systems, particularly those related to outer space and humanity's place in the next (G)astronomy frontier.

In the Hillingdon Food Stories project, I am involved in ethnographic mapping and digital illustration of the maps, as well as other design work.

Kirsty

I'm Kirsty, I've been living in London on and off since 2012. I hold a BA in Japanese & Study of Religions, an MA in Religion in Global Politics, and am working toward a MA in Anthropology of Food, all from SOAS. As a freelance writer and researcher with a penchant for food-related work, I'm excited to contribute to Hillingdon Food Stories, learn more about foodways in the borough, and help bring the exhibition to life.

Lottie

Hi! I’m Lottie and along with the rest of the team I have an interest/ obsession (!) for everything food. Prior to starting my MA in Anthropology of Food I was working as a chef and I also volunteer at a market garden in Haringey, which supplies organically grown produce to a local veg box scheme and restaurants in London. I live on a boat which has led me to focus on Hillingdon boaters’ food and cooking practices in the Hillingdon Food Stories Project.

Zeynep

I'm Zeynep. I have had an extra interest in food since my childhood. I was very excited to witness a dish's formation process, so I trained in nutrition for two years about sourdough bread, basic cooking, and pastry. Studying sociology broadened my horizons and taught me to examine every subject from different perspectives. These new perspectives pushed me to think differently about food; for example, I started to think more about culture, inequalities in access to food, and sustainability. Therefore, I decided to do a master's in Anthropology of Food. The HFS project is fantastic for exploring local people, markets, and banana bread. Finally, I wish I had a chance to have dinner with Foucault, but maybe in another life!

Melissa

My name is Melissa, and I'm a professional writer and traveler currently volunteering for the Hillingdon Food Stories project. As an aspiring travel and food writer, I've spent the last ten years traveling the world in search of my next great dish, visiting places including Ukraine, Jordan, Argentina, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, France, Turkey, Colombia, and many more. As my family background is Ukrainian (on my mom's side), some of my favorite foods include potato varenyky (pierogi). Want to make them great? Boil, toss in butter and chopped onions in a skillet until slightly browned, and serve hot with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

2021- 2022 Team

Elena

Hey - I’m Elena! I embarked on the Hillingdon Food Stories Project with a desire to discover and celebrate such a vibrant and diverse area of London, a city which is still very new to me. After a few years working as a food product developer, my passion for the humanities has taken me to my current studies in Anthropology of Food at SOAS university. The HFS project is a way of putting ethnographic research methods into practice, meeting the wonderful people of Hillingdon, learning from them and - hopefully - giving something back.

The reason why I’ve decided to focus my life on food (apart from being Italian :P) is that I believe that eating is at the basis of how we make and express our identities, perceive ourselves and interact with the people around us. We all eat, and we all need each other in order to eat. Food brings us together.

Gloria

Hi everyone! My name is Gloria, and I was originally from the capital of China – Beijing. I have been studying in England since I was thirteen years old and did my GCSE and A-level at St. Francis College in Letchworth which was the first garden city in the UK. I have always been interested in the Anthropology discipline and I completed my undergraduate at Durham University in BSc Anthropology. Then I also received my first postgraduate degree at LSE in MSc Social Anthropology. Now keeping my passion in the field of social anthropology, I am pursuing a second masters in MRes Anthropology at SOAS which I am enjoying and feeling confident about this degree. At SOAS, I studied DPS (Directed Practical Study in the Anthropology of Food) and Culture and Society of China, both of which focused on modern food practises. To join the Hillingdon Food Project is an honour and I am certain that it will help me strengthen my academic and ethnographic abilities. I created two additional specialised investigations from the Hillingdon data. The first component is to investigate the linkages between food, migration, and markets in this multi-cultural area. Also, learn about COVID-19's influence on Hillingdon food markets. Finally, my future aim is to complete a PhD study and make my own research project. I want to research within China, finding subjects that have been forgotten and shed light on them. In such a large country with such a diverse population, there are endless topics and areas of interest to investigate.

Hailey

Hi! My name is Hailey Concepcion and I’m originally from Minnesota, USA and new to living in London. I received my undergraudate B.A. in Political Science and Peace Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota and decided to try my hand at postgraduate school pursuing my M.A. in Anthropology of Food at SOAS. I’ve spent my entire life cooking and loving to learn about food. My favorite topics to study and be curious about are how food memory is created and passed down through generational cooking, and also how social food trends are made and followed. I’m very excited to work with the Hillingdon Food Project and research different cooking practices and food culture in this diverse community!

Merryn

Hi, I’m Merryn and have been living in London for the past 6 years. After completing my undergrad degree in Social Anthropology and Religions, I decided to continue my studies in Anthropology of Food at SOAS. I grew up in rural South Wales just a stone's throw from the beautiful Black Mountains which has shaped my love for walking and nature. Back in London, I love to seek out green spaces and explore the wildness in the city. I’m particularly interested in community food growing projects which will be one of my focuses at the Hillingdon Food Archive. I am also a volunteer at We are Grow, in Barnet where I am hoping to gain more skills in urban food growing. When I’m not studying you can find me at the ‘Nourished Communities’ shop in Highbury and Islington.