How food can give us hope in challenging times

Honestly, (I’m sure like a lot of us) I’m finding it tricky to focus with everything that’s going on in the world currently.

I saw a beautiful piece that helped me refocus - sharing the idea that food is how we say ‘I’m here’ when the world doesn’t make sense. And I completely subscribe to this. The tupperware handed to a friend in need packed with a steaming stew. The biscuits wrapped in baking paper and string given to a family member who needs a little lift. Unfussy meals shared across our dinner tables for last minute guests. Food is one of our oldest, most primal connectors, something we all have a huge opinion about (whether we want to or not!) and something that is deeply personal.
Cooking a meal for someone I think is like leaving a love letter - a small piece of yourself etched across the produce and flavours.

So can food be a way to bring us back together? In a fractured world with big opinions and polarising views, we all still must eat. And when we eat together, magic happens. The World Happiness report last year found that ‘Overall, the researchers found that countries where people share meals more often usually report higher levels of life satisfaction. Compared to people who dine alone, those who always share lunch and dinners report, on average, one extra point in their life evaluation, on a scale from 0 (worst possible life) to 10 (best possible life), which the researchers say is a big gap. By way of comparison, if UK residents reported one extra life-evaluation point, the UK would be the second happiest country in the world (this is currently Denmark, after Finland). This pattern also holds true when looking at people within the same country and even after accounting for age, income or living arrangements.’ (UCL, 2025)

The blue zones studies follow suit. ‘Moais’ - found on the Japanese island of Okinawa, are groups of friends that form strong bonds that last their whole lives - meaning these folk have fast friendships to celebrate life’s good times, as well as providing support during life’s tough moments.

Even if you’re not a self confessed foodie, if food is how we say ‘I’m here’ let’s make sure it counts. Share the moment. Put the phone away and connect. We all deserve a little more joy and togetherness in a world that doesn’t make sense.