8 Questions for... Sarah
A Good Table
Hello! I’m . I’m a cook and writer. I split my time between the UK and US. My culinary journey began in my family's London kitchen. There, at the age of 5, I became my mother's 'little sous chef,' assisting with the preparation for endless dinner parties and family celebrations. Pitting dates, frying bacon, peeling apples, grinding spices, adding a little of this, a pinch of that, over the years I learned the art of instinctive cooking.
In the pages of my mother's recipe books, full of sauce stains and scribbles, lay whispered advice from grandmothers and their mothers. My mother taught me that recipes were stories. A Good Table is a continuation of that inheritance.
1. Why Substack?
Beginnings are never easy, but new challenges and projects make me feel alive. I have always been drawn to what is just beyond my reach and with Substack, I wanted to build something new, different - a space not dictated by algorithms or fleeting viral moments. I see the newsletter as a home, not just a platform - a type of virtual restaurant/gathering place for people who love food and stories.
2. How long did it take you to find your groove?
A year, almost to the day. I launched in September 2023 and didn’t initiate paid subscription until October 2024. I needed to prove to myself that I would keep going, even if no one was paying. I had to earn it. I wanted to build something worth subscribing to, only then did I feel that I deserved paying readers.
3. How has it changed you?
It has sharpened my discipline and softened my perfectionism, though only slightly. If this were a restaurant with paying guests, I would be at the markets at dawn, sourcing the best ingredients. Every plate would be considered, every detail intentional. Why should my newsletter be any different? Hospitality is not just about the offering itself. It is about care, about making people feel looked after, acknowledged, welcomed. I may not be feeding you at my table, but the recipes are yours. Let me cook for you. Let me earn your time and trust.
4. What mistakes have you made?
I became despondent a few months in, when growth felt slow. Self-doubt caused me to question my ability and then I started to waver about whether I should be posting a newsletter at all. Then one day, I stopped feeling sorry for myself and got to work. We (especially creatives) are experts at berating ourselves, lingering in a kind of self-pitying melancholy, but that only matters if it moves the needle forward, if it fuels us to improve our offering and refine the process. So I did. And I noticed the results. Progress is not magic. There is no formula of say: do this + this and achieve that! It is just hard work and commitment. And that work cannot ever be self-serving.
5. To pay or not to pay?
When I activated the paid subscription option, I made a deliberate choice: to keep a full year’s worth of recipes free - something that isn’t changing. I also committed to publishing at least one free post every month or so and, wherever possible, delaying the paywall until the very last moment in the structure of the newsletter, ensuring readers receive real value before they even consider subscribing.
By the time you encounter the paywall, you’ll have already absorbed a wealth of information - seasonal insights on fruits and vegetables, thoughtful recipe and flavor pairings, a trove of photography and cooking inspiration, and interviews with chefs and cooks whose wisdom is worth far more than a monthly fee. I believe generosity and good food go hand in hand, and my aim is to give generously before asking for anything in return. However, people value what has value. If diamonds were as common as gravel, no one would covet them. If caviar cost the same as potatoes, would anyone care? There is certainly room for free offerings now and then, but the readers who are intrinsically drawn to your contributions will appreciate what you create. Good art, good food, good work holds value. Your work is worthy, and it is worthy to pay for good work.
6. What artistic and technical choices have you made?
I have chosen to do the best work of my life, week after week, no exceptions. To really lean into being an eternal student. To write and cook from the heart. To treat my subscribers as I would an honored guest at my table, generously and thoughtfully. Oh, and to not stress the odd typo!!My mother taught me early on, both in how she cooked for family and friends and how she treated them, that nothing was ever too much. I have carried that same approach into the space I am creating on Substack. It is the least I can do.
7. What has been the effect on your writing?
It has become a welcome discipline, a bootcamp of sorts. A weekly deadline is an excellent teacher. Sunday comes whether I am ready or not, so I have learned to be ready.
8. In it for the long haul?
Absolutely. Watching this community take shape, seeing people show up week after week, swapping photos of recipes, and sharing their own stories, is incredible. I would love to grow the newsletter into something even more encompassing. One day, I want to include the work of other writers, recipe developers and chefs and pay them fairly too! Recently, I introduced an interview feature where I chat to chefs, cooks and food-adjacent folk. Who knows where this will lead? But I'm betting it's somewhere good.
Subscribe to :
 | A guest post by
|
Thank you for having me as a guest!
"To pay or not to pay?" We all have to be looking at pay. That's what Substack wants, whether we want it or not.