Whose lunch is it anyway? Match the authors with their midday meal

Clockwise from top left: authors Mark Haddon, AK Blakemore, Sathnam Sanghera, Francis Spufford, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Kevin Barry, Fiona Mozley. Composite: Observer Design

Before trying to guess which lunch belongs to whom, take a minute to meet the seven writers whose eating habits you will be interrogating…

Francis Spufford
Initially a writer of nonfiction, Spufford published his first novel, Golden Hill, in 2016 and won a clutch of awards including the Ondaatje prize. His latest novel is Cahokia Jazz and he teaches creative writing at Goldsmiths.

Oyinkan Braithwaite
Born in Nigeria and raised between London and Lagos, Braithwaite is the author of 2018’s Booker longlisted My Sister, the Serial Killer, described by the Guardian as “a morbidly funny slashfest”.

AK Blakemore
Author of two novels including last year’s The Glutton, whose protagonist’s appetites contrast with the author’s own – “I struggle to see food as much beyond nourishment,” Blakemore admits. She also writes poetry and has translated work by a Sichuanese poet.

Kevin Barry
Barry, who lives in rural Co Sligo, where he grows his own veg, is the author of three short-story collections and four novels, most recently The Heart in Winter, set in 1890s Montana. He won the International Dublin literary award for 2011’s City of Bohane.

Fiona Mozley
Mozley’s debut novel, Elmet, was shortlisted for the Booker prize in 2017. She followed it up with 2021’s Soho-set Hot Stew, which confirmed her as “a writer of extraordinary empathic gifts”, according to the Observer.

Mark Haddon
Poet, playwright, novelist and long-time vegetarian, Haddon made his name with the 2003 bestseller, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. His latest short story collection, Dogs and Monsters, came out in August.

Sathnam Sanghera
Author and award-winning journalist, Sanghera has written a memoir about growing up in Wolverhampton, a novel about immigrant families and marriage (also set in Wolverhampton), and several books about British imperialism including 2021’s bestselling Empireland.

1. 

   Beans on toast – who eats this most days?

   1. Oyinkan Braithwaite

   2. Kevin Barry

   3. Mark Haddon

2. 

   "Lazy” noodles and a cup of tea anyone?

   1. Kevin Barry

   2. AK Blakemore

   3. Francis Spufford

3. 

   Whose tuna melt with “massaged” kale is this?

   1. Kevin Barry

   2. Oyinkan Braithwaite

   3. Sathnam Sanghera

4. 

   Who orders this “massive” chicken salad bowl a couple of times a week?

   1. Fiona Mozley

   2. Francis Spufford

   3. Sathnam Sanghera

5. 

   "Satisfyingly bright yellow and green.” Whose lentil soup is this?

   1. Francis Spufford

   2. Fiona Mozley

   3. Oyinkan Braithwaite

6. 

   Whose chicken fried rice is this?

   1. Francis Spufford

   2. Oyinkan Braithwaite

   3. Fiona Mozley

7. 

   Matjes herring with sauerkraut – who snacks on this?

   1. AK Blakemore

   2. Fiona Mozley

   3. Mark Haddon

Solutions

1:C - It may seem like “a noble peasant’s lunch” but the author admits to baking his own bread to accompany the (Heinz reduced sugar) beans and washing it down with “first flush Darjeeling”. It all provides “the comforting feel of nursery food”., 2:B - The author in question, who prizes convenience in the kitchen, likes to top their Shin Ramyun instant noodles with spring onions – and, if “feeling luxurious”, a fried egg., 3:A - “The only way to get the kale in raw,” the author explains, “is to massage oil and vinegar into it for 10 minutes – otherwise you’re a rabbit.” High-quality Ortiz tuna is purchased “on the basis that it probably won’t poison me with mercury if I spend an arm and a leg on it”., 4:C - The author is “trying to eat unprocessed food” but then proceeds to “ruin” this healthy takeaway lunch – containing brown rice, candy beetroot and edamame beans – with a side order of crisps., 5:A - The recipe came from a supermarket free-sheet but the author jazzed it up to become “the soup of soups”, because “it’s got more or less everything in it”, yielding “extremely complete nourishment”., 6:B - The author makes it in bulk – boiling and air-frying the chicken, then cooking the rice in the chicken broth before frying it up with peppers, carrots and onions – and proceeds to eat it “every single day until it’s done”., 7:B - The author has “a love-hate relationship” with these “cold, salty and quite gelatinous” pickled fish, sourced from a local Polish deli, and fears that “I will now forever be associated with my weirdo lunch”.

Scores

1. 2 and above.

   Back to the chopping board

2. 3 and above.

   Back to the chopping board

3. 4 and above.

   Pretty tasty

4. 5 and above.

   Pretty tasty

5. 6 and above.

   You know your onions

6. 7 and above.

   You know your onions

7. 0 and above.

   Humble pie for you

8. 1 and above.

   Humble pie for you