Opening lines & first bites
Welcome to Table Read!
Good things happen around tables - sharing, nattering, laughing, eating, storytelling, sipping, reading, reflecting, nibbling, nosy-ing. It was these moments - along with my love for writing, and a squiggly career path - that sparked the idea for my Substack, ‘Table Read’.
Hello!
I’m Hannah, or Han, and my path has been well, a bit…squiggly.
Many of you reading this will probably know me from my Instagram @hannahwilding_ (formerly @hans.hungry) but what you might not know is that my path didn’t start in the kitchen - it started on the stage.
Theatre was my first love - all lights, lyrics, and tap shoes - leading me to a place at a drama school to train in musical theatre back in 2019. But just as I was gearing up for auditions, Covid hit, and so I found myself back in my hometown of Shropshire, trying to figure out what on earth to do with all this unexpected time. The destination? The kitchen.
Those long lockdown days were spent tasting and tweaking, styling and snapping and, naturally, onto Instagram my rustically home-cooked meals went, with the very first recipe being - oh no, not a banana bread - but a very humble bowl of porridge. Absolutely zero frills or fanciness, but it was real, and that’s where it all started.
That little corner of social media quickly grew, and now, instead of chasing auditions, I’ve found my place in the world of food with a much more adventurous palate and a 9-5 job in beans.
Which brings us to Table Read.
For those who are less familiar with the world of the West End, a ‘table read’ is when the cast gathers around a table to read through the script for the first time - where stories unfold and connections are made. And so it’s kinda similar at the kitchen table - only with the addition of delicious food, where we have a natter and kick back with the things and people that make us feel good.
Don’t worry - you haven’t just subscribed to an all singing, all dancing newsletter. But you have subscribed to what I hope will be a very delicious newsletter, to share this love of food with you, every other Sunday. Whether it's a new recipe to take you into the week ahead, a seasonal story or just a space to have natter about recent travels, reflections, home comforts, and the things inspiring me both in and out of the kitchen.
The structure
It’ll look a little like this…
The first Sunday of every month, ‘Table Read’ lands in your inbox - a seasonal dispatch with one lead recipe, a seasonal focus, and something to add a little rhythm to your week. (Pretty much what you've already been receiving!). Completely free!
The second Sunday of every month, you’ll get…
‘Extra Nibbles’ is a more relaxed, conversational letter with reflections, recommendations, travel notes, fridge raids, whatever’s been grazing my mind and tastebuds recently month. Also free.
Then paid subscribers will also receive bonus recipes in every ‘Extra Nibble’, plus occasional discounts from my favourite food, drink & lifestyle brands and other behind- the- scene "crumbs" from the kitchen. You’re also further supporting my writing, which means so much.
At whatever time on a Sunday you click “open”, see this newsletter as a companion for you and your coffees and croissants, your post-Sunday lunch slump, or your “bowl food” suppers curled up on the sofa.
Thanks SO much for being here.
Han x