Hello and welcome! It’s 2023! It’s good to be back!
Within a few hours of hitting the ‘publish’ button on the quick ‘I’m on Twitter’ post I did on Dec 14th 2022 I was shivering under a blanket on the sofa feeling very, very sorry for myself. Little did I know then that I was coming down with the flu – yes, proper flu đ In typical rollercoaster fashion this would take me a full month to properly recover. In fact we all got at Chez Roberts, but thankfully those who’d had their jabs were not quite so ill as I was. Annoyingly, for some reason that still escapes me, 2022 was the first winter in years I’d not popped to Boots to get myself jabbed. Mercifully we live and learn.
Whilst being ill and convalescing I got a fair amount of reading done, which was both satisfying and enjoyable. In that time I also feel like I got to grips with RefWorks too, which I’m told by others more experienced than I, is an essential tool in the PhD kit. Yay, good for me!
Feeling much better, today I resolved to not work from home, but instead get on my bike, on to campus, and behind a desk in the Charles Street building. Room 12.1.16 is rapidly becoming one of my fav places to work. It’s quiet, but not silent – the big windows overlook Arundal Gate, so there is a constant buzz of people, traffic and weather which I find rather pleasant. The chairs are proper office chairs, the desks are clean and clear, the computer works (mostly), it’s warm and distraction free – basically everything I don’t have when working from home. Nice! So, aside from a bit of catching up on unread emails, most of the day (11AM – 6PM) was at my disposal.
My focus has been getting to grips with my first assessment, deadline 20th February. The task, part of the Critical Thinking in Business Administration module I studied in October 2022, is a 5000-7000 assignment with the title:
“Philosophical underpinnings for business and management research will depend on the topic chosen”. Discuss this proposition in relation to your own research aims and objectives
The assessment criteria includes showing awareness of philosophical positions, understanding of epistemological and ontological issues, alternative ways of engaging with your research topic and making epistemological/ontological choices and much more… Suffice to say, right now, I’m feeling overwhelmed and intimidated. It has been a lllloooonnnggg time since I last wrote a structured essay of this length, and (frankly) I’ve not left myself a huge amount of time to get it done. Hey ho.
Today I’ve mostly been mining a fantastic online journal I discovered recently called the Journal of Deliberative Democracy – focusing on articles which explore the epistemology of democracy. It was a ‘postmodernism’ keyword search which returned what I think were the richest results. Interestingly, during the module we did the HARP Heightening your Awareness of your Research Philosophy reflexive tool designed by Bristow and Saunders, and postmodernism was at the top.
Also as an undergraduate, my by far favourite module was a 3rd year ‘Theories of Postmodernism’ romp through cities, culture, architecture and music. Mmmm, maybe postmodernism is something I will explore in more detail for the assignment….
Rightio – got to go. It’s time for tea back at the ranch. Sausages, potato wedges and baked beans coming right up. Bye for now!
Whatâs Cooking is an update on all things related to CHEFS: the Culture, Health, Environment, Food and Society research cluster at Sheffield Hallam University. Whatâs been cooking since our last edition?
First and foremost, happy new year! It seems an opportune moment to re-introduce the cluster, which spans three broad areas:
Culture, Health, Environment, Food and Society (CHEFS)Â focuses on the socio-cultural dimensions of food and drink markets and consumption, and is led by Jennifer Smith Maguire;
Surplus Waste and Excess Food in Society (SWEFS) focuses on drivers and potential interventions to address food waste, and is led by Pallavi Singh;
Sheffield Hallam Appetite Research (SHARe) focuses on appetite regulation and eating behaviour, and is co-led by Jenny Paxmanand Jordan Beaumont.
Please get in touch if youâd like to get involved, and email Jen (j.smith1@shu.ac.uk) if youâd like details added (or refreshed) on our Members Page.
Research England have recently launched round 2 of the Expanding Excellence in England (E3) fund. The E3 fund is focused on the strategic and sustainable expansion of small, excellent research units that push the frontiers of human knowledge and deliver transformative impacts and enhancing, and enhance the skills base and diversify talent in any given disciplines. E3 funds are thus typically directed at staff recruitment (staff contracts and developing a talent pipeline), activities related to conducting research and creating a conducive research environment, and capital investment. Weâd like to explore a potential CHEFS/SWEFS/SHARe bid, with our truly inter-disciplinary focus on food and society as the USP. The internal SHU deadline for expressions of interest is 20 January. If youâd like to be involved in this discussion, please let Jen know by Monday 9 January (j.smith1@shu.ac.uk) so that you are included in the planning meeting (date/time TBC).
Mark your calendars for the following upcoming CHEFS events:
26 January, 5.30-8pm, on campus: Barbara Bray MBE will deliver a BTE Talk (for the College of Business, Technology and Engineering) on âConsolidating the population, planet and people: Food industry solutions.â Registration and details here.
9 February, 4-5.30pm, on Zoom: CHEFS online research talk on âFood, Wine and Discourseâ featuring paired papers from Meg Maker (on the potential for a more inclusive wine lexicon) and Joanne Hollows (archival media research on WWII cookery columns). Titles and abstracts to come; for now, you can find details and joining link here, or email me (smith1@shu.ac.uk) for an Outlook invite.
8 March, 1-3pm, on campus: SHARe is hosting a âComplete and Finishâ writing event. Email event organizer Jenny Paxman if you have questions/would like to receive an Outlook invite.
14 March, 1.15-5.30pm, on campus (followed by refreshments and networking, 5.30-6.30): CHEFS is hosting theEnglish and Welsh Wine Symposium, a half-day event that explores the current context and future directions of the English and Welsh wine industry, with keynotes from Simon Thorpe MW, CEO of WineGB, and Professor Steve Charters MW, as well as a tutored tasting of English and Welsh wines, and a panel discussion featuring a cross-section of industry perspectives. More information and the Eventbrite registration link available here. Any questions, please email event lead organiser, John Dunning (dunning@shu.ac.uk).
Below, we have:
updates on recent CHEFS membersâ activities (a recap of 2022 activities; a novel online wine tasting; a new publication on wine value claims);
resources/calls for papers/conference announcements (including a call for involvement in one of five working groups that ShefFood is organising, as part of their Bronze to Silver Award bid for Sustainable food places);
the usual call for contributions and content for the March 2023 edition of Whatâs Cooking.
Cheers,
Jen
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Recent CHEFS Activities
A quick recap of our 2022 CHEFS activities, which included:
11 online research presentations, on craft, authenticity, beer, pubs, children, food, storytellingâŠand more! (recordings available here, including our final session of 2022 featuring Maria Touriâs research on digital storytelling and bridging the food producer/consumer gap);
5 research roundtables;
4 new GTA/PhD students: Megan, Ufuoma, Nikita, and Gareth (intros to their research here and here);
A new publication from Jennifer Smith Maguire and Nikita-Marie Bridgeman, with co-authors Sharron Marco-Thyse (Centre for Rural Legal Studies, South Africa) and Charles Erasmus (Wine Industry Value Chain Round Table, South Africa): Wine farmworkers, provenance stories and ethical value claims, in the Journal of Wine Research, extends past research on ethical value claims in two ways. First, research often centres on certifications as mechanisms of ethical claims-making; in contrast, we focus on provenance stories as devices of wine brand differentiation and ethical value creation. Second, while value claims are broadly understood as co-creative outcomes involving producers, intermediaries, and consumers, we focus on manual farmworkers, who are largely absent, as story subjects and storytellers, in agri-food provenance stories and value claims. Focusing on the South African wine industry, the article analyses a comparative sample of South African, French, Italian and Australian winery websites, identifying provenance as the dominant frame for ethical value claims, family as a primary anchor for provenance, and South Africaâs distinctive prevalence of representations of farmworkers in winery communications. The article then reports on data from two âstorytelling workshopsâ with Cape Wineland farmworkers, which generated resonant themes â community and familiness; expertise and pride â that align with extant winery brand stories, and dominant market expectations and credence cues, suggesting potential for farmworkers to contribute to and be more securely included and recognized within premium wine value chains.
Finally: CHEFS is delighted to welcome Samantha McCormick, our latest food-focused GTA to Sheffield Business School! Sam is a SHU grad (BSc Hons Nutrition, Diet & Lifestyle) and will be starting her PhD journey in February; watch this space for an introduction in the next edition of Whatâs Cooking.
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Resources/call for papers/conference announcements
ShefFood, the food partnership for Sheffield, has launched a brand-new food charter for Sheffield as part of their Bronze to Silver Award bid for Sustainable food places. Over the next couple of months, ShefFood is bringing together food-based organisations from across Sheffield in five working groups to write a multi-stakeholder Action Plan for the city. The working groups (Food Ladders; Compost and Growing; Food Health and Obesity; Good Food Economy and Procurement; Good Food Movementâopen meetings) have a series of workshops scheduled over January-March. Dates, locations, and details on how to get involved are available here; to confirm your place at any of the meetings, or for more information, please email <info@sheffood.org.uk>.
Call for papers: Third International Conference on Food and Communication. Deadline 15 February.
The third conference on Food and Communication will be held in Ărebro, Sweden, 13 â 15th September 2023, with the theme âCommunication âgoodâ foods.â By studying topics at the intersection of communication and food, the conference welcomes scientific contributions covering all geographic areas, historical periods, and methods, including, but not limited to food and: health; sustainability; ethics; science; branding/marketing; media; advice and cookbooks; governmental discourse; corporate discourse; professional communication (chefs, restaurants); politics; religion. Full information and abstract submission point available here.
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Call for content for the next edition of Whatâs Cooking
The next edition of Whatâs Cooking will be March 2023. Please send content (research updates, calls for expression of interest, relevant calls for papers/conference/event announcements) to j.smith1@shu.ac.uk by 27 February.
CHEFS blog
Interested in writing a blog post? These are usually 800-1200 words and written for a general audience in an informal style. Blogs can revisit work youâve already done (e.g., highlighting a recent output/publication); discuss research or research-related activities (teaching, public engagement, etc.) that you are working on; offer your informed take on contemporary food/drink issues or policy; provide a profile on your research. If youâd like to contribute a piece, please get in touch with Jen (j.smith1@shu.ac.uk).
Want to stay updated? Follow us on Twitter (@SHU_CHEFS), subscribe to the blog and/or join our Jisc email list: see information on the very bottom of each CHEFS webpage.
I decided the title ‘Ketchup’ for my second blog post whilst lying in bed this morning, trying to eeek out the last bit of duvet warmth before stepping into the chill of our money-saving-less-than-usually-centrally-heated house. I’d already decided this post would be a catch-up post – bringing me, and you (the reader) up to date on the PhD journey thus far.
Unexpectedly my brain pinged up a scene from Pulp Fiction, where Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) shares a joke with Vincent Vega (John Travolta). The joke is as follows: “One day there were three tomatoes walking down the street, a mama tomato, a daddy tomato and a baby tomato. Baby tomato is walking too slowly, so the daddy tomato goes back, steps on him and says ‘ketchup!’ ” The scene is better than the joke, so you can watch it here if you fancy. I’m going to attribute the brain ping (or is it brain fart nowadays? lol) to a weak triangulation of catching up, something food related, and something slightly left field to engage, and who knows, distract even… Perfect for a second blog post, I’m sure you’ll agree.
Finding the original email I received in April 2022 from the CHEFS email list took a bit of time, making me realise just how quickly and easily nuggets of digital gold are found, lost and found again. The moment I opened the email in April I know this was an opportunity I needed to act upon. It read:
Food events, âsustainability imaginariesâ and shaping consumer perceptions and behaviour
This project aims to improve the sustainability of regional food systems through the platform of food events (e.g. food festivals, farmers markets, agricultural shows), focusing on Yorkshire/Northern England. It explores the construction of food sustainability âimaginariesâ (Taylor 2004): normative conventions and expectations as to what constitutes sustainable food systems, and how people imagine everyday life (e.g., eating, purchasing, choosing, growing), and their roles, identities and relations to others in a sustainable food system. Building on previous examinations of food events as drivers of sustainability (Lin & Bestor 2020; Organ et al 2015; Star, Rolfe & Brown 2020; Williams et al 2015), the research will:
(1) generate a comprehensive account of how âfood sustainability imaginariesâ are constructed through a food eventâs experiential, material and communicative dimensions;
(2) devise and evaluate a food event-based intervention through which to enhance consumersâ practices and behaviours in relation to the environmental, socio-cultural and economic sustainability of food.
By May 2022 I had written a research proposal, secured two trusted academic peers (thank you Peter, thank you Jane) and got my application in by the deadline – phew! Receiving the interview invite was a GOOD THING, immediately followed by a visit to the pub to celebrate, and getting down to preparing my short presentation for the interview, which took place on 21st June 2022. The BIG NEWS of an unconditional offer arrived on 1st July, followed by another visit to the pub of course! Fast forward through the summer to October 2022 when ‘My PhD Journey’ embarked proper.
The full title of my post is ‘Graduate Teaching Assistant PhD Scholarship’, which I am undertaking on a part-time basis over 6-7 years. So, what does this mean? Broadly speaking it means I receive a scholarship payment to complete the PhD and to teach. The bureaucracy of enrolment was inevitable, but pretty painless – and various new PGR inductions into the Sheffield Hallam Doctoral School did exactly what they needed to do in terms of getting across all the key information in a timely manner. Thanks to the great support teams đ whether it was filling in the correct forms, activating IT accounts, applying for SHU cards or getting access to the right rooms, everything that was needed has happened. I’ve also accessed a couple of really useful webinars delivered by the amazing Library Services.
In terms of teaching, the Doctoral School offered a ‘Teaching Skills for Doctoral Students’ course, for which I was eligible. However after speaking with the course leader and taking into consideration my previous teaching qualifications and 10 years + teaching experience (most of which has been here at SHU) I was able to decide that I didn’t need to attend the TSDS course. I felt well supported to make the right decision. Another positive in relation to teaching is that there is a block of time at the start and end of the PhD where I am not required to do any teaching. It’s not allowed in fact! This feature has created a very useful period of time for everything else to happen and to settle in, including speaking with my Subject Team Leader about what teaching I will be doing. More on teaching to come…
The first study block ‘Critical Thinking in Business Administration’ ran from 17th – 21st October covering a wide range of topics, including theories of truth and management research, ethics, ontology, epistemology, research philosophies and much more. The module was expertly co-delivered by Dr Richard Breese and Dr Fariba Darabi, with a great range of activities and guest lecturers, plus a welcome message by Professor Conor Moss, Dean of College Business, Technology and Engineering. The module assignment is a 5-7000 word essay due in February 2023, focusing on a critical exploration of the research aims and objectives I have developed. More on this assignment to come…
I reached a key milestone on 15th November with my first proper PhD supervision meeting with my Director of Studies Professor Jennifer Smith Maguire. The brief ahead of the session was to “revisit your proposal and try to pick out whatâs likely to form part of your focus going forward”. This involved following up a couple of scribbled notes I made one afternoon during a group activity in the earlier study block. The keywords were ‘deliberative democracy’, and something about them resonated with me. So it was, towards the end of October, that I embarked on what I now see as my first proper rounds of structured literature searches and reading. At the supervision session I shared my thinking with Jen, and what emerged was a scribbled venn diagram, and the sentence ‘food events as spaces for deliberation in support of values based food systems’. More on how this develops to come…
A key challenge I’ve encountered has been finding the time I want to dedicate to my PhD studies. My aim currently is a day a week. I’ve managed this most weeks so far, but not all weeks, and each day I have found has been disrupted in various ways by my work, by family matters and life in general, but on a positive note this disruption is happening less each week, which is good I think. I’m learning that I actually prefer having a few things on the go at any one time, and that it’s more about finding the right balance, rather than aiming for exclusivity of my time and attention on just one thing. We’ll see how I get on with that!
Finally, a quick note to self – as well as keeping this blog, I have a pen and paper notebook especially for the PhD. Like a first day at a new school, it felt right, and I’m already glad I did it. A quick flick through the pages allows me to reflect on what has already happened, and where I might need to go next. Where is next? A supervision session with Jen next week to share my progress on identifying literature topics. More on the next supervision session goes to come…
…begins with one step. Or at least the saying goes.
My PhD journey at Sheffield Hallam University has officially begun, but to be fair it started ages ago, and will continue well after the ‘official’ end too – until death do us part right? đ
My intention is to share my PhD journey here on the CHEFS Blog, and avoid that horrid feeling (which I’ve encountered too many times before) of “why didn’t I start a writing blog at the beginning of this project”. Another intention is to be kind to myself on this journey, because whilst there is plenty I don’t know I don’t know, there is certainly one thing I do know I know – which is that is this journey will be long – like LLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG.
Gareth Roberts started his PhD at Sheffield Hallam University in October 2022, working on the topic âFood events, âsustainability imaginariesâ and shaping consumer perceptions and behaviour.â Gareth will be blogging about the PhD journey–watch this space!
A bit about Gareth:
Gareth is no stranger to working at Sheffield Hallam University. Once upon a time, he pushed a tea trolley around the Stoddart building! Between 2002-04 he completed a Post Compulsory Education and Training PGCE and from 2005-15 he taught in the Events Management team. Gareth is passionate about cooperation, and has worked collaboratively with people from all walks of life for over 25 years. His various experiences as an arts administrator, event manager, lecturer and serial social entrepreneur bring useful skills and resilience to the Sheffield cooperative economy. Gareth is a founder member and co-director of Regather, and established ShefFood â Sheffieldâs Food Partnership. Since 2015 he has led strategic developments around Community Economic Development and Sustainable Food Systems, enabling innovative economic and social change in Sheffield. His mission is a food system where money is retained in the local economy, land is more productive, food is better quality, health is improved, and people have involvement in changing the food system for the better.
Whatâs Cooking is an update on all things related to CHEFS: the Culture, Health, Environment, Food and Society research cluster at Sheffield Hallam University. Whatâs been cooking since our last edition?
The next instalment of our online research talk series is on 9 November, when weâll have paired papers on the theme of âFood, Economic Imaginaries, and Entrepreneurship.â Weâll be joined by Dr Alessandro Gerosa (University of Birmingham), who will be talking about his research with Italian gourmet food truck operators, and by Dr Jasmina BoĆŸiÄ (University of Zagreb), who will be talking about her research with Croatian micro entrepreneurs in organic fruit and vegetable production. Details (including full abstracts and the Zoom joining link) are available on our Online Research Talks page. The online talks are open to all, both local and global, students and staff, practitioners and public. Please feel free to share with your networksâall welcome!
Future talks:
7 December for a joint CHEFS talk/Department of Service Sector Management Distinguished Lecture from Dr Maria Touri (University of Leicester) on her collaborative research with farmers in South India and consumer in the UK, using a storytelling experiment to bring farmersâ voices into the food supply chain. Details and joining link here.
26 January for Barbara Bray MBE, who will deliver a BTE Talk (for the College of Business, Technology and Engineering) on âConsolidating the population, planet and people: Food industry solutions.âRegistration and details here.
Our virtual research roundtables are an informal chance to check in, share updates, trade suggestions, ask questions and bounce ideas around. No prep neededâjust a chance to meet up and talk CHEFS for an hour:
Thursday 17 November, 4-5pm
Wednesday 14 December, 4-5pm
Research roundtable meeting invites (with Zoom link and meeting password) will be sent out shortly via the CHEFS JISC list. Not joined the JISC list yet? See information on the very bottom of each CHEFS webpage. In the meantime, please email me directly (j.smith1@shu.ac.uk) if youâd like me to forward a meeting invite.
Below, we have:
updates on recent CHEFS membersâ activities (cuisine, wine, and alcohol licensing research activities, plus introductions from two CHEFS-linked GTA PhD students);
resources/calls for papers/conference announcements (upcoming Sheffield event re. food and social enterprises; CFP on food and communication);
the usual call for contributions and content for the January 2023 edition of Whatâs Cooking.
John Dunning has been invited to serve as Academic Board Member for HRC Culinary Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria. This role will allow him to engage with employers in Bulgaria, who are also represented on the Board. John has also recently developed a Wine Tourism, Destination Marketing Management HSE student project that focuses on the Yorkshire Wine Trail (YWT), which will be advertised to students in the Department of Service Sector Management. The HSE project is part of a wider CHEFS focus on regional wine, wineries and wine tourism, which weâll be showcasing in the spring with an academic/practitioner event focused on English and Welsh wineâa Covid-delayed follow-up to the CHEFS Sparkling Symposium. Watch this space for more details!
John and Jen are delighted to be working again with Samantha McCormick. Sam is a SHU grad (BSc Hons Nutrition, Diet & Lifestyle) and is working as a research assistant on a Department of Service Sector Management funded project on wine gifting, which has involved interviews with British and Chinese consumers. Sam will be transcribing and coding transcripts. The research builds on an earlier study by John and Jen focused on Chinese expat consumersâ wine gifting attitudes and behaviours, which will appear in the edited Routledge collection Wine and the Gift (editor, Peter Howland).
Jennifer Smith Maguire and Nikita Bridgeman, and co-authors Sharron Marco-Thyse (Centre for Rural Legal Studies, South Africa) and Charles Erasmus (Wine Industry Value Chain Round Table, South Africa) have recently had their article accepted at the Journal of Wine Research. The article, âWine farmworkers, provenance stories and ethical value claimsâ reports on a pilot study utilizing storytelling workshops with South African wine farm manual workers, and work carried out as part of Nikitaâs dissertation for her MSc in Food Consumer Marketing and Product Development (Sheffield Business School). (More on Nikita, below!). Jen has just submitted a BA/Leverhulme small research grant bid to scale up the project. You can read more about the research in the pilot study findings report and this recent CHEFS blog about the impact portion of the research.
Finally: CHEFS is delighted to welcome two food-focused GTAs to Sheffield Business School!
Nikita Bridgeman is working with supervisors Pallavi Singh and Dianne Dean, on the project, âIntergenerational Attitudes Towards Food from a Cross Cultural Perspective.â It is hoped that the research can contribute to developing culturally appropriate suggestions (which are at present limited) regarding the reduction of food waste, in support of national sustainability objectives. As a previous MSc Food Consumer Marketing and Product Development student at Sheffield Hallam, Nikita is excited to continue her education here at SHU and look forward to getting involved with all the different opportunities the university has to offer. Over the last 9 months, she has been an Associate Lecturer at SHU within the Food and Nutrition, Marketing, and Business Operations and Systems subject groups, and is thrilled to be able to continue teaching alongside studying for her PhD. Outside of work/study, she is a âcomplete foodieâ and explores her passion through food blogging, which has been great fun and provided her with further insights into both the food and marketing industries. She hopes one day to use these experiences to conduct research into the promotion of food in social media/influencer culture. Nikita says: âI’m very excited to be a part of CHEFS and looking forward to seeing where my research takes me!â Weâre excited too!
Gareth Roberts is working with supervisors Jennifer Smith Maguire, Mark Norman and Caroline Westwood, on the project, âFood events, âsustainability imaginariesâ and shaping consumer perceptions and behaviour.â Gareth is no stranger to working at Sheffield Hallam University. Once upon a time, he pushed a tea trolley around the Stoddart building! Between 2002-04 he completed a Post Compulsory Education and Training PGCE and from 2005-15 he taught in the Events Management team. Gareth is passionate about cooperation, and has worked collaboratively with people from all walks of life for over 25 years. His various experiences as an arts administrator, event manager, lecturer and serial social entrepreneur bring useful skills and resilience to the Sheffield cooperative economy. Gareth is a founder member and co-director of Regather, and established ShefFood – Sheffieldâs Food Partnership. Since 2015 he has led strategic developments around Community Economic Development and Sustainable Food Systems, enabling innovative economic and social change in Sheffield. His mission is a food system where money is retained in the local economy, land is more productive, food is better quality, health is improved, and people have involvement in changing the food system for the better.
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Resources/call for papers/conference announcements
A Sustainable Future: Sheffield’s Social Enterprise Exchange Conference, 2022.
In-person event to mark International Social Enterprise Day, offering the chance to connect with others and explore what a sustainable future looks like for you and/or your organisation. The day will include panel discussion, in-depth workshops, lunch and plenty of opportunities for networking. The conference is free and open to anyone working with, in or interested in the social enterprise sector. Information and registration link available here.
Call for papers: Third International Conference on Food and Communication. Deadline 15 February.
The third conference on Food and Communication will be held in Ărebro, Sweden, 13 â 15th September 2023, with the theme âCommunication âgoodâ foods.â By studying topics at the intersection of communication and food, the conference welcomes scientific contributions covering all geographic areas, historical periods, and methods, including, but not limited to food and: health; sustainability; ethics; science; branding/marketing; media; advice and cookbooks; governmental discourse; corporate discourse; professional communication (chefs, restaurants); politics; religion. Full information and abstract submission point available here.
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Call for content for the next edition of Whatâs Cooking
The next edition of Whatâs Cooking will be January 2023. Please send content (research updates, calls for expression of interest, relevant calls for papers/conference/event announcements) to j.smith1@shu.ac.uk by 4 January.
CHEFS blog
Interested in writing a blog post? These are usually 800-1200 words and written for a general audience in an informal style. Blogs can revisit work youâve already done (e.g., highlighting a recent output/publication); discuss research or research-related activities (teaching, public engagement, etc.) that you are working on; offer your informed take on contemporary food/drink issues or policy; provide a profile on your research. If youâd like to contribute a piece, please get in touch with Jen (j.smith1@shu.ac.uk).
Want to stay updated? Follow us on Twitter (@SHU_CHEFS), subscribe to the blog and/or join our Jisc email list: see information on the very bottom of each CHEFS webpage.
Whatâs Cooking is an update on all things related to CHEFS: the Culture, Health, Environment, Food and Society research cluster at Sheffield Hallam University. Whatâs been cooking since our last edition?
Check out our most recent research blog post, in which Jo Pearce offers her reflections on a PhD by published work. Jo also gives us a whistle stop tour of her research on how the promotion of healthy eating habits and dietary guidelines can impact on the health outcomes of women and children.
The next instalment of our online research talk series is coming up in October: âChildrenâs Food, Feeding and Inequalitiesâ will feature research presentations from Irmak Karademir Hazir and Filippo Oncini. The date will be confirmed shortly, with information distributed via the JISC list and our Twitter account (be sure to follow us: @SHU_CHEFS). Meanwhile, details (including full abstracts and the Zoom joining link) are available on our Online Research Talks page. The online talks are open to all, both local and global, students and staff, practitioners and public. Please feel free to share with your networksâall welcome!
After a summer break, our virtual research roundtables are back! The roundtables are an informal chance to check in, share updates, trade suggestions, ask questions and bounce ideas around. No prep neededâjust a chance to meet up and talk CHEFS for an hour:
Friday 16 September, 3.30-4.30pm
Thursday 17 November, 4-5pm
Wednesday 14 December, 4-5pm
Research roundtable meeting invites (with Zoom link and meeting password) will be sent out shortly via the CHEFS JISC list. Not joined the JISC list yet? See information on the very bottom of each CHEFS webpage. In the meantime, please email me directly (j.smith1@shu.ac.uk) if youâd like me to forward a meeting invite.
Below, we have:
updates on recent CHEFS membersâ activities (including a recent publication on baby-led weaning, research on household food waste in collaboration with Sheffield City Councilâwith a call for participants!, and reflections on the recent Nutrition Society Summer Conference);
resources/calls for papers/conference announcements (various calls for papers in relation to food/drink and sustainability, craft, time, communication);
the usual call for contributions and content for the November 2022 edition of Whatâs Cooking.
Cheers,
Jen
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Recent CHEFS Activities
Jo Pearce and Rachel Rundle have had their latest paper on baby-led weaning (BLW) published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. In âBaby-led weaning: A thematic analysis of comments made by parents using online parenting forums,â they report on an interpretive thematic analysis of messages and responses posted on three UK parenting forums, relating to complementary feeding. The analysis found that the characterisation of BLW by parents was varied but they described BLW having an ethos which included trusting the baby, role modelling, developing confidence with food and sharing the social aspects of mealtimes. BLW also offered an alternative to those actively seeking something different or a default for those whose baby refused purees or spoon feeding. BLW felt like a natural progression, with low parental effort for some, and a source of anxiety, stress, choking risk and mess for others. Many parents struggled to find a process (what to eat and when) within BLW, that they could follow. Finger foods were used synonymously with BLW but many mixed/blurred aspects of both TW and BLW. The authors conclude that the interpretation of BLW varies considerably between parents and a broader definition of BLW may be required, along with guidance on the process and purpose of BLW.Â
Dianne Dean, Pallavi Singh, Scott Jones, and Nikita-Marie Bridgeman, all from Sheffield Business School, are working with Sheffield City Council to examine household food waste. Flats and households in four trial areas in Sheffield have been selected by Sheffield City Council to take part in a weekly food waste recycling trail, taking place over the next three months. If you live in a trial area (Woodseats/Meersbrook/Norton Lees/Chapeltown/Ecclesfield/Burncross/ Arbourthorne/Gleadless Valley/Darnall) you may have been given a food caddy to collect food waste in, roll of liners for the caddy and an outside food waste bin. The research team are seeking participants that live in one of the four trial areas and are taking part in the Sheffield City Council food waste trial scheme. The research team are interested in better understanding the process of food disposal in the household and data will be collected by means of diaries and semi-structured interviews. If you are in the Sheffield City Council food waste trial scheme, and would like to participate in the research project, please email Professor Dianne Dean (Dianne.Dean@shu.ac.uk)Â or Dr Pallavi Singh (p.singh@shu.ac.uk).
Jenny Paxman reflected on the Nutrition Society Summer Conference, which took place in July in Sheffield, with a focus on âFood and Nutrition: Pathways to a Sustainable Future.â The Scientific Programme Organisers comprised Jenny and Lucie Nield from Sheffield Hallam University, and Liz Williams and Samantha Caton from the University of Sheffield, and the conference was a collaborative endeavour with teams from Sheffield Hallam University, The University of Sheffield and Sheffield City Council working together throughout. Delegates were effusive in their praise of everything from the main venue at SHU, to the social activities and of course the scientific programme! We welcomed speakers from all over the world, and it was wonderful to reconnect with colleagues and collaborators.
Jennifer Smith Maguire was interviewed by WineLand Magazine (which targets South African wine industry stakeholders) about her collaborative research on wine farmworker heritage stories; the article is due out in this monthâs âheritageâ issue. Jen will also be presenting âVina aperta and the quest for interconnectednessâ as a keynote at the online symposium âTowards an Eliasian Understanding of Food in the 21st Centuryâ, organised by the University of Huddersfield on 7 September. Drawing on the work of Norbert Elias, the talk considers what we might learn about wine, and food more generally, by contrasting the concepts of vinum clausum (a view of wine as a static object, the consumption of which is reducible to discrete variables) and vina aperta (a view of wine as a processual âthing,â the accomplishment of which is fundamentally bound up with the problems of humansâ interdependence with the natural world, others, and with themselves). The paper suggests that foregrounding the processual, interdependent character of wine provides valuable insights into what drives some producers and consumers to pursue alternative market relations that quench a thirst for interconnectedness, while offering potential routes toward more sustainable production and consumption.
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Resources/call for papers/conference announcements
Call for papers: special issue on Food and Sustainability. Deadline 30 September.
The journal Sustainability (impact factor: 3.251) will feature a special issue on the topic of âFood and Sustainabilityâ. This Special Issue will focus broadly on how the food and drink industry can meet the challenge of embedding sustainability into its business strategies and operations as well as nudging consumers towards making more sustainable food choices. Many food businesses today are under pressure to demonstrate how their products and services are making a positive contribution towards society. However, one of the biggest challenges for businesses is progressing sustainability initiatives from an added benefit view to an integrated, value-driven to business approach. Deadline for submission is 30 September 2022. Full details here.
Call for papers: XX ISA World Congress of Sociology-Â Economic Sociology of Craftsmanship. Deadline 30 September.
Andrey Sgorla is coordinating a session on the Economic Sociology of Craftsmanship at the XX ISA World Congress of Sociology. This will be presented in English and Spanish and will take place from June 25th- July 1st 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. The deadline for authors to submit their abstracts is September 30th 2022 at 24:00 GMT. More information available at Session: Economic Sociology of Craftsmanship (XX ISA World Congress of Sociology (June 25-July 1, 2023)) (confex.com). Any questions about the session or call for papers can be sent to Andrey at afsgorla@gmail.com.
Call for chapters: time and alcohol. Deadline 4 November. âItâs Five Oâclock Somewhereâ: Time, Alcohol, and Other Beverages. Dr Peter Howland is looking for 10-12 chapters which critically explore the history and/or ethnographies of time and the role that it plays in the production, exchange and consumption of drinks and beverages (of any form) to be included in an edited volume. All disciplinary perspectives are welcome and it is hoped that this publication will be included in Routledgeâs Critical Beverage Studies series. If you would like to apply to be included in this proposal, please email your name, institutional details, a proposed paper title and an abstract (200-500 words) to p.j.howland@massey.ac.nz. The deadline for applications is 4th November 2022.
Call for papers: Third International Conference on Food and Communication. Deadline TBC (details due in September).
The third conference on Food and Communication brings together researchers who work on the intersection of food and communication. The next one will be held in Ărebro, Sweden, 13 â 15th September 2023 and the call for papers will be announced soon in September 2022. More information available at:Â Â Food & Communication Conference â Food & Communication Conference (foodcommunication.net)Â and you can see some of the previous conference events on Twitter via the hashtag #foodcommunicationconf
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Call for content for the next edition of Whatâs Cooking The next edition of Whatâs Cooking will be November 2022. Please send content (research updates, calls for expression of interest, relevant calls for papers/conference/event announcements) to j.smith1@shu.ac.uk by 31 October.
CHEFS blog Interested in writing a blog post? These are usually 800-1200 words and written for a general audience in an informal style. Blogs can revisit work youâve already done (e.g., highlighting a recent output/publication); discuss research or research-related activities (teaching, public engagement, etc.) that you are working on; offer your informed take on contemporary food/drink issues or policy; provide a profile on your research. If youâd like to contribute a piece, please get in touch with Jen (j.smith1@shu.ac.uk).
Want to stay updated? Follow us on Twitter (@SHU_CHEFS), subscribe to the blog and/or join our Jisc email list: see information on the very bottom of each CHEFS webpage.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND
In June, I successfully defended my PhD on the Basis of Published Work, âTeachable moments in the promotion of healthy eating habits in pregnancy and early childhood.â My dissertation focuses on how nutritional exposures during pregnancy, infancy and early childhood can impact on both the short-term and long-term health outcomes of children, drawing together eight previously published articles. In this blog, I want to share some insights on the increasingly common, if still atypical, option of pursuing a PhD by publication. But first, a quick snapshot of my dissertation!
Pregnancy has often been described as a âteachable momentâ, where women may have increased motivation to change their dietary and other health behaviours. Other teachable moments exist whenever families make choices around nutrition, such as breast or formula feeding, the introduction of solid foods and what to eat at home or at school. The thesis considers whether the promotion of healthy eating habits and adherence to dietary guidelines during these teachable moments have the potential to improve the health outcomes of women and children. The thesis was comprised of eight papers: article one was a service evaluation of a midwife-led intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain, articles two and three explored womenâs feelings about their weight, diet, nutrition, and physical activity (PA) during pregnancy; four and five were systematic reviews and found some limited evidence that very early introduction of solid foods (†4 months) and high intakes of protein in infancy may contribute to overweight and obesity risk later in childhood. Articles six and seven (in press) explored baby-led weaning (BLW) and found understanding of and adherence to the characteristics of BLW varied considerably amongst parents reporting using the method. A final paper explored why some families choose not to take universal infant free school meals. Overall, the research highlights that health promotion activity should focus on the long-term healthy eating habits of women as the gatekeepers of the family diet, whilst recognising the challenges that women face during and following pregnancy.
Following my PhD viva, my examiners asked me to add a section reflecting on the published works route and why I had chosen to complete my PhD in this way. I know why I had chosen this route, but as I looked for some references to support the reflection, I found there was surprisingly little written in the academic literature. Apparently, PhD by published works is becoming increasing popular, but neither the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) nor the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) publish statistics about the number of registered candidates, percentage of candidates or completions in the UK. Moreover, each institution publishes its own guidelines, which vary in the level detail provided to prospective candidates.
The major criteria of any PhD are appropriate methods, coherence, contribution of knowledge, critical appreciation, independence, and intellectual merit. As Powell notes, PhD candidates should also be âcapable of continuing to undertake research in an independent and original wayâ Â So, what does this mean for the published works route?
Well, for me, it meant completing and publishing between four and eight (N.B. this may vary, depending on institution) journal articles or book chapters. Each work needed to represent an original contribution to knowledge. Publications had to be first-authored by me, or I had to contribute substantially to one or more aspect of the research (study design, collecting data, analysis and writing up). Additionally, I wrote an overarching narrative comprising a literature review, a critical evaluation of the methodologies used within the publications from the perspective of my research philosophy and a discussion of the theme uniting the publications. Taking this route to PhD also meant that I worked independently. My advisor co-authored six of my publications and was very supportive but in terms of preparing the thesis, they just provided some guidance on which publications were suitable to use, the structure of the final report and some feedback on each completed section. My total thesis, including publications and a critical narrative had to adhere to one theme and total 70,000-100,000 words (again, this varies with considerably by institution).
I chose to complete my PhD via the published works route when I found myself in the position of being a university lecturer, but without a PhD. I could have opted for a traditional PhD, completed part time over six or more years. But given the amount of research I had already been involved with, and my existing academic and research experience, I opted for PhD by published works. A key advantage for me was being able to continue to research and publish alongside my teaching role. I could also complete the PhD without further reducing my part time hours.
Nevertheless, there are disadvantages of the published works route. First and foremost: it is not a quicker journey! It is still time consuming and competed with other demands of my job. There is also the added burden of accountability and self-motivation. Getting articles finished and published can be challenging and not all your publications will fit your theme, the time frame or eligibility criteria (for example, being published whilst in a previous job role).
This aside, the published works route should be an option all university staff are aware ofâwhether they are advising prospective PhD candidates, or (especially) if they are considering how to juggle a PhD alongside juggling part- or full-time work with family life. My advice would be to study your Universityâs specific guidance and find others at your institution who have completed their PhD work in this way, to decide if this is an option for you. Also, it helps to plan research-led teaching, for example, supervision of student projects, which will support you to complete publications in a timely manner. To quote Badley, in one of the few relevant articles I managed to find, a PhD by published works can ârepresent a formidable level of doctoratenessâ Â but it is definitely not an easy option!
Jo Pearce completed her PhD at the University of Nottingham. She currently works as a senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University. Joâs current research interests include complementary feeding, baby-led weaning, and school food.
Whatâs Cooking is an update on all things related to CHEFS: the Culture, Health, Environment, Food and Society research cluster at Sheffield Hallam University. Whatâs been cooking since our last edition?
The latest instalment of our online research talk series was just yesterday, with âpaired papersâ focused on craft drink and food. Thomas Thurnell-Read shared his research on craft gin distillers and the themes of biography and kinship and craft gin, and Belinda Zakrzewska presented her co-authored work on authenticity, coloniality and Peruvian cuisine. A recording of the session is now available on our âpast talksâ webpage. Looking ahead, the next âpaired papersâ session will be in October (date TBC) on âChildrenâs Food, Feeding and Inequalitiesâ featuring research presentations from Irmak Karademir Hazir and Filippo Oncini. Full details (including full abstracts and the Zoom joining link) are available on our Online Research Talks page. The online talks are open to all, both local and global, students and staff, practitioners and public. Please feel free to share with your networksâall welcome!
If youâre around Sheffield, itâs not too late to register to attend the Nutrition Society summer conference, which Sheffield Hallam University and University of Sheffield are delighted to be hosting 12-15 July, with support from Sheffield City Council. The conference theme is Pathways to Sustainability. Registration deadline is 5 July.Conference information and registration link available here.
Below, we have:
updates on recent CHEFS membersâ activities (a bumper crop of updates!);
resources/calls for papers/conference announcements (including a call for papers for a special issue on food and sustainability);
the usual call for contributions and content for the September 2022 edition of Whatâs Cooking.
Cheers,
Jen
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Recent CHEFS Activities
Sheffield Business School and the Business, Technology, and Engineering College of Sheffield Hallam University recently hosted a PGR and ECR Conference on the theme âDoes Impact Matter?â Congratulations to the two food-focused, joint winners of the conference prize for the best e-poster presentation! Ufuoma Arangebiâs poster examined âIntergenerational cross-cultural attitudes towards household food wasteâ and Megan Flintâs poster examined âPlant-based convenience foods: Consumer perceptions, nutrient profile and satiety.â Congratulations, Ufumuo and Megan! You can read more about Meganâs research, and see the full poster in her recent CHEFS blog.
Jo Pearce, senior lecturer in Nutrition, successfully defended her PhD by publication, âTeachable moments in the promotion of healthy eating habits in pregnancy and early childhoodâ, in June. Joâs PhD engages with issues of how nutritional exposures during pregnancy, infancy and early childhood can impact on both the short-term and long-term health outcomes of children. Pregnancy has often been described as a âteachable momentâ, where women may have increased motivation to change their dietary and other health behaviours. Other teachable moments exist whenever families make choices around nutrition, such as breast or formula feeding, the introduction of solid foods and what to eat at home or at school. The thesis considers whether the promotion of healthy eating habits and adherence to dietary guidelines during these teachable moments, have the potential to improve the health outcomes of women and children. The thesis was comprised of eight papers: two explored womenâs feelings about their weight, diet, nutrition, and physical activity (PA) during pregnancy; two were systematic reviews and found some limited evidence that very early introduction of solid foods (†4 months) and high intakes of protein in infancy may contribute to overweight and obesity risk later in childhood; two further papers explored baby-led weaning (BLW) and found understanding of and adherence to the characteristics of BLW varied considerably amongst parents reporting using the method; a final paper explored why some families choose not to take universal infant free school meals. Overall, the research highlights that health promotion activity should focus on the long-term healthy eating habits of women as the gatekeepers of the family diet, whilst recognising the challenges that women face during and following pregnancy. Congratulations Dr Pearce!Â
Caroline Westwood was recently at the annual ESRS (European Society for Rural Sociology) conference. The main conference theme was rural entrepreneurship, with talks covering a range of issues including agri-food entrepreneurship in small, rural SMEs, and connections between food, farming, rural tourism and diversification. Caroline presented the paper, âRural and Agricultural Shows: New Strategies for Supporting Entrepreneurs,â which focuses on the impacts that covid has had on exhibitors at these events. The conference presentation began by looking at attendeesâ pre-pandemic experiences at these traditional events, followed by data collected from exhibitors who had attended virtual agricultural shows in 2020 during the pandemic, with a focus on how they have adapted their businesses since. This was in collaboration with Professor Gary Bosworth from Northumbria University who specialises in rural entrepreneurship. Caroline and Gary are planning future collaborations to extend this initial study.
Lucie Nield is currently working with adolescents from low SES groups to investigate food choice in adolescents. We have used a Photovoice methodology and have developed a number of research themes from the qualitative data. Next steps: working with the adolescents on how we can use the information to advocate for a change that they would like to seeânamely changes to school lunches! Lucie is also working with SHU colleagues on two other research areas: with Jereme Snook, she is carrying out a review of the qualitative literature around lived experience of obesity and discrimination in all areas of life (e.g., education, healthcare, employment) and how this links with inequality; with Steven Marshall, Michael Thelwell and Simon Choppin, Lucie is also looking at new ways to measure peopleâs body shape and size. The team are currently recruiting for participants. Please use this link to see the Participant Information Sheet and questionnaire.
Lucie will also be presenting research findings at the People, Place and Policy Conference at Sheffield Hallam University on 6 July, from on a study investigating the lived experience of people who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Sheffield. The research examines their experiences of the health service, dietary and lifestyle change with an aim of using the acquired knowledge to feed into service redesign and development. It has been coproduced by Community, Voluntary and Social Enterprise organisations and investigates their potential role and strengths in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
John Dunning was recently in Crete for the ICOT (International Conference on Tourism) conference. John gave a presentation, âWine service in restaurants: changing trends and the impact on the professional wine steward.â Additionally, John was a participant in the Panel Discussion focused on âWine tourism in Crete: Strengthening the industry-research nexus.â The panel consisted of representatives of local government, winemaking, sommeliers, the hospitality sector, and academiaâa fantastic mix!
John was also busy with travel and presentations in May. In early May, he was at the HRC Culinary Academy in Sofia Bulgaria, regarded as one of the best culinary schools in Eastern Europe. John delivered a presentation on food and culinary trends, carried out some professional development in their training restaurant, had discussions about curriculum, and met with hospitality employers in Sofia. Later in the month, John was at the 2022 CHME (Council for Hospitality Management Education) Conference in Edinburgh, where he presented a paper co-authored with Daniel Ma: âWine consumer behaviour and attitudes: A focus on Australian Chardonnay.â
Jennifer Smith Maguire recently finished off her sabbatical period with a research trip to the Cape Wine Lands, South Africa: read about it in her recent CHEFS blog post. Jen is looking forward to September, when sheâll be delivering one of the keynote presentations (a taste of the wine book sheâs been working on while on sabbatical!) at âTowards an Eliasian Understanding of Food in the 21st Centuryâ, a one-day conference at the University of Huddersfield.
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Resources/call for papers/conference announcements
Call for papers for a special issue on Food and Sustainability. Deadline 30 September.
The journal Sustainability (impact factor: 3.251) will feature a special issue on the topic of âFood and Sustainabilityâ. This Special Issue will focus broadly on how the food and drink industry can meet the challenge of embedding sustainability into its business strategies and operations as well as nudging consumers towards making more sustainable food choices. Many food businesses today are under pressure to demonstrate how their products and services are making a positive contribution towards society. However, one of the biggest challenges for businesses is progressing sustainability initiatives from an added benefit view to an integrated, value-driven to business approach. Deadline for submission is 30 September 2022. Full details here.
Food-focused teaching resources: Food and Drink Federation recorded webinars Changing Consumer Habits: Levercliff, category consultants to the food and drink industry, have tracked consumer behaviour since March 2020. The research findings will reveal how consumer habits are evolving – what is important to them? What does the future look like?
The future of food & what it means for manufacturers: Natasha Catchpole and Ben Hughes from CFC will be discussing how manufacturers are responding to the huge consumer demand for meat free, vegan and vegetarian alternatives.
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Call for content for the next edition of Whatâs Cooking
The next edition of Whatâs Cooking will be September 2022. Please send content (research updates, calls for expression of interest, relevant calls for papers/conference/event announcements) to j.smith1@shu.ac.uk by 31 August.
CHEFS blog
Interested in writing a blog post? These are usually 800-1200 words and written for a general audience in an informal style. Blogs can revisit work youâve already done (e.g., highlighting a recent output/publication); discuss research or research-related activities (teaching, public engagement, etc.) that you are working on; offer your informed take on contemporary food/drink issues or policy; provide a profile on your research. If youâd like to contribute a piece, please get in touch with Jen (j.smith1@shu.ac.uk).
Want to stay updated? Follow us on Twitter (@SHU_CHEFS), subscribe to the blog and/or join our Jisc email list: see information on the very bottom of each CHEFS webpage.
