Welcome to Scoop!
Connecting readers through stories of the flavours and feelings that shape our lives; served weekly with plenty of bite, by editor Dee Laffan.
Thank you so much for joining me here as I launch Scoop’s substack today.
What is Scoop? Good question. To those of you I know and have probably heard this a hundred times, you may skip to the next part below!
To those of you who don’t know, here’s the short story…
I started Scoop food magazine in 2022 with my friend and publisher of Nine Bean Row Books, Kristin Jensen - I highly recommend subscribing to her Substack Well Read & Well Fed if you don’t already - after many lengthy discussions about how we felt there weren’t enough avenues in Ireland for food writers to channel their creativity, and that a lot of food media in Ireland at the time was just plain and samey. We both love international publications such as Lucky Peach, Cherry Bombe and Noble Rot and wanted to produce our own version to give new and established voices in Irish food writing a publication that, hopefully, people would aspire to be a part of.
With the help of a Kickstarter campaign and generous sponsors and patrons, we created Issue 1 ‘What is Irish food?’ and Issue 2 ‘Eat your feelings’. If you don’t have a print edition, don’t worry, you can still purchase one here.
The inside Scoop
So, what’s new?
Since the second edition of the magazine, I have been busy stirring up a mix of things to evolve Scoop into a brand for food storytelling. Here’s the latest and what to expect here every week:
Scoop Substack
Well, you’re already here, so that’s a good start!
To keep you satiated in between annual print editions, this will be the home of Scoop’s food stories; a weekly serving of food writing, sharing the flavours and feelings that shape our lives from many voices across Ireland, and beyond.
I’m hoping you’ll subscribe and help me share the news with your subscribers.
Scoop issue 3
It’s happening! I will be announcing this issue’s theme and a call for pitches very soon on this stack.
Scoop & a yarn
This is the in-person event side of Scoop, born out of my passion for storytelling and having the chats.
I guide conversations with people in the food and drinks community, from producers to chefs, growers to writers, and the audience too, creating story-led experiences of banter and craic.
In 2025, we had a busy calendar of events, from Ballymaloe Festival of Food in Cork to Samhain Festival of Food & Culture in Kells, and many more. I am now planning for this year and will be announcing where you can catch up with us soon.
In the meantime, here’s a glimpse at Scoop & a yarn on the road around Ireland in 2025.
Scoop Food Tours
Launching this Spring, I am excited to be able to give people a chance to literally taste food storytelling for themselves with Scoop Food Tours.
These tours whisk you off on local food and drink experiences, giving you the true inside story on Irish food from an Irish food writer’s perspective.
Again, more news on this soon!
What happens now?
That’s it from me until next Friday morning. Thank you so much for reading my first post. I realise it’s a lot of news, but if you know me, you’ll know I am passionate about connecting with people through food, and that’s what I want to achieve with Scoop. Sharing food stories is the best way to spread joy, and sure look, we all need a spoonful of that!
Dee x
Whoop for Scoop!
Love this!