A Book Rooted in Story, Healing and the Transformative Power of Food

Rekindling the Fire is a memoir and work of creative ethnography, contemplative writing, and narrative witnessing.

The book emerged from three years collaboration between writer and ethnographic storyteller Dr. Anna King and award winning chef and lecturer Dr. Martin Ruffley, whose courageous account of addiction recovery through cooking forms the heart of the project.

Where Martin contributes recipes and memory fragments drawn from years in professional kitchens, Anna shapes, structures, and carries the narrative, weaving poetic prose, reflective insight, and mindful attention into a textured account of human resilience and transformation.

This collaborative approach gives the book its distinct voice: a blend of lived-experience, sensory detail, and contemplative storytelling that invites readers to encounter food as a process of healing and connection.

Periwinkles with Fermented Potato Cakes. Photo: Anna King

A Methodology in Practice

Although published as a food narrative, Rekindling the Fire also serves as an example of Anna’s broader artistic practice:

As McKenna’s Guides wrote:

“Anna King drives the narrative of this unforgettable book with skill and subtlety, teasing the wise philosophy of living from the author's fraught experiences.”

Creative Ethnography

Listening deeply, gathering stories, and translating lived-experience into narrative form.

Contemplative & Mindful Writing

Using presence, attention, and reflective awareness to craft prose that sits at the threshold between inner life and outer world.

Poetic & Sensory Storytelling

A unique creative non-fiction storytelling technique that layers past experience and emotional nuance with artistic prose.

Narrative Collaboration

Working alongside another’s voice and shaping their story with care, integrity and artistic sensitivity.

Why This Book Resonates

Readers respond to Rekindling the Fire because it reflects something universal: the way creative practice, whether cooking, writing, or another form, can help us navigate difficulty and reconnect with ourselves and those we love.

Each chapter blends:

Martin’s recipes and personal recollections,

Anna’s narrative framing and contemplative insights,

and a shared belief in the restorative power of craft and attention.

Rekindling the Fire. Dish: Smoked Roasted Hen of the Wood with Mushroom and Seaweed Broth, by Martin Ruffley. Photo Credit – Julia Dunin.

Press & Recognition

Featured in: The Irish Independent, The Times, The Irish Examiner, The Connacht Tribune

WINNER - ‘Best in the World' at The Gourmand Cookbook Awards in the Lifestyle: Drink and Health Category. In addition Rekindling the Fire received a prestigious ‘Special Award’ in the Food Culture: Authors Category.