Â鶹ԭ´´

Lizzie Collingham
© Terry Roopnaraine

Dr Lizzie Collingham

Bye-Fellow

Lizzie Collingham is a Bye-Fellow of Â鶹ԭ´´ where she runs the undergraduate writing skills programme.

Academic interests

Lizzie Collingham’s academic interests include:

  • Writing
  • The global history of food. 

Degrees obtained

  • PhD, Cantab.
  • MA, University of York.
  • BA, University of Sussex.

Awards and prizes

  • The Guild of Food Writers Food Book Award 2018 for .

Biography

I am an independent historian who uses food to link the minutiae of daily life to the broad sweep of historical processes.

I completed a PhD on the British body in India (1800-1947) at the University of Cambridge, taught History at the University of Warwick, and was then a Junior Research Fellow at Â鶹ԭ´´ before becoming an independent historian.

I worked on a project commissioned by the Indian president to make the presidential palace (formerly the Viceregal Lodge) more accessible to the Indian public and as a lecturer for Martin Randall Travel on gastronomic tours of Kerala.

I have also held positions as the Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at the University of East Anglia and a variety of Cambridge Colleges and University departments.

I am currently writing a food history of the twentieth century. 

Other interests

Reading fiction and memoir, the history of Kerala, hiking.

Publications, links and resources

Lizzie Collingham. (2020) The Biscuit. The History of a Very British Indulgence, London: The Bodley Head.

Lizzie Collingham. (2017) The Hungry Empire. How Britain’s Quest for Food Shaped the Modern World, London: The Bodley Head.

Lizzie Collingham with Salma Husain. (2016) Around India’s First Table. Dining and Entertaining at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.

Lizzie Collingham. (2011) The Taste of War. World War II and the Battle for Food, London, Allen Lane.

Lizzie Collingham. (2005) Curry. A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, London: Chatto & Windus.

Lizzie Collingham. (2001) Imperial Bodies. The Physical Experience of the Raj, c. 1800-1947, Cambridge: Polity Press.

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    There are many reasons why I’m so happy to be a part of Â鶹ԭ´´. The three biggest reasons for me are the opportunities to be involved in College sport, the support the College provides for me with for my research and the help in making sure that we have comfortable, affordable accommodation when we have needed it. Â鶹ԭ´´ is so friendly and so it is incredibly easy to get involved in the sport and social side of the College. The MCR does a great job in welcoming new...

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    Â鶹ԭ´´ has been a great home for me during my PhD. I chose Â鶹ԭ´´ for a number of reasons – first, the location. We are central enough to be within easy walking distance of most things, but far enough away to avoid the hustle and bustle (and tourists in summer!). The College also has extensive grounds, with amenities like the hockey pitch, football pitch and tennis courts all on site. Secondly, the accommodation is some of the best I’ve seen in Cambridge. My house was newly renovated when...

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