Short course student Loukia Constantinou wins the Guild of Food Writers Newcomer Award
- Written byCody O'Connor
- Published date 19 November 2025
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After feeling creatively blocked as a writer, Loukia Constantinou took the Life and Memoir Writing Short Course at UAL. This summer, less than a year after completing the course, Loukia won the Newcomer Award at the Guild of Food Writers Awards for a piece of writing she developed during the course.
The winning essay, ‘Flour, Water, Salt’, explores Loukia’s heritage as a Greek Cypriot Londoner and includes moving family history among insights about Cypriot food and culture. It describes the experience of making homemade Cypriot pasta with her grandma, referred to as yiayia, during a visit from the UK.
The short story begins, "I find out about a tragic death in the family over a breakfast of toast, figs and anari (Greek cheese)." It’s available to read online via Loukia’s Substack, 'Making a Meal of it'.
The Life and Memoir Writing Short Course is an evening course that supports students in honing their voice as a writer and turning memories and observations into a written story. It includes workshopping new pieces, learning different writing styles and techniques, editing, research and publishing.
We spoke to Loukia to find out about her journey with short courses and how she's feeling since winning the award.
Why did you join the Life and Memoir Writing Short Course?
Last November, while I was heavily pregnant and about to go on maternity leave, I decided to take the life writing short course with Joanna Pocock and it's one of the best things I've done for myself in a long time.
Writing has always been a part of my life in one way or another. I studied an MA in Professional and Creative Writing many years ago, and since then, have always had an element of writing in my day job. However, for a while I’d had an unfulfilled creative urge, and this course was the push I needed to explore it.
The experience was exactly what I was looking for. It gave me encouragement and inspiration to write about things I’m interested in outside of my work - in my instance, these are food, home cooking, culture and heritage.
What did you do during the course?
We read a lot of very poignant examples of life writing by a diverse range of authors, as well as having the time and space to work on our own pieces which we then shared with our classmates. I felt very present in every session and didn't want the classes to end.
The group critique and sharing of our work was invaluable in helping me to begin rediscovering my own voice, as well as reigniting a desire in me to read more widely too. It also helped to quell any feelings of imposter syndrome – everyone’s presence, efforts and contribution was recognised and valued.
What was the process of writing ‘Flour, Water and Salt’ to winning the Newcomer Award?
I continued to work on the piece of writing I developed over the 5-week course after it had finished. Then, a week after giving birth to my baby, and after encouragement from my family, I decided to submit it to The Guild of Food Writers Writers annual awards in the category of Best Newcomer, which I won! I would never have had the confidence to have persevered with it, and certainly not to enter it into a competition, had it not been for my time on the course. I was honoured to have won, and it has brought new opportunities my way.
I really enjoyed my time on the course and would absolutely recommend it to other people who write, or who want to write. It could end up being a launchpad to something new and exciting, like it has been for me.
Did you find the course inspiring?
I found the course very inspiring. Joanna is a knowledgeable and engaging tutor with an impressive body of work of her own, and the workshops and tasks she had us doing got me into a headspace that I hadn’t been in for such a long time.
What I also found inspiring was the other students on the course – they were from all walks of life, with varying degrees of experience in writing, and this added a richness to the course. The group critique and sharing of our work was invaluable in helping me to begin rediscovering my own voice, as well as reigniting a desire in me to read more widely too. It also helped to quell any feelings of imposter syndrome – everyone’s presence, efforts and contribution was recognised and valued.
Can you share any key tips for aspiring writers?
- Write, write, write! As a mum of 2 who works a full-time job, I know how hard it is to find the time to write - the reality is you have to just make the time to fit it in.
- Use exercises to get words out on paper regularly - even if they are not the most beautiful or perfect sentences, getting them out of your head is just the beginning!
- Read as much as you can. Just like a chef has to eat, likewise a writer needs to be nourished by reading.
You can read Loukia’s winning essay, 'Flour, Water, Salt', on her Substack ‘Making a Meal of It’.
If you want to hone your writing skills, find out more about creative writing short courses at UAL.
