In response to huge popular demand, we are once more offering you a chance to join the award-winning restaurant critic, writer and broadcaster Jay Rayner for his famed writing masterclass, both in person and streamed online. During this 90-minute class Jay, who was named Critic of The Year in the 2023 UK Press Awards, will explore one of the great unspoken complications of good writing: how to write repeatedly about the same subject and still keep your prose interesting for both your readers and yourself.

As a restaurant critic for over 24 years, you may think subjects such as food, service and decor are Jay's meat and drink. In reality his reviews are used as a springboard to discuss sex, death, love, war, theatre, film, politics and so much more. As Jay explains, what matters is identifying the story, and then communicating it in as entertaining a way as possible. And that applies not just to food and restaurants, but to any subject. As a journalist with over 35 years-experience, who has written about everything from crime and politics, to film, theatre and social policy, that’s something Jay knows a lot about.

With the chance to ask your own questions and receive guidance from a leading voice in the industry, you won’t want to pass up a seat at this table.

Class description
An entertaining online and in-person masterclass in which Jay Rayner will explore the methods and structural tricks he employs to take trips off-piste in his reviews, and how he keeps writing about the same topic over an extended period, by constantly changing the subject. For anyone interested in good writing, be they journalist or PR, blogger or copywriter, or for those who simply want to improve their prose. Questions will be taken throughout, both from the in-person and online audience.

Duration 90 mins