For lovers of snail-mail and food…
Meals in the Mail is, quite simply, a celebration of food, friendship, community, and the joys of connecting through the old-fashioned art of letter-writing.
So many good things are coming your way…
The Monthly Journal and Weekly Dispatches launch on 3 October, 2022
Weekend Audios launche February-March, 2023
The book Meals in the Mail Vol.1 will be published April, 2023
Two things that have connected human beings with their loved ones, for hundreds of years, are handwritten missives, and home-cooked food. Meals in the Mail asks the question, “What if we combined the two of them?” and invites home cooks all over the world to provide the answer, by posting us their favourite recipes and stories.
Hundreds of people have already written to us, each sharing a recipe that means the most to them, and telling us why it is so special.
We are Melanie Hall and Naomi Bulger, two friends who share a love for food, storytelling and letter-writing, and we are going to open each letter, one by one.
We will open their letters, cook and eat the food, and share what we find with you by sharing the letters and recipes; telling stories about friendship and food; and publishing a series of books. We’ll also create some unique resources and illustrations to help you share your own “meals in the mail” with people you love.
Welcome to Meals in the Mail
A celebration of food, storytelling and friendship… in letters
WHAT YOU’LL GET
Free subscribers
We hope you’ll subscribe today, and become part of the Meals in the Mail family. We are creating new content every month that is, and always will be, free for everyone:
1. Our beautiful, seasonal journal, Home, Hearth & Harvest (delivered at the start of each month). In it, you’ll read lovely stories, news about produce that’s in season right now, recipes, illustrations, other links or resources, and a sneak preview of all the letters and recipes we plan to share in the month ahead
2. One x Weekly Dispatch (delivered in two parts, on Tuesday and Thursday) each month, in which we open and read the letters and recipes that have been posted to us, explore the stories and themes they inspire, and actually make and photograph the food.
3. The Meals in the Mail “Weekend Audios,” a reading of our dispatch letters, which will launch in February-March 2023
4. Occasional access to the bonus content and resources normally reserved for paying subscribers, and all the community and friendship building gatherings and invitations listed under “paying subscribers” below, except for the live comment threads and hosted pen-pal groups and recipe swaps
Paying subscribers
To show your support for our work and help us create even more beautiful content for you to enjoy, we hope you will consider upgrading your subscription to a paid plan. These are only $7 USD a month (or just $5.83 USD a month if you pay yearly instead of monthly) but they make the world of difference to us, and you’ll receive all of the following:
1. Our beautiful, seasonal journal, Home, Hearth & Harvest (delivered at the start of each month). In it, you’ll read lovely stories, news about produce that’s in season right now, recipes, illustrations, other links or resources, and a sneak preview of all the letters and recipes we plan to share in the month ahead
2. The Weekly Dispatches (delivered in two parts, every Tuesday and Thursday), in which we open and read the letters and recipes that have been posted to us, explore the stories and themes they inspire, and actually make and photograph the food.
3. Every new volume of the Meals in the Mail books, sent to you as an e-book for free, for the duration of your subscription
4. The Meals in the Mail “Weekend Audios,” which will launch in February-March 2023
5. Bonus content and resources, delivered ad-hoc (but quite often). This content will take different forms depending on what we are making and on what you request from us, but for example:
Naomi might create some illustrations or colouring templates that you can customise and use for recipe-writing or letter-writing (or both)
Melanie might make some tutorials or video guides to help you perfect a particular recipe or master a particular skill in the kitchen
6. Community and friendship building opportunities, including
Invitations to participate in future rounds of Meals in the Mail, by posting us your own recipes and stories to be featured
Comment threads here on Substack, where you can converse with us in real time, and ask any questions you like
Opportunities to join hosted pen-pal groups and recipe-swaps
And in the future, invitations to in-person gatherings (we’ll start out in Melbourne and Geelong, but with any luck, might even be able to take Meals in the Mail on the road. No postage stamps required)
ps. A lovely Christmas surprise…
Do you know someone who you think would enjoy Meals in the Mail?
Here’s a unique idea: why not give a Meals in the Mail subscription to someone you love? They’ll receive all the beautiful content, bonus resources and community opportunities as the other paying subscribers, and we’ll be sure to look after them for you.
