Welcome to In Literature
Turkish Delight. Pumpkin Juice. Drink Me Potion.
Did your mind automatically jump to The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland? Our favourite books magically transport us to familiar literary locations.
We feel as if we’re about to head into the Three Broomsticks to warm up over foaming mugs of hot butterbeer. Or rummage around in Bilbo’s pantry for a freshly baked seed cake.
Authentic recipes from our favourite books extend our experience, giving us something we can share with others, creating new memories with our friends and family.
Whether it’s throwing a coming-of-age Hobbit party or simply having friends around on a Saturday night to make Butterbeer together, we’re creating memories with those who matter most to us.
InLiterature is here to help inspire and guide so you can make your own magical moments.
Much like we find ourselves lost for hours in a book we love, I hope you find yourself doing the same on InLiterature.
Bryt x
Where In Literature Began
Let’s time travel back to 2008…
I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to write about food in literature. My blogging journey began with a craft blog—my very first post showed a pirate treasure chest I had made for gift packaging. From memory, all it contained was a photo and one or two sentences! I dabbled in crafting, explored gluten-free cooking, and got nerdy over Canadian historical cookbooks until 2010, when I posted about a family Alice in Wonderland Easter brunch.
The Mad Hatter’s Unbirthday Cake I made had been a complete sliding flop (quite literally sliding off the plate!), and I decided to make it again and post about it. When some people commented on the post, I realized I had found something in common with others that I could share.
I dove headfirst into themed parties, hosting several—including a Great Gatsby-style murder mystery. I loved it so much that I started writing about the parties and the recipes, and over time, the concept of food in literature truly took shape.
Throwing a Gatsby-inspired murder party (2012) 
Family photos from the first Alice in Wonderland post (2010) 
My second or third attempt at the Unbirthday Cake from Alice in Wonderland 
Sitting down to a Hogwarts feast (2014) 
Dad’s Flintstone Bedrock birthday dinner 
Treasure Island Pirate Party (2013) 
Treasure Island Pirate Party (2013)
About Bryt
I was an absolute bookworm growing up.
Some of my favorite memories include my dad reading bedtime stories to me as a little girl. Since he wanted books he’d enjoy too, I was introduced to mysteries like Sherlock Holmes early on, which sparked my lifelong love for both detective stories and the Victorian era.
That love for mysteries led me to The Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew, and my fascination with the Victorian era is likely why I gravitate towards books written or set in the 1800s.
Being surrounded by creativity on a daily basis became woven into my fabric.
Creativity runs in the family and my mom’s creativity is on another level. She has an incredible talent for transforming everyday materials into something magical. As a kid, I watched as she turned simple cardboard into castles, cars, and even giant storybook backdrops for a school project of ours. Refrigerator boxes weren’t just boxes in our house—they became entire worlds.
Mom and I setting up for my 33rd Coming of Age party 
Some of my strongest memories are of celebrations.
Growing up in Canada, my birthday was in the middle of winter, and one year, my mom transformed our living room into a jungle. She gathered real palms and ferns from around the house, and for a child walking into a tropical oasis in the dead of winter, it was pure magic.
Those moments stuck with me. As an adult, I recreate that sense of awe by hosting immersive-themed parties for friends and family. Over the years, our home has transformed into Hogwarts, complete with floating candles and butterbeer barrels, into the Shire, onto the pages of Treasure Island, and even into Whoville.
I’ve learned that these types of unforgettable experiences—where we step into another world, even just for a night—stay with us long after the decorations come down.
Bringing Fictional Foods to Life: My Creative Process
Creating book-inspired recipes merges together research and imagination. When I first started, I let my creativity run wild, envisioning how fictional foods might look and taste. That’s how Wonka’s Marshmallow Pillows and Three-Course Dinner Gum came to life!
Over time, my curiosity about food history began to take shape in a different way. I remember how fascinated I was to discover that Reading Sauce was once as popular in the Victorian era as Worcestershire Sauce—I had never heard of it! And there it was, casually mentioned in Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. It sparked something in me. A curiosity to trace the origins of forgotten flavors and preserve them, using literature as my guide.
Now, every recipe starts with a series of questions.
What era and country was the book written and set in? What did this dish look like at that time? Are there variations? Has it evolved over the centuries into what we know today? I’m absolutely in my element scouring historical cookbooks, reference texts on food history, and primary sources to piece together as authentic recipe as possible.
If a scene isn’t grounded in reality—like Neverland’s imaginary feast from Peter and Wendy—I dig deeper. What do historians say about the author’s inspirations? As you can imagine, so many questions run through my head!
The final steps are in the kitchen, testing old recipes to see if they still work, adjusting techniques for modern ease, or, when a dish is purely fantastical, crafting an inspired interpretation that stays true to its spirit. And, of course, my last essential ingredient—a dash of creativity in the final styling—to bring it all to life.
Blogging and social media opened doors I never could have anticipated.
Being an early adopter led to an unexpected chapter in my career—several years as a social media coordinator in government. At the time, in 2014, ‘social media’ was still a daunting, unfamiliar concept and I quickly realized my role went beyond simply knowing the platforms and writing content. I became a translator of technology, a storyteller, and, in many ways, a ground controller at a busy airport—directing where stories should go. That chapter eventually came to a close, but storytelling never left me.
More recently, I wrote two movie-inspired cookbooks. The Unofficial Home Alone Cookbook became a time machine to the ’90s, capturing the nostalgic flavors of an iconic Christmas film and era. The Unofficial Elf Cookbook allowed me to channel my creativity into recipes that make every day feel like Christmas—spreading cheer one dish at a time.
And now, as always, new chapters unfold. Some doors close, others open, and my story continues. I can’t wait to share the next with you!
