Gravy stains and tall tales await you!
Embark on a real foodie journey with Julie Harris
Welcome to Gravy stains and tall tales: A real foodie journey, where every dish comes with a story, and every stain has a memory. This blog isn’t about perfectly plated food or spotless kitchens – it’s about the messes we make, the laughter that echoes around the dinner table, and the unforgettable meals that leave a mark long after the plates are cleared.
From pub grub to family recipes passed down through generations, we’ll explore the real, unpolished side of food – the mishaps, the triumphs, and the tall tales that make every bite worth savouring. Pull up a chair and dig in!
Book Launch!
Lies, Theft and Shit on the Ceiling
A brutally funny true story of pub ownership, kitchen chaos, criminal customers and one Canadian woman wondering what the hell she had done.
Part memoir. Part cookbook. Completely true.
Explore
The blog…
Dive into delightful recipes that blend Canadian heritage with British flair! Julie’s creations promise to tantalize your taste buds and spark joy in your kitchen.
Get behind-the-scenes glimpses of pub life and learn how Julie transformed her dreams into reality, one dish at a time.
Travel partnerships, hosted experiences and story-led brand collaborations reaching a valuable female 45+ audience. View Julie’s media kit and work together.
Unleash the foodie within
Indulge in the authenticity of homemade meals and the warmth of shared tales.
Well, this just happened…
Well, this just happened. One of the first endorsements for Lies, Theft and Shit on the Ceiling has come from Scott Taylor, publisher of Esprit de Corps magazine. Scott has spent decades publishing stories from soldiers, sailors, journalists, adventurers and…
Let me tell you a dirty little secret about hospitality.
The best meal you’ve had this year probably wasn’t cooked by a committee. It wasn’t designed in a boardroom by six people called Simon studying a spreadsheet and debating whether a mushroom should cost 14p or 16p. It was cooked…
The things I miss most about running a pub
People assume I miss owning a pub because of the beer. I don’t. Beer is beer. You can buy it anywhere. What I miss are the people. Not all people, obviously. Let’s not get carried away. There are some people…
HOW I ACCIDENTALLY BECAME A PUB LANDLADY
Nobody grows up in Canada thinking: “You know what my future holds? A collapsing English pub, a screaming dishwasher, forty-seven drunk villagers arguing about cricket, and a giant sheepdog stealing Yorkshire puddings.” And yet… here we are. If you’d told…
Japan doesn’t give a shit about your bucket list.
That’s the first thing you learn. You fly halfway around the world with some cinematic fantasy in your head…cherry blossoms drifting through the air like a goddamn Kurosawa film, monks whispering wisdom, Mount Fuji standing there majestically while you have…
Facebook Posts
Today’s the day!
I’ll be joining Andreia Santos on Beyond the Cover today at 12pm (UK time) to chat about my book, Lies, Theft and Sh*t on the Ceiling.
We’ll be talking about how a Canadian Navy officer somehow ended up running a village pub in England, the absolute madness that inspired the book, and why sometimes the best stories come from the worst decisions.
If you’ve ever wondered what really goes on behind the bar—or just fancy listening to two people who love books having a good chat—I’d love it if you tuned in.
🎙️ Listen live: www.dreamcatcherradio.co.uk
And if you miss today’s broadcast, there are repeats on Friday and of course YouTube.
Wish me luck… hopefully I manage to get through the interview without accidentally creating material for my next book. 🍻📚
Welcome to Dream Catcher Radio – Your Voice in Broadcasting
www.dreamcatcherradio.co.uk
Dream Catcher Radio is your platform for music, interviews, and community discussions broadcasted worldwide.
I still find this slightly surreal.
A few years ago I was trying to survive another Saturday night in a village pub, wondering why the cellar had flooded, where the fish slices had disappeared to, and whether the bloke at the end of the bar was really about to explain how he’d run the place better than I could.
Now I’m being interviewed on an international literary radio show about the book that grew out of all that glorious chaos.
Life has a peculiar sense of humour.
If you’d like to hear the stories behind Lies, Theft and Sht on the Ceiling*—how a Canadian accidentally became an English pub landlady, why hospitality is one of the greatest and maddest professions on Earth, and how the best stories are usually found at the end of a bar rather than in a boardroom—I’d love you to join me.
📻 Beyond The Cover with Andreia Santos
🗓️ Monday 29 June (tomorrow) and Friday 3 July
🕛 12:00–2:00pm (UK)
🎙️ Listen live:
streamer.radio.co/s754077bf4/listen
Thank you to everyone who’s supported the book so far. Every message, review, share and recommendation means more than you probably realise.
Now… let’s see what happens when someone gives a former pub landlady a live microphone. 🍻Dream Catcher Radio #AuthorLife #PubLife #BookLaunch #Hospitality #BeyondTheCover
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🚨 THIS IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. 🚨
I need a favour.
A big favour.
A “help a slightly unhinged Canadian pub landlady achieve something completely absurd” kind of favour.
Somehow, and I genuinely have no idea how this happened, my book Lies, Theft and Sh*t on the Ceiling has climbed to #7 in Amazon’s Food Writers Best Sellers List.
The book sitting directly above me?
Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food.
Let’s put this into perspective.
Jamie Oliver has sold millions of books.
Jamie Oliver has television shows.
Jamie Oliver has restaurants.
Jamie Oliver has a marketing budget.
I once owned a pub where the glass washer screamed “DIE! DIE! DIE!” every night at closing time.
I have a sheepdog.
And yet somehow we’re currently sharing the same bestseller chart.
This is the literary equivalent of your local Sunday league football team finding themselves one goal behind Manchester City.
So I’m asking for your help.
If you’ve ever laughed at one of my stories…
If you’ve ever enjoyed my travel blogs…
If you’ve ever owned a pub, worked in hospitality, loved a dog, burned a roast dinner, or made a terrible life decision that later became a great story…
Please help me do the funniest thing imaginable.
Buy a copy.
Share this post.
Review the book on Amazon… simply ‘Great book!’ or ‘Couldn’t put it down!’… it all helps!
Tell your friends.
Tell your family.
Tell random strangers at the bus stop.
Tell the bloke who keeps replying “following” on Facebook.
Let’s see if we can get a Canadian ex-pub landlady, a giant sheepdog, and a book containing stories about lies, theft, drunken disasters and actual sh*t on a ceiling ahead of one of the biggest names in food.
Will we succeed?
Probably not.
Will it be hilarious if we do?
Absolutely.
Amazon link in the comments.
FOR JUNO.
FOR THE PUB.
FOR CHAOS.
FOR GLORY.
And, most importantly…
To give Jamie Oliver something to worry about.
The book is available here:
🇬🇧 UK/EU: amzn.eu/d/09Fe064D
🇨🇦 Canada: a.co/d/02ix35FJ
🇺🇸 USA: a.co/d/0eK4UIpj
32°C.
The trains are melting.
The pubs are packed.
Every Brit in the country is complaining about the heat while simultaneously drinking a hot cup of tea.
It’s the most British thing I’ve witnessed all week.
Never change, Britain. 🍻☀️
#BritishSummer
#Heatwave
#BritishHumour
#PubLife
#LondonLife