Toast with lots of butter is a lovebug + worm production, created and performed by Hope Kennedy and Florence Logan, with Tanya McLaughlin as producer.

It has been developed with integrated BSL interpretation, collaborating with interpreter Megan McArthur. Access is an integral part of the show, with Megan becoming a 3rd character, turning the two-hander into a three-hander - heightening the show’s celebration of friendship, care and the excitable energy the 3 dinner ladies inspire in each other.

Toast with lots of butter is a comedic theatre show for ages 8–12, all about food. It’s about chips, trips to the big supermarket, chocolate fountains and conveyor-belt toaster machines, and important questions, like: what is the right way to eat a cheese string? This energetic two-hander explores food as a way to connect with, care for and remember people. 

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Toast with lots of butter follows three dinner ladies, glammed up in their crocs, pasta necklaces and pop rings. They’ve got one job: make lunch. How hard can it be? But when you love food this much, and you’re working with your best friend, it’s easy to get a wee bit distracted…

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In between chaotic cups of tea, spontaneous award ceremonies, and ambitious dance routines, from nail-biting tray balancing to high energy skipping, we highlight the never-ending work of caring for others. Through these comic, physical moments and quieter revelations, we gradually discover the dinner ladies’ dreams, exhaustion and anxieties, and how they pick each other up again and again. They care for everyone, but they care for each other the most. Audiences describe the show as uplifting, relatable, impressive and hilarious. Its soundscape, designed by Ben Fletcher, reflects the busyness of everyday life,  immersing us in the characters’ imaginations, cherished memories and hard-hitting realities  – all through the lens of food.​​​

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We explore food with care. Drawing on our own experiences of eating disorders, as we grow up, we understand how our relationship with food can shift from something easy and fun to something stressful and isolating. This performance celebrates a relationship with food rooted in nourishment and care for oneself and others, and invites young audiences to question the image-led messages about food and bodies they may encounter online.

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As part of its development, we worked with Corstorphine Primary School in Edinburgh, and with Fossoway Primary School in Kinross. We delivered drama workshops for the P5-P7 leaners all about food, home, care, dreams and ambitions, framing them as official favourite food experts, artists in their own right and advocates for their community, and we interviewed  the school catering staff too. Inspired by these workshops, we made a creative resource for children and their teachers to explore all things Toast with lots of butter - connected with the UNCRC and Curriculum for Excellence. 

Following performances in primary schools in Easterhouse, Kinross and Edinburgh, Toast with lots of butter  previewed at Perth Theatre in October 2026, as part of HOOT!, a comedy theatre festival from Dirliebane Theatre Company in collaboration with Perth Theatre. HOOT! is a festival for children aged 0-12 and their families.

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Please contact Tanya McLaughlin for booking and touring enquires, and to receive the touring pack: tanya.m.mclaughlin@gmail.com

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