The Kitchen Bookshelf - Newsletter #5
On Greekish, soufflé-watch, and grabbing the good stuff
Hi everyone -
I really hope you’ve had a good week. For The Kitchen Bookshelf this week saw our first meet-up themed around a single cookbook. To my absolute joy that proved to be every bit as open and honest a discussion as anyone who came to the Borough Market Cookbook Club will remember. Lots of different dishes were cooked, and lots of different opinions shared. Exactly as it should be.
There’s more below on what people thought and some pics of what people made.
Also below is more information on how you can take part in June’s book(s) and events on the theme of: cookbooks to travel by. Thank you for all the ideas on what books might feature!
Plus there’s this week’s In Seasoning which takes you behind the scenes on the photoshoot for a soufflé. Welcome to soufflé-watch (plus a recipe for Spring Herb and Goats Cheese Soufflé).
See you soon, I hope,
Angela x
THIS MONTH’S COOKBOOK CLUB PICK
Our chosen book all through May has been Greekish by Georgina Hayden and the month of cooking and conversation culminated in the meet-up earlier this week.
A dozen of you came along to share thoughts on what you’d cooked from the book and on the book more broadly (these photos are a mere smattering). Over on the book’s main page is a run down of the dishes cooked and discussed.
The conversation ranged through how the ish in Greekish seems to give ‘permission’ for adapting the recipes; how we all feel about different recipe-writing styles and the need for making every step clear; and whether we should perhaps back-off demanding that every recipe we see - and dish we cook - is amped up to the absolute max with colour and flavour. Sometimes simple is enough.
The comments section on the book’s main page has much more from you all. And May might be just about over but it is certainly not too late to add there any other thoughts you have too. The page will be kept open beyond May for contributions.
ON THE KITCHEN BOOKSHELF FOR JUNE
Cookbooks to travel by
That’s our theme for June for The Kitchen Bookshelf and there will be two strands to this:
a single cookbook pick to cook from and discuss in detail;
a broader conversation about books that through the way they feature food have that ability to take us to a different place.
The dates for the digital meet-ups are going to be:
Thursday 13th June, 6.30pm BST and Saturday 22nd June, 8.30am BST.
Free to attend for paid subscribers. Additionally there will be space on The Kitchen Bookshelf for sharing thoughts with each other.
Full details are being sent out this weekend on the theme / book(s) / events / and how you can join it. (And already up on the main page if you can’t wait!)
SEASONING - HOW TO COOK AND CELEBRATE THE SEASONS
Go behind the scenes of a soufflé photoshoot with soufflé-watch
June’s Seasoning book tour events are:
Thursday 6th June, 7.30pm at Booka Bookshop in Oswestry, Shropshire: Talk and tastings as I help this lovely indie bookshop launch its Booka Cafe.
Thursday 27th June, 7pm - at Holtwhites Bakery & Deli, London: My very favourite bakery happens to be at the end of my road. So I am thrilled to have the shortest possible distance to travel to this ‘Midsummer Seasoning Menu’. A 3-course dinner from Seasoning plus cocktail. (just a few tickets left, I think)
Friday 28th June, 7pm - Seasoning x Sitopia Farm Midsummer Soirée: I am so looking forward to this event with a tour of the beautiful urban farm, guided by the Sitopia Farm team who will share highlights of their organic farming practices and the journey from soil to plate; a talk from me about seasonal eating and cooking, plus drinks and canapés from Seasoning.
More here too for the rest of summer.
KITCHEN BOOKSHELF ODDS & ENDS
Odd scraps of news etc that don’t really fit elsewhere
Don’t forget that I am actively encouraging you to use The Kitchen Bookshelf as place to share with each other thoughts on the books you are enjoying. Word of mouth is so often the best way of spreading the love about a really good book. This page for The Kitchen Bookshelf Recommends is perhaps the best place for adding your thoughts. Or over on the chat.
Speaking of recommendations, the conversation at the Greekish event took a turn towards rosewater after one person had used a terrible one, and someone else has one they love. That recommendation was for the Sous Chef one - I haven’t tried it myself, just passing that on.
This is last call on the offer for members of the old Borough Market Cookbook Club to sign up to a 3 month free trial of being a paid subscriber here. That offer will close to new sign-ups at 10am on Monday 3rd June.
It ends
Last weekend was the British Library Food Season ‘Big Weekend’. Two brilliant / exhausting / brilliant days of events covering so many different aspects of food. It is my absolute joy and privilege to work on it. And this year was totally extra on all fronts as I took part in a session with
and about the brain / body / soul benefits of embracing the seasons in how we feed ourselves. The conversation was wide-reaching and it felt very special to be on stage with these two women whose work I hugely admire. Not least because in the early days of planning Seasoning, its title was in part inspired by Katherine’s wonderful Wintering and the way that encourages soulful connection with ourselves and the rhythm of the seasons.Also - I had a real ‘pinch me’ moment, to be in the British Library piazza doing a book signing on a sunny, happy-making day.
I have talked before about how I increasingly feel the importance of grabbing life’s good stuff when it comes along, because we all know life can sometimes offer up the opposite all too readily. I definitely tried to do that this week - at the British Library events and also with you all here too.
Angela x
Aww I love this Angela! It was so wonderful to be a part of BL Food Season again, thank you for asking me to talk to two brilliant women about the kinds of topics I love!