The Kitchen Bookshelf - Newsletter #3
On recent favourite cookbooks, some that have disappointed, and ones to take to the grave....
We had our first cookbook club meet-up this week and my goodness how good did it feel to get back into that saddle. We had people joining from across the UK, Germany, Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands. (Thank you all.) Some were bathed in sunshine in their garden, others curled up in a hotel bedroom, and really it was just the most spirit-lifting, soul-filling hour of chat about cookbooks.
The conversation ranged from recent favourite cookbooks, some that have disappointed, and ones you'd take with you to the grave. Not a conversational turn that I expected, but then who knows where a cookbook conversation can lead. And, as was wisely pointed out, you just don’t know what you’ll want to cook when you get to the great beyond so it’s best to be prepared.
“What cookbooks have you been loving recently?” was the question on the table and so here’s the round-up of books and writers that were discussed (in no particular order other than the scribbles on my paper). It’s a brilliantly mixed bag that I think shows how what we each want to get out of a cookbook is different at different times. Sometimes it is about just getting food on the table, and sometimes it is about topping up the heart:
Salads Are More Than Leaves by Elena Silcock
Elizabeth’s David’s Christmas
anything by Susan Campbell
anything by Sabrina Ghayour
Recipetin Eats by Nagi Maehashi
Fire Island by Eleanor Ford
Sift by Nicola Lamb
Vines In A Cold Climate by Henry Jeffereys
Bold Beans Cookbook by Amelia Christie
Save Me The Plums by Ruth Reichl
Flavour: Eat What You Love by Ruby Tandoh
Provence, 1970 by Luke Barr
anything by Ambrose Heath
anything by Hilda Leyel
Every Last Bite by Rosie Sykes
Lee Miller: A Life wIth Food, Friends and Recipes by Ami Bouhassane
(If I’ve missed something we discussed please add it in the comments!)
We also all talked about the possible future direction of The Kitchen Bookshelf events and there was quite a mood towards thematic choices, rather than individual books. I love that idea so am now considering what we might do in the realms of vintage books, kitchen literature and memoir.
With one meet-up under our belt - and the next in the morning - it feels like The Kitchen Bookshelf has truly started. Thank you for joining me.
Angela x
NEXT THE KITCHEN BOOKSHELF / COOKBOOK CLUB EVENTS
Our next meet-up is tomorrow morning and having just done the pre-briefing with Karen I am looking forward to it even more than I already was. It’s going to be great:
Free to attend for paid subscribers. Register via the button below:
Then we have our first event themed around a cookbook:
Free to attend for paid subscribers. Register via the button below:
THIS MONTH’S COOKBOOK CLUB PICK
I’ve loved hearing this week how lots of you are getting on with Greekish - from the Baklava Cheesecake to mastiha cocktails and how suited the book is to outdoor entertaining. Follow along here and add your thoughts too if you like:
See also the info above about our cookbook club event for Greekish on Mon 27 May.
SEASONING - HOW TO COOK AND CELEBRATE THE SEASONS
In Seasoning - Elderflowers and Other Spring Blossoms
Inspired by the elderflowers suddenly blossoming in my corner of north London - and by the British Library Food Season event where food writers read food writing - this week’s In Seasoning features me reading the opening to the elderflower section of Seasoning. Plus a peak into the rest of that section.
My next Seasoning book tour events are:
Saturday 25th May, 1pm at The British Library in London: Part of the British Library Food Season 2024 programme. I’ll be talking with bestselling author Katherine May about food, life, and the connections that come from being led creatively, mentally and culinarily by nature and the changing seasons. Chaired by Leyla Kazim.
Monday 3rd June, 7pm at The British Library in London: Part of the British Library Food Season 2024 programme. I’ll be talking with chef and farmer Julius Roberts about the pressures, joys and challenges of modern farming and how the digital world can help celebrate the rhythms of the farming year.
More here too - including a couple of new announcements for June that I haven’t yet posted on socials.
KITCHEN BOOKSHELF ODDS & ENDS
Odd scraps of news etc that don’t really fit elsewhere
The Kitchen Bookshelf’s chat space has been busy with many of you joining in with your thoughts on your favourite pieces of food writing. Including (so far - the thread is live still for more) Elisabeth Luard, Letitia Clark, Nigel Slater, Rachel Roddy, Florence White…
New titles have been added this week to The Kitchen Bookshelf Recommends - A rolling list of new releases to look forward to over the next few months, and a few oldies too.
I’d still love as many former members as possible of the old Borough Market Cookbook Club to get the chance to join this reboot. If you know anyone who used to be a member of that, please do send me their way or send them mine. And a reminder that all former members of the Borough Market Cookbook Club can take up for free being a paid subscriber here for 3 months.
It ends
I leave you with news of a new string to my bow. Or at least, not all that new as it is something I have been doing ad hoc for a while but I am newly making it official: I am offering myself as a gun-for-hire mentor for anyone working on a cookbook or hoping to. With support from the earliest wrestling down of ideas, to handling Post Publication Stress Disorder. Consider this a soft launch. More here.
Wishing you a merry weekend,
Angela x
Steak by Tim Hayward just dropped through the letterbox , very anticipated ! One of the best writers out there
The session was an absolute ball - loved every minute and am so happy to back with a great group of like-minded people. Great, great fun and thank you Angela for breathing life anew into this group.