Foodie bookclubs

Belonging to a book club is almost a given, enjoying the chosen book is usually a matter of contentious dispute. My solution is to inaugurate a foodie bookclub, which friends, a little less foodie obsessed than myself have rapturously embraced – I’ve even had virtual strangers pleading to belong. The simple premise is that rather than using a book only a handful may regard as literature, we choose a cookbook. Either something new and overtly challenging like Nobu West, which requires some serious planning with visits to The Japan Centre for more esoteric ingredients (all part of the fun), hip writers with a refreshingly different approach such as Skye Gyngell’s “A Year in My Kitchen” or classics such as Claudia Roden. The beauty is that everyone arrives with tales of sleuth like shopping to track-down ingredients, conquering culinary techniques that have hitherto eluded them, some culinary tips and perhaps a few near disasters. Most importantly, a dish or two for a magnificent grazing feast and the pleasure of knowing that they’ve acquired a book which will have frequent outings from the bookshelf.