The Kitchen Table - July '26
What's coming up, favourite recipes, cookbook picks and the people inspiring me right now
Hello friends and welcome back to The Kitchen Table.
Before anything else, thank you.
The response to the new name has been genuinely overwhelming in the very best way. At the end of June I shared the full story behind saying goodbye to Taisty Bytes and hello to The Cookbook Kitchen, so I won’t repeat myself here. But if you happened to miss it, you can catch up here:
And if you’re new here, welcome to The Kitchen Table! This is my monthly, more chattier feature where I share what’s happening in my world. Expect personal updates, recipes I’ve been cooking (and occasionally tinkering with), books I’ve read or want to read, conversations I’ve had and the brilliant people that have inspired me lately.
It’s also home to Kitchen Table Talk, my podcast series (yes, we’re officially calling it a podcast now!) where I sit down with fellow food folks for a chat about cooking, creativity, community and building a life around food.
So far, I’ve been incredibly lucky to sit down with some wonderful people:
Hope Batchelor joined me to talk about the food memories that shaped her, discovering that cooking could become more than a passion, life after MasterChef and what it’s really like to build a career in food from the ground up
Vanilla Black joined me for a brilliant Q&A full of practical cooking tips, thoughtful career advice and a sort of behind-the-scenes look at restaurant life that was very interesting
Most recently, Claire Ruston and I had one of those conversations that could easily have gone on for another hour, chatting about food writing, slow living and carving out a creative life on your own terms
Right then, are we all caught up? Good… as we’ve got a lot to get through today! Shall we pull up a chair and get started?
What’s on the Table…
We’ve got a hell of a month coming up! Here’s what you can enjoy over the next couple of months:
August
Cook the Book Club launches: For the first time, we’ll spend an entire month cooking our way through the same cookbook together! We’ll be trying recipes, sharing how we’re getting on, swapping tips, posting photos and videos - and generally connecting over a shared love of food and cookbooks.
On 1 August, I’ll reveal our very first cookbook, along with your first set of challenges and an invitation to our monthly gathering.Cook The Books: A few of you have asked whether Cook the Books is sticking around…
The answer is a very enthusiastic yes!
Guys, this is my bread and butter! The only thing that is changing is that it will no longer be on a fixed monthly schedule. Some months we might spend time with one book and others we might explore a few.
The next books heading to the kitchen for review are:Silk Roads by Anna Ansari
Daily by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich from Honey & Co.
The Great British Farmhouse Cookbook by Sarah Mayor
Kitchen Table Talk: TBC
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September
Cook the Book Club continues: our 2nd cookbook will be revealed on 1st September
Cook the Books: Paid subscribers will also be able to nominate a cookbook for a future review - which I’m ridiculously excited about!
At the top of my pile are:Cucina dell’Emilia-Romagna by Ursula Ferrigno
Lebnani by Jad Youssef
Subscriber choice
Cook the World returns: Our culinary adventure continues… in JAPAN! We’ll be exploring this incredible country through the pages of four beautiful cookbooks:
Gohan and The Japanese Pantry by Emiko Davies
Wafu Cooking by Sonoka Sakai
JapanEasy Kitchen by Tim Anderson
Japan, The Cookbook by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
And to round things off, we’ll be welcoming another very special guest to Kitchen Table Talk.
I have a feeling it’s going to be a rather delicious couple of months!
There are so many brilliant cookbooks worth talking about, whether they’re brand new, coming soon, already on the shelves or recommended by one of you lovely lot. So, this is Cookbook Corner - a space where I can share the books that are on my radar that I thought you might enjoy too.
And if you’ve read any of these or have recommendations of your own, I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
Come Here and Cook by Jordan Howlett - coming 10 November 2026.
Ok so I’m a bit of a fan of Jordan’s, so I am thoroughly excited for his new book coming out later this year. A sort of cookbook-memoir, with 40 stories and 40 recipes covering everything from cooking with his grandmother and trying to nail her pineapple upside-down cake, to restaurant jobs, fast-food recreations and the slightly wild world of building a career online.Of Cabbages & Kimchi by James Read
I picked this up on a wander round Hatchards, mainly because the cover illustration made me smile instantly and partly because fermentation is one of those kitchen rabbit holes I’m always tempted to fall down. James takes you through ten living ferments, from the fiery funkiness of kimchi to the tang of kefir, then shows you how to make and cook with them at home.Polpo by Russell Norman
This is another book that I picked up on my recent trip to London after a good dozen or so of you recommended that I MUST get it. Written by the late Russell Norman, it’s inspired by the bàcari of Venice - the small wine bars where good food and good company seem to go hand in hand. It’s filled with spritzes, small plates, recipes made for sharing and photography that makes you immediately hungry. Arancini. Warm octopus salad. Bellinis. Crispy little pizzas topped with prosciutto and rocket. Tiramisù.
I’ve barely begun reading it, but already I understand why it has such a devoted following. Now I’d love your help. If Polpo is already sitting on your bookshelf, which recipe should I cook first?
If you’re anything like me, your ‘I’ll make that one day’ list is growing far faster than you could ever hope to cook your way through it. Mine is an ever expanding collection of screenshots, bookmarked recipes and tabs I absolutely refuse to close because this might be the week I finally make them. No?
So, in the spirit of adding a few more to the pile, here are the recipes that have recently caught my eye. And perhaps one or two will find their way onto your list as well…
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Salt bread seems to be taking the world by storm at the moment and I’m still yet to try it. This recipe by the lovely Joanne Lee Morinaro (The Korean Vegan) looks incredible.
Now, I am a complete sucker for anything involving peaches. So, when I spotted this recipe for Peach Tea Galette in a recent post by ian akerlind - it went straight on the list. I mean, just look at it.
I’ve wanted to try making mochi for years, but it's always been one of those recipes I admire from a safe distance. I think this butter mochi might finally be the one that persuades me to have a go.
Nectarine & thyme brioche toasties. No, you didn’t read that wrong. Nectarine & thyme brioche toasties… My belly grumbled and my mouth watered throughout the entirety of reading this recipe (and again putting this section together!) by Kathy Slack - which can only really be described as summer on a plate. Quick note: this is a paid recipe and is worth every penny
And finally, it’s cherry season. So it would be criminal of me not to include a cherry recipe now, woudlnt it. I picked up this recipe card from Waitrose because it combines three flavours I absolutely adore… these tahini, cherry & cardamom meringues are going to be delicious.
One of the best things about being part of this community is discovering and sharing people who are doing brilliant, inspiring things. They say you should surround yourself with people who inspire and motivate you, don’t they? Here’s a few who’ve done just that this month:
Ruby Anne | Brown Butter Bakes
Rubes is a phenomenal baker and an even lovelier human. She has recently embarked on the adventure of running an at-home bakery and it’s been an absolute joy to watch. I honestly dont know where she gets the energy - she’s absolutely killing it! Rubes is refreshingly honest about the realities of building a business, sharing the good bits and the nitty-gritty-shitty bits too. If you’ve ever dreamt of turning a love of baking into something bigger, she’s an absolute must follow.
Majed Ali, The Cinnaman
I’m so pleased I stumbled across Majed’s writing (and his beautiful photography) here on Substack. His writing on ‘The Cinnaman’ is part food diary, part love letter to the UAE and part excuse to keep eating and writing about it! Which is a mission I can very much get behind!
Leslie Bulut, Bite of Delight
Leslie is one of those people I feel very lucky to have crossed paths with. We’re quickly becoming good friends and I find her approach to food genuinely inspiring. Bite of Delight is all about adventurous but approachable recipes - and is the kind of food that brings a bit of travel, colour and joy into real home kitchens. She writes beautifully about Turkish food, cooking for the people you love and making meals feel special without making them impossible. I have a feeling you’ll enjoy her writing just as much as I do.
And that’s it for this month’s Kitchen Table!
Thank you, as always, for hanging out with me for a while. And for being so bloody lovely about all the recent changes. It means far more than you probably realise.
Before I disappear in search of something sweet, I thought it might be helpful to share a quick overview of what you can expect from The Cookbook Kitchen going forward.
If you’ve been here for a while, you’ll know by now that I’m forever getting excited about new ideas, so hopefully this makes everything a little easier to follow:
Free subscribers get:
Regular posts from The Cookbook Kitchen
Cook the Books cookbook deep-dives: reviews, recipe testing, photos and reflections from the books I’m spending time with
Cook the Books LIVE chatting with cookbook authors
Full access to Cook the Book Club posts, challenges and chats
Cook the World stories exploring food cultures through recipes, ingredients and cookbooks
The Kitchen Table round-ups with cookbook recommendations, recipe finds, creator spotlights and what’s coming up
Most importantly, being part of a warm, welcoming community of people who love cookbooks, food and talking about both far more than is probably reasonable
Paid subscribers get:
Cookbook requests: submit a book you’d like me to consider for Cook the Books
Extra Cook the Book Club perks: including giveaways, extra challenges and bonus notes
More detailed recipe reflections, photography notes and behind-the-scenes thoughts from my kitchen
Bonus posts, extra recommendations, extended conversations and first looks at what I’m working on
Subscriber-only gatherings, chats and events
Voting on future cookbooks for Cook the Books and Cook the Book Club, plus future countries for Cook the World
And, perhaps most importantly, the warm fuzzy feeling of helping this little corner of the internet continue to grow into something really rather special
I’m sure things will keep evolving as we grow, because they always do! Some months there’ll be plenty of things bubbling away and others will be shaped around a bigger feature, conversation, gathering or event.
Whether you’re here for the recipes, the stories, the cookbooks or simply because you enjoy spending time around this table - thank you!
At the heart of what I’m doing here is fostering an amazing community of food lovers. I love hearing from you and your input shapes so much of what I do. Always feel free to jump into the comments and get involved!
You’re always welcome at The Kitchen Table.
Now then… I think it’s time for some cake.
Can't wait! I've been cooking through Ella Risbridger's The Kitchen Book this month... will post the review on Wednesday.
Best of luck with all the plans! They all sound exciting and inviting.