COOKBOOK CLUB AT HOME

A beginner’s guide

THE BOOK. The Borough Market Cookbook Club nominates a book to be the focus of each month’s event. The schedule of books is chosen a few months in advance to give you plenty of time to select an event and plan your gathering.

They will always be books that are easily available to buy via high street or online booksellers, borrow from libraries, or view through the ckbk online cookbook resource (which members have limited free trial access to).

PLANNING. Your event could take place any time in the calendar month that the cookbook has been chosen for. Any day, any time of day. You will need to think carefully about where to host (for example, at home or in a local venue). Decide on how many people to invite, and who. Let them know what the cookbook is. Give them the event date and time. And send them the link to this guide.

Make sure you ask about any allergies or dietary requirements so that no one goes hungry or risks eating something they shouldn’t.

Decide if you want people to cook different things from the book or if a crossover of dishes is fine. Decide whether you want them to let you know in advance what they’re bringing, or just turn up with it and surprise you. We strongly encourage people to choose a dish that is safe to serve at room temperature, and to bring their dish ready to serve.

Will people bring their own drinks? What about plates, cutlery, glasses – and the washing up!?!

SHOPPING. One of the joys Cookbook Club events is hearing about members’ favourite places to shop and their exploits in tracking down ingredients. If you can, make the shopping as much as part of the Cookbook Club experience as the cooking or the event itself. That could mean coming to Borough, visiting your local food market, or seeking out small independent shops.

COOKING. Take care to prepare your food in a hygienic environment. The dish you make is for the consumption of others, so be sure to maintain the highest standards of cleanliness throughout its preparation.

THE EVENT. Cookbook Club events work best when people feel relaxed enough to be honest about how their dish went and what they think of the book. Try really hard not to judge each other (or each other’s food) and listen to what people think. Give everyone space to talk and share their views. Not everyone will agree – and that’s okay!

THE DISCUSSION. Here are some possible topics for discussion, to get you started: How familiar were you with the writer? Did you know about them or own any of their books before coming along to this event? Were there plenty of dishes in the book you wanted to cook? What else (if anything) have you made from it? How does it compare to other cookbooks you might know and love? What dishes have you tried at the event that you might now want to try out at home? Will you buy or keep the book? Has your opinion of the book changed over the course of the event, from eating the food and hearing other people’s experiences?

SHARING. Please take lots of pictures and videos while you’re shopping, cooking and attending the Cookbook Club at Home events. Then share them via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and make sure you tag us @boroughmarket .

Borough Market: The Knowledge

by Angela Clutton (Hodder & Stoughton, £27)