How to organise a cookbook club
YOU WILL NEED:
A group of willing cookbook enthusiasts A home in which to hold your cookbook club Time to each prepare a dish in advance Tupperware to take home leftovers (tomorrow’s lunch)
1 Identify fellow foodies and put the message out. Social media is great for this. Start small, but once your cookbook club is up and running, Instagram your event and new recruits are bound to come out of the woodwork, angling for an invitation to the next one.
2 Six is a good number, guaranteeing you enough different dishes without overwhelming clashes of flavour or conversation. But more could work, if your table (and appetite) is large enough.
3 Agree the rules – will next month’s host pick the book? Or is it a communal decision? Will you foray into new releases or opt for an old classic that everyone has on their shelf? How many starters, main courses and desserts do you want to cook? How many can you realistically eat? Any dietary requirements to take into account? What drinks will go with the dishes?
4 Converse by email to agree recipes in advance – this ensures a meal that will hang together well and avoids an all-pudding event (unless that’s what you’re after!).
5 On the evening itself, everyone arrives at the designated hour. Some dishes may need warming up or finishing touches applied, so allow some time at the start for this. Then, set dishes down on the table for everyone to help themselves. Talk about why you chose your recipe, how easy (or not) you found it to cook or prepare, what you think of the flavours, whether you like the way the author writes about food.