The countdown is on to Great Foodie Day on Saturday 29th October 2011!
Ok, so this isn’t an official title or event even – although it should be in our eyes – it’s actually the launch date of the hotly anticipated Parlour Café Cookbook!
If you haven’t visited The Parlour Café, then you should try to, it’s one of Dundee’s most popular cafés, with some of the best food to be found anywhere (food critic – Johanna-make-or-break-you-Blythman – once dined here and had to eat her words and much more!).
The Parlour Café Cookbook, written by owner Gillian Veal, is a welcome addition to any kitchen. Published by exciting new Dundee publishing house, Kitchen Press, it’s packed full of healthy, inspirational and tasty recipes to suit every dining experience, budget and taste. It includes some familiar favourites from the Parlour’s chalkboards, including those soups, salads, puddings and that tortilla!
Self-taught Gillian’s instinctive flair for cooking and inspiring menus have been satisfying customers since the cafe opened back in 2005. Filling a huge gap in the Dundee market for fresh seasonal food, The Parlour really has continued to go from strength to strength. The recipes featured in the cookbook give everyone a chance to enjoy cooking and reap the tasty rewards, as Gillian says ‘This book is about real food, aimed at both everyday life, treats and special occasions. It’s aimed at people with real lives, including busy parents, students and those who are new to cooking’.
The book launches during Dundee’s Literary Festival, but we’re delighted to be able to give you a sneak preview of a page extract, below (and yes, much salivating trying to pick a recipe!). The thoughtful design and style features illustrations throughout by talented DJCAD graduate, Jen Collins of Hello Jenuine. Gillian says ‘We’ve deliberately steered clear of slick food photography and opted for hand-drawn illustrations to highlight that good food isn’t something to aspire to – it’s achievable, affordable, accessible … but always delicious’.
Mixing local ingredients with world-wide influences, the cookbook has been published by new specialist food publishers, Kitchen Press. Headed up by Emily Dewhurst, the publishing house is borne out of Emily’s passion for food and classic food writing. A long-time admirer of the wee Westport café, The Parlour quickly became ‘a local institution’.
Self-confessed foodie Emily explained, ‘Gillian has a unique style of cooking that has made an enormous impact on the food landscape of Dundee. Incredibly tasty, fresh and feisty, she just seems to capture the social pleasures of cooking and eating in a very relaxed way. The food in the cafe always looks beautiful, and tastes amazing, and it’s all from essentially pretty simple recipes that people can easily enjoy at home. The book has Dundee written all over it and its truly local roots are a fantastic tribute to the city and its people. As a new publishing house, we’re lucky to have such a strong creative hub on our doorstep, the perfect environment in which to write and launch a cookbook. With recipes created in Dundee, complimented by a local illustrator, the cookbook is a great way of referencing the City without stamping a photo of the rail bridge on the front!’.
A big hear, hear and hoorah to Gillian and Emily!
Join the Parlour for the book launch as part of Dundee Literary Festival: Sat 29th Oct – 7.30-10.30pm
The Parlour Café Cookbook is published by Kitchen Press, retailing at £15.99.
For more information, and to order your copy, visit the Kitchen Press website; follow their adventures on Facebook or pop into The Parlour Café, 58 Westport, Dundee, DD1 5ER. The book will also be available from local retailers, as well as through Amazon online.
