See more details of Cookbook Festival events here
Note: there are some changes from the Festival brochure – see Updates and Amendments
10am
CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL
WORKSHOP
10-11am: Bookbinding for Children
Expert Mark Cockram explores the spirit of the book, and shows you how to make a beautiful book all of your own to take away with you.
Room 124, ArtsEd, 14 Bath Road W4 1LY (please go to main reception). £12 per child, £3 per accompanying adult. Suitable for ages 10-16. Children aged 10-14 must be accompanied by an adult. Max 10 participant spaces. Watch here for more details.
WORKSHOP
10am-12pm: Writing Commercial Fiction
Join author and editor Phoebe Morgan for a workshop on publishing commercial fiction, covering everything from how to write a killer first line to how to attract a literary agent and what editors are looking for. Bring a paper and pen!
Room 125, ArtsEd, 14 Bath Road W4 1LY (please go to main reception) £20
Watch here for more details
COOKBOOK FESTIVAL
10:45-11:30am: Khazana: A Treasure Trove of Modern Mughal Dishes
Junior doctor Saliha Mahmood Ahmed entranced the nation with her mouth-watering creations on her way to being crowned Masterchef Champion 2017. Her khazana (treasure trove) of dishes are as colourful and poetic as the culture of the Indo-Persian Mughal Empire that inspires them.
TGT Cookbook Marquee, Turnham Green Terrace, £15
COOKBOOK FESTIVAL
11-11:45am: How to Make the Perfect Sausage, with multi-award-winning cookery writer Lindsey Bareham and special guest Rodney Macken .
Lindsey Bareham, a warm and witty writer and cook, has been an essential companion in our kitchen. As the author of 15 cookbooks and daily columns in the London Evening Standard and then The Times she has been guiding us through dinner for over 20 years. While she draws inspiration from around the world, she is the expert in British seasonal food. Lindsey has enlisted eminent local butcher Rodney Macken of Macken Brothers to create an exclusive Festival Sausage and will demonstrate how to elevate this simple staple to star status on the plate.
St Michael’s Cookbook Marquee, £15, to include a sausage bap and a half pint of Fullers beer
11:15-12:15pm: Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War
Historian Tim Bouverie takes us into the back-rooms of Parliament and Downing Street, and the drawing rooms and dining clubs of fading imperial Britain, showing how Hitler enjoyed surprising support among the ruling classes. Chaired by Julia Wheeler.
St Michael & All Angels Parish Hall, £8
11:15-12:15pm: Janet Ellis: How It Was
Actress and former Blue Peter presenter turned author, Janet Ellis, talks to the irrepressible Viv Groskop (How to Own a Room) about her second novel, How It Was, a story of love, motherhood, betrayal, and long-hidden secrets.
St Michael & All Angels Parish Hall, £8
CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL
11:30-12:30pm: Roald Dahl’s Rotsome & Repugnant Words
Calling all human beans! Join word wizards, Sara-Jane Arbury and Katie Balson, to gobblefunk with Roald Dahl’s redunculously rude and rotsome words! Learn how to curse like a Giant and insult like a Trunchbull! Supported by Chiswick and Bedford Park Primary School.
St Michael & All Angels Church, £5, Age 6+ Children under 14 years of age must be accompanied by a responsible adult, with their own ticket.
WORKSHOP
11:30-12:30pm: Bookbinding for Children
Expert Mark Cockram explores the spirit of the book, and shows you how to make a beautiful book all of your own to take away with you.
Room 124, ArtsEd, 14 Bath Road W4 1LY (please go to main reception). £12 per child, £3 per accompanying adult. Suitable for ages 10-16. Children aged 10-14 must be accompanied by an adult. Max 10 participant spaces.
Watch here for more details
COOKBOOK FESTIVAL
12-12:45pm: Squirrel Pie (and other stories) Adventures in Food
Food and travel writer, illustrator and chair of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, the ceaselessly energetic Elisabeth Luard has penned some 22 cookbooks and 4 memoirs including recipes. One of her next projects is a cookstrip – a cartoon cookbook! She shares tales of her luscious life in food.
TGT Cookbook Marquee, Turnham Green Terrace, £15
COOKBOOK FESTIVAL
12:15-1pm: Saffron in the Souks: Vibrant Recipes from the Heart of Lebanon
John Gregory-Smith explored the length and breadth of the Lebanon on the latest foray along his personal spice trail through North Africa and the Middle East. From the souks of Tripoli and Beirut, to the Chouf Mountains and the Qadisha Valley, his recipes bring this country of hidden beauty and bold flavours directly to the plate.
St Michael’s Cookbook Marquee, £15
12:30-1:30pm: The Art of the Thriller: Alan Judd and Peter Hanington
Former soldier and diplomat Alan Judd (Accidental Agent) and former BBC journalist Peter Hanington (A Single Source) write topical and well researched thrillers. Taking different worlds – one of a reporter during the bitter and bloody Arab Spring, the other of M16, the EU and Brexit – they achieve edge-of-the-seat tension. They talk to Julian Worricker about the art of writing gripping fiction.
ArtsEd Theatre, 14 Bath Road, £8
CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL
12:30-1:30pm: Bear Moves with Sav Akyüz
Everyone’s favourite purple bear is back! Show off your best dance moves and coolest rhymes with the awesome artist Sav Akyüz as he brings Bear Moves to life in this hilarious event. There will be rapping, dancing and even some drawing, so come and join the fun!
Children’s Marquee, £3, Ages 3+ Children under 14 years of age must be accompanied by a responsible adult, with their own ticket.
12:45-1:45pm: The Mountbattens
Edwina Mountbatten was the world’s richest heiress, a one-time playgirl who found purpose in humanitarian work after WWII. Her husband Dickie was Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in South-East Asia, the last Viceroy of India, and mentor of Prince Philip and Prince Charles. 40 years after Lord Mountbatten’s assassination by the IRA, bestselling historian Andrew Lownie portrays two very unusual people and their complex marriage.
St Michael & All Angels Parish Hall, £8
12:45-1:45pm: Does Life Experience Make You a Better Writer?
Surely writing a novel, or a memoir, is better done once we’ve gathered our life stories and gained knowledge of how ‘things’ work? Join authors Amanda Robson and Pamela Holmes, and publishing agent Luigi Bonomi, as they discuss with Amelia Fairney of Penguin the pleasures and pitfalls of publishing a little later in life.
Orchard House School, 2 Rupert Road, £8
1pm
1-2pm: Peter Frankopan: The New Silk Roads
With The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, Peter Frankopan changed the way we view the past, selling over 1 million copies and spending 31 weeks in the Sunday Times bestseller list. The New Silk Roads brings the story up to date, a timely reminder that our world is profoundly interconnected.
St Michael & All Angels Church, £8
1-2pm: A Field Guide to the English Clergy – and Other Turbulent Priests
Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie holds a BA in History and Czech/Slovak from Oxford and a BA in theology from Cambridge, and accidentally appeared on Only Connect. His entertaining look at quirkier members of the English Clergy was a book of the year for The Times; his new book, Priests de la Resistance, looks at the Christians who fought fascism. He talks to Fr Kevin Morris, vicar of St Michael & All Angels.
Tabard Theatre, £8
COOKBOOK FESTIVAL
1:15-2pm: The Modern Cheesemaker
Cheese, Gromit! At 21, Morgan McGlynn took an audacious decision and bought a cheese shop. She has become a cheese autodidact, teaching herself everything there is to know about fromage. She shares her passion and encyclopaedic knowledge so that you too can try your hand at being an artisan cheesemaker.
TGT Cookbook Marquee, Turnham Green Terrace, £15
COOKBOOK FESTIVAL
1:30-2:15pm: Baan, Recipes and Stories From My Thai Home
Renowned food and drinks writer, Kay Plunkett Hogge was born and lived her early years in Bangkok. Fluent in Thai culture, she brings her extensive knowledge and love of the local food from her childhood to her new book. ‘Baan’ means hearth and home and Kay translates her Thai home cooking into accessible recipes achievable at home.
St Michael’s Cookbook Marquee, £15
WORKSHOP
2-4pm: Bookbinding for Adults
Expert Mark Cockram explores the spirit of the book, and shows you how to make a beautiful book all of your own to take away with you.
Room 124, ArtsEd, 14 Bath Road W4 1LY (please go to main reception), £25. Suitable for ages 16+. Max 10 participant spaces.
Watch here for more details
WORKSHOP
2-4pm: Creative writing and wellbeing: Elise Valmorbida & Vanessa King
Applying the Science of Wellbeing to Enhance Your Creative Writing:
Whether you’re an experienced writer or just getting started, this workshop with experts Elise Valmorbida and Vanessa King is for you. They’ll share how the science of positive psychology can be applied to the art of creative writing to boost your creativity and enhance and your practice. They’ll explore imagination, empathy, observation and focus in practical exercises you can take away and use.
Vanessa King is a leading expert on the psychology of happiness, resilience and wellbeing and has studied under the father of the field, Dr Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of two internationally published books on the topic, Board member of the social movement Action for Happiness, a columnist in Psychologies Magazine and is regularly featured and quoted in the media including BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Sky Breakfast, the Guardian, Sunday Telegraph Magazine, FT. She regularly runs programme in workplaces and delivers keynotes around the world. It wasn’t always this way – she started her career as a chartered accountant but realised she was more interested in how people thrived! She’s led workshops, been a panel member or hosted sessions at a number of festivals including: The London Literary Festival, Margate Bookie (of which she is a Trustee), Festival of Love at London’s Southbank, Wilderness, How the Light Gets In, Interrogate at Dartington, Happiness and it’s Causes, Sydney and LaughFest in Michigan and many others at home and abroad. Together with novelist Elise Valmorbida, she has been developing a series of workshops on the application of the science of wellbeing to stimulate and enhance creativity.
Elise Valmorbida‘s latest novel The Madonna of the Mountains—The Times ‘book of the month’ and an Edward Stanford Awards shortlister—won the prestigious Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Fiction. Other books include Matilde Waltzing, The TV President, The Winding Stick and (non-fiction) The Book of Happy Endings. Elise teaches creative writing at Central Saint Martins and Arvon. She is founder-director of communications consultancy word-design, on the board of writers’ organisation 26, and former External Examiner for the MA in Professional Writing at Falmouth University. She is also an award-winning indie film producer and script consultant.
Room 125, ArtsEd, 14 Bath Road W4 1LY (please go to main reception), £20
2:15-3:15pm: Life and Death with Marie Colvin ***
***We have just received news that Channel 4’s international editor Lindsey Hilsum will now be in Harare on Saturday, covering Robert Mugabe’s funeral. We’re sorry for any disappointment but Paul Conroy, the photographer who worked extensively with Marie Colvin in Syria, and was with her when she was tragically killed, will still be speaking, so the event will be going ahead. The description is amended below.
War photographer Paul Conroy (Under the Wire) worked alongside Sunday Times foreign correspondent Marie Colvin (above) in the blood and confusion of the Arab Spring and was with her in Syria when she was killed. He talks to Julia Wheeler about Marie Colvin’s extraordinary life and tragic death.
ArtsEd Theatre, 14 Bath Road, W4 1LY, £8
2:15-3:15pm: Inventing Edward Lear
Edward Lear is famous for his limericks and poems such as The Owl and the Pussycat, but the father of nonsense was also a naturalist, a brilliant landscape painter, an experimental travel writer, and an accomplished composer. Dr Sara Lodge of St Andrew’s University presents the fullest account yet of Lear’s passionate engagement in the intellectual, social, and cultural life of his times.
St Michael & All Angels Parish Hall, £10, including a glass of wine or soft drink
2:15-3:15pm: Women in The Archers
Join Archers Academics Dr Cara Courage and Dr Nicola Headman as they discuss the power of gender, sex and gossip in Ambridge, including: portrayals of love, marriage and motherhood; female education and expectations; and the hard-won right of women to play cricket. Chaired by Woman’s Hour presenter and long-time Archers fan, Jane Garvey.
Orchard House School, 2 Rupert Road, £8
CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL
2:15-3:15pm: Bee Alert! Barbara Rustin
Ben, an aspiring detective staying with his Grandpa for the summer, hopes to find a crime to solve. Stumbling on a case of alarming disappearances he realizes that solving this mystery may prove more dangerous than anything he could have imagined. It’s all about the bees…
Children’s Marquee, £3, Ages 6-12 Children under 14 years of age must be accompanied by a responsible adult, with their own ticket.
2:30-3:30pm: Crime and suspense: Linwood Barclay and Mark Billingham
Described by Stephen King as ‘a suspense master’, Linwood Barclay is the international bestselling author of many critically acclaimed novels. His new book, Elevator Pitch is published in September. Mark Billingham has sold over 5 million books worldwide, and twice won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.
St Michael & All Angels Church, £8
2:30-3:30pm: Sadie Jones: The Snakes
Costa Award-winning author of The Outcast Sadie Jones returns with her new novel, The Snakes. She talks to Cathy Rentzenbrink about the novel, a tense and shocking tale of families, their secrets and unfolding tragedy.
Tabard Theatre, £8
WORKSHOP
2:30-3:40pm: Quick Pitch, session 1
Leading UK literary agent Luigi Bonomi will hear you pitch your novel. You have ten minutes to present your one-page synopsis, 50-word back-cover blurb and the first five pages of your manuscript. Luigi will use his long experience to tell you if your book has a chance and how you can make it more appealing.
Tabard Pub, the Snug, £15 per appointment
Your booking will be for a specific appointment time. Please ensure you arrive on time. We cannot admit latecomers. Watch here for more details.
COOKBOOK FESTIVAL
2:30-3:15pm Lucy Cufflin & Lucy Lee-Tirrell: Lucy Bakes and Lucy’s Food
Get bowled over by our local shortcut queen’s perfected one-bowl cakes, bakes and cooks – 1 bowl = no fuss, no clean up! Caterer, cookery writer and chef mentor to nearly 5,000 chalet cooks, Lucy Cufflin, with her ‘Two Lucys’ catering partner, Lucy Lee-Tirrell, focuses on foolproof recipes that deliver every time, on time. Busy and budding cooks alike will get confidence boosting, timely results that never compromise on taste.
TGT Cookbook Marquee, Turnham Green Terrace, £15, including tasters
COOKBOOK FESTIVAL
2:45-3:45pm: The Botanical Baker: Contemporary Baking and Cake Decorating with Edible Flowers and Herbs
Star baker Juliet Sear brings her expertise in mastering extraordinary food challenges to botanical baking using edible flowers, herbs and botanicals to create dazzling and vibrant cakes and bakes from the whimsical to the fantastic. She provides tips on preserving, storing and applying petals and herbs to give your cakes flower power.
St Michael’s Cookbook Marquee, £15
CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL
3:45-4:45pm: R.D.Dikstra: Tigeropolis
Tiger fanatic and children’s author R.D.Dikstra reveals the real-life adventure behind his Tigeropolis stories, following a family of vegetarian tigers running their own wild tiger reserve in the foothills of the Himalayas. There’s a chance for you to make a poster telling the world why we must save these wonderful creatures.
Children’s Marquee, £3, Ages 7-10 Children under 14 years of age must be accompanied by a responsible adult, with their own ticket.
3:45-4:45pm: A Woman of No Importance
In 1942, the Gestapo issued a simple but urgent command: ‘She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her.’ Their target was Virginia Hall, a glamorous American with a wooden leg, who fought the barriers of gender and disability to be the first woman to infiltrate Vichy France for the SOE. Sonia Purnell tells her extraordinary tale – now being filmed by Paramount – to Julia Wheeler.
Orchard House School, 2 Rupert Road, £8
COOKBOOK FESTIVAL
***We regret that Ian Haste has broken his ankle and has had to withdraw. We apologise for any disappointment. We have a replacement event:
3.45pm Sipsmith Cocktail Masterclass *** New event
Inspired by their newly published cocktail book, SIP: 100 Gin Cocktails With Only Three Ingredients, Sipsmith Tim will be hosting a 30 minute cocktail masterclass. He will share the story about where the SIP book idea came from and how to make 3 of the delicious array of drinks in the book. Join us to discover how with one uncompromisingly delicious gin, cocktails don’t need to be over complicated to taste delicious.
Tickets are £5 and include a can of Sipsmith gin & tonic to sip whilst you watch.
TGT Cookbook Marquee, Turnham Green Terrace, £5
3:45-4:45pm: Beth Chatto: A Life in Plants
Catherine Horwood tells the story of the most influential British plantswoman of the past 100 years, with exclusive access to her archive, photos, diaries and notebooks. Beth Chatto was the inspiration behind the ‘right plant, right place’ ethos that lies at the heart of modern gardening.
St Michael & All Angels Parish Hall, £8
4pm
COOKBOOK FESTIVAL
4-4:45pm: Asma’s Indian Kitchen
For Asma Khan, every meal should be a feast of flavour whether it be a simple repast for two or a banquet for twenty. She celebrates her majestic Mughlai ancestry with sumptuous but easy to prepare dishes. Join her for a culinary journey along the Darjeeling Express from Bengal through Calcutta and onto the foothills of the Himalayas.
St Michael’s Cookbook Marquee, £15
4-5pm: What Does It Mean to Be British? Kamal Ahmed and Mihir Bose
Kamal Ahmed‘s childhood was ‘British’ in every way – except for the fact that he was brown. Half English, half Sudanese, he was raised in 1970s London when being mixed-race meant being told to go home, even when you were born just down the road. Mihir Bose was born in Calcutta and grew up in Bombay, moving to the UK in 1969. The two former BBC broadcasters discuss what it means to be non-white and British in today’s Brexit UK.
St Michael & All Angels Church, £8
4-5pm: Domestic Noir
Emma Curtis (The Night You Left) and Phoebe Morgan (The Girl Next Door) share a talent for creating dark secrets and domestic noir. Join them as they discuss their latest books with fellow author, Cathy Rentzenbrink.
Tabard Theatre, £8
4-5pm: Laurie Lee: The Lost Recordings
In 1994, the year of his 80th birthday, Laurie Lee shared his memories of an ‘eventful’ early life in a series of interviews with the film-maker David Parker. 25 years on, David introduces the recordings and reveals what they tell us about one of England’s finest chroniclers of our times.
ArtsEd Theatre, 14 Bath Road, £8
WORKSHOP
4.20-5:30pm: Quick Pitch, Session 2
Leading UK literary agent Luigi Bonomi will hear you pitch your novel. You have ten minutes to present your one-page synopsis, 50-word back-cover blurb and the first five pages of your manuscript. Luigi will use his long experience to tell you if your book has a chance and how you can make it more appealing.
Tabard Pub, the Snug, £15 per appointment Your booking will be for a specific appointment time. Please ensure you arrive on time. We cannot admit latecomers. Watch here for more details.
COOKBOOK FESTIVAL
5-5:45pm: Nightingales and Roses
Winner of The Guild of Food Writers First Book Award 2019, Maryam Sinaiee’s Nightingale and Roses is a celebration of Persian home cooking. Maryam’s passion was brought to lifethrough her family’s food and is interwoven with her love Persian culture and history. Taste the rich flavours infused with the romance and drama of Persia.
TGT Cookbook Marquee, Turnham Green Terrace, £15
5:15-6:15pm: Troy Story
Combining ancient history and stand-up, Natalie Haynes takes us on a tour around the Trojan War, the greatest conflict in ancient literature. The stories of the women affected have been largely untold: Natalie takes them out of the shadows and puts them in the middle of the story.
Orchard House School, 2 Rupert Road, £8
5:15-6:15pm: Our Man in New York
You’ve heard about Russian attempts to influence the last US presidential election. In his new book, Henry Hemming says the largest ‘influence operation’ ever launched in America had nothing to do with Moscow. It was run by the British, reached millions of Americans, and helped change the course of WWII.
St Michael & All Angels Parish Hall, £8
COOKBOOK FESTIVAL
5:30-6:30pm: Matthew Fort and Felicity Cloake star in The Great British Food Off: UK vs. Europe
The Guardian‘s Food and Drink Editor and The Great British Menu judge Matthew Fort will partner with co-cookery writer and Guardian journalist (as well as guest judge on The Great British Menu) Felicity Cloake. They both celebrate the tremendous progress of British food in recent years but also love to derive inspiration through food travel. Felicity’s latest book One More Croissant for the Road chronicles her food forage through France by bicycle while Matt has toured Sicily on a vespa (Sweet Honey, Bitter Lemons). Expect a lively debate between friends on the relative merits of British and European cuisine and transport!
St Michael & All Angels Church. £10 including a glass of wine.
We are offering a ‘bundle price’ of £18 (saving £2) to include the talk and entry to The Festival Drinks (below) at 6.30pm for another glass of wine and a plate of canapés cooked by top local caterers Trufflehound.
5:45-6:45pm: Kill the Black One First
A story about race, identity and belonging, Kill the Black One First is the memoir of Michael Fuller, Britain’s first ever black Chief Constable. In this hard-hitting, honest memoir, he reflects on his life growing up in care and his extraordinary experiences facing racial and cultural barriers during his police career. He talks to the BBC’s Kamal Ahmed.
ArtsEd Theatre, 14 Bath Road, £8
6-7:30pm: Festival Drinks & Nibbles
Join us for drinks and delicious canapes from Trufflehound, in aid of the Festival’s charities: InterAct Stroke Support, Doorstep Library and The Felix Project.
St Michael’s Cookbook Marquee, £10 (see above for discount when bought with Matthew Fort and Felicity Coake ticket) – watch here for more details.
7pm
7-8pm: Apollo 11
Fifty years ago in July 1969, Apollo 11 became the first crewed mission to land on the moon, and Neil Armstrong the first man to step onto its surface. Former BBC Science Correspondent David Whitehouse tells science broadcaster and author Dallas Campbell the inside story of the astronauts, NASA engineers and political rivals who won the Space Race.
St Michael & All Angels Parish Hall, £10
7:15-8:15pm: Home Grown
What links the terrorist attacks in London Bridge, Manchester and Westminster with those at the Charlie Hebdo offices and the Finsbury Park Mosque and multiple US shootings? In Home Grown, Joan Smith reveals they were all carried out by men with a history of domestic violence. She tells MP Jess Phillips how she believes we could transform our approach to domestic abuse and save countless lives on our streets.
ArtsEd Theatre, 14 Bath Road, £10
7:30-8:30pm: The War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line
For more than 25 years, DrDavid Nott has taken unpaid leave from his job as a surgeon with the NHS to volunteer in some of the world’s most dangerous war zones. From Sarajevo to rebel-held eastern Aleppo, he has carried out life-saving operations and field surgery in the most challenging conditions. Widely acknowledged to be the world’s most experienced trauma surgeon, he talks to Julia Wheeler about his extraordinary story.
St Michael & All Angels Church, £10