Kitchen Press is a new, independent publisher specialising in food writing. It aims, through lovingly crafted bespoke cookbooks, to connect innovative chefs, expert food writers and independent restauranteurs with customers and others around the world who love food.
We believe that the whole experience of reading about food and cooking should be as pleasurable and inspiring as eating it, and we want to help promote the people and places doing that best.
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Kitchen Quiz Episode 8
Kitchen Quiz
With Nasim Mawji
Some of you will already have noticed that last year we gained a new editor and member of our team here at KP HQ. For those still not in the know, we decided to introduce this exciting new addition via a new episode of our delightful Kitchen Quiz series.
So KP people, please will you welcome Nasim Mawji!!!
Nas has worked in book publishing in London and New York for over two decades principally for the highly regarded DK Publishing. An experienced project editor for large format, illustrated lifestyle titles, she has all the hard earned skills needed to survive in the world of independent publishing.
Having relocated from NYC’s Big Apple to the Athens of the North that is Edinburgh, we soon connected with Nas and put her considerable skills to good use. In particular, she was responsible for pulling together the excellent Eat Bike Cook project in 2021 working alongside Kitty Pemberton-Platt & Fi Buchanan.
Hailing from an Indian, African and British background Nas has been influenced by many cultural food traditions which sits perfectly with KP’s international approach to food and cooking in general. Food has always been at the heart of her personal and family life.
We caught up with Nas recently on a cold, grey and wintry day and asked her a quiz or two to get to know her just a wee bit better.
Q: Hey Nas, welcome to the Kitchen Quiz. So was there a cookbook that really inspired you?
A: I would say the River Café Cookbook. When it came out it was so original. The design seemed daring because it had large type, coloured pages and beautiful food shots interspersed with lots of messy behind-the-scenes kitchen photography. The recipes are, on the whole, uncomplicated. I was eating a lot of pasta and risotto in 1995 when this book came out, so those pages are pretty well thumbed.
But I also really like the Leon cookbooks. I especially like the Ingredients and Recipes, which is the original one, I think. It’s good for family-friendly cooking and I love the scrap-book feel of it. My copy is food splattered and held together with tape!
Q: What is your favourite item in your kitchen that you simply couldn’t do without?
A: I have a garlic chopper I bought from Ikea years ago.
It looks a bit like a space capsule and is a rip-off of a Slap Chop (infamously advertised in an exhausting infomercial). When I need mass quantities of garlic, chopped quickly (which is fairly often, actually), this is the device for the job.
Q: Do you have a favourite song, type of music or podcast you like to cook to?
A: I always have the radio on. I listen to BBC Radio 6 for music. My tastes are all over the place and they normally play something I like. Over the past few days I’ve heard Spiritualized, DJ Shadow, Little Simz, John Grant, Pulp, Air and LCD Soundsystem – all great. I also have a soft spot for Steely Dan. Otherwise I’m a Radio 4 addict.
On the podcast front, there have been two favourites recently. First the Lazarus Heist, which is about North Korea and cyber crime (fascinating and full of unbelievable twists and turns).
Then there is Sweet Bobby, which is about a victim of a decade-long catfishing operation and is absolutely addictive listening.
Q: If you could cook anywhere in the world in any location then where would you choose?
A: Somewhere tropical, within easy reach of white sandy beaches and turquoise waters. Maybe Zanzibar.
I could swim there in the sea and then make little meat samosas with coconut and coriander chutney, followed by either coconut crab or coconut prawn curry with fresh mango for dessert. And a very chilled glass of white wine. I think the past couple of years, and now winter and lockdowns, is starting to get to me.
Q: If you had to give one single piece of advice about cooking to someone then what would that be?
A: Always read the recipe the whole way through before you start!
Thank you Nas! We are so excited to have you on board at KP and can’t wait to see what other amazing cookbooks you bring into the kitchen and onto the table.
You can buy Eat Bike Cook direct from us right here x
Kitchen Quiz Episode 7
Kitchen Quiz
With Fraser Reid (Seasonal Soups)
One of our favourite and most popular KP titles is Seasonal Soups by Fraser Reid. This beautiful wee book is now in its second edition and has brought joy to readers around the world with its straightforward, healthy approach to soups.
Author Fraser Reid is an absolutely lovely chap with a strong community ethic. Having experienced a sudden personal nirvana moment with vegetables, Fraser transformed both his career and the local community in the West End of Dundee by opening his wee green fruit and veg corner shop.
The focus has always been on quality, local and international produce all provided with a smiling face and cheery personality. A simple yet powerful and infectious approach. The shop has also become a supplier of other quality deli goods such as Spanish black pudding, fresh baked bread and craft beers.
Fraser’s trademark is his warm and affable style. He really is a business owner who’s personality and passion are at the heart of everything he does. No one just pops into Fraser’s Fruit And Veg without a nice chat or learning something new.
It’s quite interesting that one of our most successful cookbooks is not written by a chef at all, but by someone passionate about produce and who had the courage to try out lots of soup recipes. The purpose being to make the menu at home more interesting, varied and packed full of vegetables. This is a philosophy we are 100% behind here at KP. Cooking is for everyone.
So we caught up with Fraser recently (which is always a pleasure) to ask him a few questions for our Kitchen Quiz series.
We hope you enjoy!
Now over to you Fraser.
Q: Hey Fraser, hope you are good. So was there a cookbook that really inspired you?
A: The cookbook that really inspired me was Jamie at home. We started growing veg in the garden before opening the shop and using the recipes in this book after harvesting. The broad beans fritters in there are amazing.
Q: What is your favourite item in your kitchen that you simply couldn’t do without?
A: My favourite item in the kitchen would be the soup pot. We use it every week and its been the pot that’s tested all of the recipes in Seasonal Soups.
Q: Do you have a favourite song, type of music or podcast you like to cook to?
A: Music is always on in the kitchen. Depending on who’s in, that dictates the tunes.
If it’s my 4 year old then it’s I Like To Move It by will.i.am.
If it’s my 6 year old it’s Katy Perry.
If it’s me it’ll be BBC Six Music.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_6music
Q: If you could cook anywhere in the world in any location then where would you choose?
A: If I could cook anywhere in the world then it would be the simple beachside BBQ. The sound of the waves are mesmerising and feeling on the sun on your skin. I love cooking outdoors.
Q: If you had to give one single piece of advice about cooking to someone then what would that be?
A: My advice on cooking would be not to stick to a recipe but use it as a guide that you can tailor for personal tastes. It also makes you a better cook, just being able to adjust things as you go. Also don’t be afraid of seasoning.
Great advice from a lovely man. Thank you Fraser!
You can order a copy of his wonderful soup book here.
Bad Girl Bakery – Date, Apple And Walnut Cake
We are over the moon about the publication of Bad Girl Bakery by Jeni Iannetta, which will be in all good book stores in November. Jeni who is based in the Scottish Highlands is an inspirational woman and her baking really is out of this world.
With apple season upon us, we thought this date, apple and walnut cake would give you a wee sneak peek and a taster of what is to come once the Bad Girl Bakery is let loose in your kitchen.
So over to Jeni now. And yes, bad girls do make very, very good cake indeed.
Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of Bad Girl Bakery direct from us via our website here and guarantee you’re one of the very first to be cooking up her baking delights in the comfort of your own home for family and friends.
Thank you as always for your support.
Date, Apple & Walnut Cake By Jeni Ianetta (Bad Girl Bakery)
This date, apple and walnut cake started its life as a sticky toffee cake, but we had some apples to spare and set about experimenting and here is the result! It’s a really simple cake to make, but somehow the rows of apple slices on the top make it look much fancier than it really is. The apple jelly glaze intensifies the flavours and gives the apple slices a lovely shine.
SERVES 9–12
32 x 21cm traybake tin, lined
Ingredients:
150g chopped dried dates
150ml apple juice
250g unsalted butter, softened
275g soft light brown sugar
5 medium eggs
280g self-raising flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1 small red apple, skin on, cored and grated
To Finish:
3 small red apples, skin on, halved, cored and thinly sliced
4 tbsp apple jelly or apricot jam (optional)
75g walnuts, roughly chopped
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C) fan.
Put the chopped dates and apple juice in a small pan on a medium heat and simmer until the liquid is almost all absorbed. Set aside to cool.
Put the softened butter and sugar in your bowl or stand mixer and beat until it looks lighter in colour and less craggy. Crack your eggs into a jug and weigh the flour, cinnamon and baking powder into another bowl.
Pour one egg into the butter and sugar and add a spoonful of flour. Mix (on low if you’re using a mixer) until fully combined, then repeat with each of the remaining eggs. Add the rest of the flour and mix till it’s just combined. You’ll need to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula after each addition. Stir in the cooled date mixture and the grated apple with a spatula until combined, and spoon into the lined tin, smoothing the batter out with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. Neatly arrange the sliced apples in rows across the top.
Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 60 to 65 minutes. Test the centre with a skewer after an hour, and if it doesn’t come out clean pop back in the oven for five minutes, then check again. (You may need to do this more than once – every oven is different, so don’t worry if yours takes a bit longer to bake.)
Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes or so while you make the glaze (if you’re using it). Pop the apple jelly and two tablespoons of water in a very small pan and put over a low heat until it begins to boil (you can also do it in a microwave on low). Stir until it’s smooth and then glaze the top of the warm cake with it using a pastry brush. Scatter over the chopped walnuts while the glaze is still warm.
Leave to cool a little in the tin before lifting out using the paper and slicing.
YUM! Thank you Jeni for this truly magnificent cake x