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.
Our News
Special Lockdown Offer: 15% Off Everything!
We have a special lockdown offer for you this February! Cooking with family and housemates has been so vital to so many of us over the last year.
Sourcing interesting ingredients locally and preparing new, exciting dishes at home is as close to ‘being out’ or ‘taking a journey’ as many of us can get during the current restrictions.
So to help out we thought we would offer a 15% discount on any cook books purchased direct from our web shop for the whole month of February. Postage is also free.
We hope this helps keep your menu interesting, your mind inspired and your body healthy. You can choose from the baking treats of The Mountain Cafe Cookbook, the Cajun Gumbo of The Savoy Kitchen, the salads and mezze of The Parlour Cafe, the bush porridge with whisky of Spirit & Spice, the fishy delights of The Seafood Shack, or the delicious goat curry of Recipes From Brixton Village. Whatever your culinary fancy is…don’t worry because we got you!
Just use the code FEB15 to apply your 15% off at checkout in the shop. Enjoy your cooking!
Kitchen Quiz Episode 1
Welcome to Kitchen Quiz our new series of short interviews focussing on the wonderful people who write our cookbooks for us!
Episode 1: Gillian Veal (The Parlour Cafe & Cambo Gardens Cafe)
The Parlour Cafe Cookbook was our very first publication way back in the mists of time. We owe its spectacular chef and author Gillian Veal a massive debt for launching our book list in such exquisite style.
So we thought it was only right to kick off this series with Gillian, especially as we are currently working with her on a brand new title [trumpet sounds].
The new cookbook is based around the food she creates at Cambo Gardens in the East Neuk of Fife. Her cafe is set in the old stables of the historic Cambo manor house amongst gloriously kept walled gardens which are packed full of vegetables and herbs for her to use in her culinary creations. It is a magical setting for any chef and Gillian has simply thrived there, so we are very pleased that soon she will be sharing that magic with you all.
Meanwhile we caught up with her at home and asked her a few wee questions….
Sit back and relax. It’s time for KITCHEN QUIZ!!!
Q: Hi Gillian, was there a cookbook that really inspired you?
A: The River Cafe Cook Book was the one. I loved the relationship between the two owners. It was inspiring how they bounced off each other with their knowledge of ingredients and simple approach. It set me on the path that led to The Parlour Cafe Cook Book.
Q: What is your favourite item in your kitchen that you simply couldn’t do without?
A: I love all my gran’s old pans and baking stuff. They simply don’t make them like that anymore. And I recently treated myself to a thermo mix ,which is a bit like having a second chef work with me.
Q: Do you have a favourite song, type of music or podcast you like to cook along to?
A: Oh impossible to choose any one song or genre in particular. It’s like my food, I mostly decide what I’m going to make that very day. Same with the music. It’s a good day when the right music and food comes together. I’m lucky I have so many friends around with a passion for music, so I get introduced to all sorts in the cafe. My only habit is I always listen to the radio from when I get to work till 10am. It’s like my timer to prepping for the days service. I normally listen to Radio 6, but flip over to Radio 4 as well if I’m not feeling it.
Q: If you could cook anywhere in the world in any location then where would you choose?
A: There are so many places I still have to visit, but for now Andalucia in Spain would be my number one choice. It has the perfect variety of food and cooking styles. So probably an outdoor kitchen at the top of a beautiful beach from around 4pm till sunset. And perhaps with the odd glass of vino…
Q: If you had to give one single piece of advice to someone about cooking then what would that be?
A: My one piece of cooking advice would be to engage all your senses. It’s not just about following a recipe. If something doesn’t smell, taste or feel correct then do something about it. You have to feel it. While cooking it might even involve getting to know the right sound an ingredient makes when it hits the pan. It should be a passion and not just work.
Thank you so much for doing our Kitchen Quiz Gillian. We can’t wait to try out your new recipes from Cambo very soon!
Buy The Parlour Cafe Cookbook here
Alternative Festive Feasts
Our KP gift to you this Christmas is a couple of ideas for Alternative Festive Feasts. Many of us will soon be sitting around a dinner table sharing a festive meal together, so we thought we’d end the year by offering you some recipes to give your dinner a twist. First up:
Roast Pork By Fish, Wings & Tings (as featured in Recipes from Brixton Village by Miss South)
How about this year we cook Trinidadian Roast Pork instead to spice things up a wee bit? For those who can’t bear the sight of turkey and don’t give a damn about goose, here is a more tropical take on the festive main dish.Very simple but packed with flavour! Light up Xmas Day, Boxing Day or whenever you wish with a heavy dose of hot sauce. In this glorious dish pork belly is marinated in a powerful blend of ginger, garlic, thyme, scotch bonnet, dark rum and other lovely stuff. It’s 100% guaranteed to transform your festivities for sure. Just serve up with rum punch and dancing!
Ingredients
Ask your butcher to score the skin on the pork or use a super sharp knife to do this yourself. Place the pork in a dish and season well with salt and pepper.
Finely grate the ginger and then squeeze the pulp over a small bowl to extract the juice. Discard the pulp. Add all the remaining ingredients to the ginger juice and mix, then pour the marinade over the meat. Massage it into the pork (it’s best to wear gloves for this if you’re sensitive to chilli) and leave it to marinate overnight in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 250C and take the pork out of the fridge to come up to room temperature. Line a roasting tin with foil and place the pork in it, scraping off any excess marinade.
Roast the pork for an hour, then remove from the oven and allow to cool. Cut the pork into cubes and serve with hot pepper sauce on the side. The skin will be crisp and the meat very tender.
Buy Recipes from Brixton Village by Miss South here
And for those diners who are tired of meat, could we suggest:
Aubergine Parmigiana from The Parlour Cafe Cookbook
Alternative festive feasts are also for veggies! Layers of piping-hot aubergine, tomato, mozzarella and basil will make for a golden and bubbling treat. Serve it all up in one dish and save on washing up time allowing you to focus on more important things like vino and zoom calls with friends.
Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 220C.
Heat a couple of large baking trays in the oven. Cut the aubergines into 2cm slices widthways. toss the slices in 5 tablespoons of the olive oil until they are all glistening. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and space them out on the hot oven trays, making sure they have enough room. Put them in the oven and bake until browned (20 minutes should do it).
Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Toss them in the remaining olive oil, season and put onto hot oven trays, then douse in sieved icing sugar for the sweet sensation and bake for 20 minutes.
Reduce the oven to 180C.
Cut the mozzarella into thinnish slices. Spread some of the tomato sauce over the base of a large, deep oven-proof dish 9at home I use an oval one about 30 x 20cm and 6cm deep).
Once the aubergines and tomatoes are out of the oven and have cooled, start building your parmiagana. Start with a layer of aubergine, then tomato, then mozzarella and basil and repeat, finishing with a layer of mozzarella.
Now place some more dollops of tomato sauce loosely over the top and sprinkle generously with shavings of Parmesan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutest until golden and bubbling.
Buy The Parlour Cafe Cookbook by Gillian Veal here