Author Profile: Ashley Madden, author of The Plant-Based Cookbook
Author Profile: Ashley Madden, author of The Plant-Based Cookbook

When pharmacist Ashley Madden was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in her early twenties, she began to make drastic changes to her lifestyle and career, and looked deeply at the relationship between her food and her health.

Studies in holistic nutrition led her to develop a tasty repertoire of vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and oil-free recipes and to create a blog, Rise, Shine, Cook.

We caught up with Ashley to discover her top healthy dishes from her best-selling debut, The Plant-Based Cookbook, and to find out how she cuts through the noise around health and food.

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Author ProfileRamona AndrewsAshley Madden, Healthy, The Plant-Based Cookbook
Newsletter: Magical food from award-winning chef Jean-Georges + brilliant recipes for artisanal canned fish
Newsletter: Magical food from award-winning chef Jean-Georges + brilliant recipes for artisanal canned fish

Brought up in Alsace, and famed for his elegant infusion of classical French cuisine with Asian inspiration, Jean-Georges Vongerichten is undoubtedly one of the most influential chefs in the world. His eponymous restaurant Jean Georges in New York City boasts three Michelin stars, and he is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants across more than fourteen cities globally. We are excited to bring you his celebrated book Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef.

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ckbk newsletterckbkJean-Georges Vongerichten, Mark Bittman, Tinned food, Sardines
Consuming Passions: Chicken
Consuming Passions: Chicken

Once whilst in Malawi, Africa, I visited a local food market and my new friends chose a chicken to buy. We drove 15 miles back home with it in the back of the car, privately promising myself that I wouldn’t give it a name. As soon as we entered the shack, we slit its neck, drained the blood, plucked it, cooked it and enjoyed a delicious and hearty meal celebrating us simply being together. We ate the entire chicken, including the feet, and left only the beak….

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Consuming passionsSusan LowJenny Jefferies, Chicken, Poultry
Newsletter: Women's History Month – celebrating culinary trailblazers!
Newsletter: Women's History Month – celebrating culinary trailblazers!

At ckbk we know that there are countless women in food, cooking, writing, teaching, making the world a better and more delicious place. But in honor of both IWD and Women’s History Month, we bring a special handful of them to your attention, showing the great influence they’ve had on food throughout the ages.

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ckbk newsletterckbkInternational Women's Day, Agnes Marshall, Chantal Coady, Anne Willan, Marcella Hazan, Irene Kuo, Nell B. Nichols, Florence White
Newsletter: Mastering the art of cooking with fish 🐟
Newsletter: Mastering the art of cooking with fish 🐟

Chef, restaurateur, food writer, and leading light of the British food scene, Mark Hix has always had a passion for fish. Growing up on the Dorset coast, initially his focus was on catching them rather than cooking them. As a chef, and in his book Fish etc. his focus is on sustainable enjoyment of the riches the sea has to offer, and on teaching the home cook all they need to know to master any aspect of fish cookery.

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ckbk newsletterckbkFish
Consuming Passions: Fire
Consuming Passions: Fire

Marcus Bawdon is obsessed by cooking with fire. It’s an all-encompassing passion that he loves to share with people via his vibrant Country Wood Smoke website, Facebook group and YouTube channel; through demonstrations and appearances at food and BBQ festivals across Britain, and as editor of UK BBQ Mag. He was crowned king of Meatopia BBQ festival, is a judge at BBQ events such as Grillstock, and makes regular appearances in the media to talk all things related to outdoor cooking.

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Consuming passionsSusan LowFire, Marcus Bawdon
Newsletter: Recipes and ideas for Mardi Gras 🥳 and Pancake Day 🥞
Newsletter: Recipes and ideas for Mardi Gras 🥳 and Pancake Day 🥞

In the Christian calendar Ash Wednesday signals the start of Lent, and the fast that precedes Easter. This year it falls on February 22. The day before, Tuesday February 21, is Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) – the feast before the fast. This is celebrated with rich and sweet foods, ostensibly to use up some of those ingredients before they are put away for the duration. But it is also a chance to indulge before the period of abstinence and reflection.

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ckbk newsletterckbkmardi gras, pancake day
Consuming Passions: Doubanjiang
Consuming Passions: Doubanjiang

Thomas David DuBois is a Beijing-based historian who studies China’s immeasurably diverse food traditions. He is the author of a forthcoming book on the history of food in China . His Consuming Passion is doubanjiang which Wikipedia describes as “a hot and savoury Chinese bean paste made from fermented broad beans, chili peppers, soybeans, salt and flour”.

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Consuming passionsSusan LowChina, Doubanjiang, Chilli, Thomas David Dubois, Thomas Dubois
Dishes for Valentine Seduction
Dishes for Valentine Seduction

Cooking something special for a romantic partner is a time-honored way to make a good impression. But which dishes are most effective? With Valentine’s day just around the corner, we searched ckbk’s collection for tips, and have brought together these recommendations from food writers and chefs for desire-inducing dishes.

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Discover ckbkSusan LowValentine
Newsletter: Mark Hix bakes + Robert Carrier on Morocco
Newsletter: Mark Hix bakes + Robert Carrier on Morocco

Mark Hix is one of Britain’s best known and best loved chefs; a champion of the kind of food that we truly want to eat, and with the help of his recipes we can make at home. We are thrilled at ckbk to be able to bring you all of Mark Hix’s key cookbooks over the coming weeks. They add up to a masterclass in technique, a depository of delicious ideas, and a wonderful insight into the mind of a chef whose understanding of great flavor is unsurpassed.

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ckbk newsletterckbkPlenty, Mark Hix
Newsletter: Scrumptious sandwiches 🥪 + substantial hotpots for winter nights
Newsletter: Scrumptious sandwiches 🥪 + substantial hotpots for winter nights

Whether or not the myth is true – that the Earl of Sandwich called for meat between two slices of bread in order not to disrupt his card game – the sandwich is a worldwide favorite. Given how easy they are to make, and the endless variety of breads and combinations of fillings, the challenge of a sandwich is in the choosing. We have two new books dedicated to the subject. Consider your sandwich game upped!

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ckbkSandwiches, Endive, Hotpots
Author profile: Robert Carrier
Author profile: Robert Carrier

Taste of Morocco is the third title by the late Robert Carrier to be added to ckbk. Carrier played a pioneering role in enthusiastically advocating good food to audiences in Britain and America in the 60s, 70s and 80s, and his books sold in their millions. He spent several months each year in Marrakesh, and Morocco held a special place in his heart. To mark the appearance of Taste of Morocco on ckbk, Luke Honey remembers the chef and his influence in this author profile.

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Author ProfileSusan LowRobert Carrier, Luke Honey, Taste of Morocco, Great Dishes of the World, The Robert Carrier Cookbook
Author profile: Max Halley, author of Max's Sandwich Book
Author profile: Max Halley, author of Max's Sandwich Book

Max Halley created a storm in London’s food world with his radical rethinking of the sandwich. Trained as some of London’s best restaurants, he ditched his formal chef’s whites to open Max’s Sandwich Shop in 2014. The book which captured this entirely new take on the sandwich, written with chef pal Ben Benton, became a Sunday Times Top 10 Bestseller. As Max’s Sandwich Book comes to ckbk, we caught up with its outspoken author for his take on sandwiches and much more…

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Author ProfileSusan LowMax Halley, Ben Benton, Max's Sandwich Book, Sandwiches
Consuming Passions: Spelt
Consuming Passions: Spelt

Shikha Kaiwar is a pastry chef and writer of the Shikha la Mode newsletter. She’s been baking with spelt since the beginning of her career and her desserts often feature this ancient grain. Her piece helps demystify spelt so that other cooks can confidently use it to create more complex, flavourful baked goods.

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Consuming passionsSusan LowSpelt, Shikha Kaiwar
Newsletter: Mastering desserts + Celebrating Lunar New Year
Newsletter: Mastering desserts + Celebrating Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is often called Chinese New Year, but is actually celebrated by millions of people worldwide, and in countries across East Asia, including Korea, Vietnam, Japan and the Philippines. The festival, which spans a couple of weeks, kicks off on the first full moon after the winter solstice. For this reason, the exact date is different year on year.

In 2023 the festival begins on January 22, a date which heralds the start of the year of the rabbit. Celebrations feature dragon parades, music, dancing, lanterns, and of course lots of wonderful food!

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ckbk newsletterckbkChinese New Year, Bao
Newsletter: Ramen recipes, a new chef compilation cookbook, and share your own Consuming Passion
Newsletter: Ramen recipes, a new chef compilation cookbook, and share your own Consuming Passion

This week we are full of Consuming Passions! We’d like to hear about yours.

Dina Macki did not hesitate for a moment when asked her Consuming Passion. It could only be pomegranates. The British-born chef, food writer and presenter is from an Omani an Zanzibari family, and the jewel-like fruit is central to so much of the food she grew up with and adores. Her love for Omani food has led to the great success of her ‘Dine with Dina’ supper-club, and her upcoming book on Omani cuisine.

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ckbk newsletterckbkChefs, Ramen