Publication Day Special
New recipes, tales and extracts from my book, Rough Patch, a memoir with recipes which is out TODAY!
Hello you lovely lot
As you can see, I’m a bit giddy. It’s publication day for my latest book, Rough Patch, and I’ve got lots to show you.
But mainly, as I say in the video, THANK YOU for being here with me.
(TECHNICAL NOTE: There are a LOT of images and videos here so they might not all fit in your email. If so, just hit VIEW ENTIRE MESSAGE at the end of the email, or head to the app or online version.)
What is Rough Patch?
If, by some miracle, you’ve avoided me bombarding you with news about Rough Patch, let me catch you up:
Making Rough Patch
The cover art, title text and internal illustrations are by the infeasibly talented
who I met when she styled my first book, From the Veg Patch. All I can say is, move over Charlie Mackesy, there’s an altogether classier lady in town.Here’s Rosie and me chatting live about the process:
Rosie is selling some of the preliminary sketches that led to the cover so snap them up quick:
And once Rosie and the design team had worked their magic I went to see it being printed. Best day EVER:
Read all about it
It’s not every day an unknown author can be found waxing lyrical about the in-house publicist they’ve been assigned by their publishers. Yet here we are. Thanks to them you can read about Rough Patch in this piece for The Guardian about How a Mug of Home-Made Stew Set my Life on a New Path, The Telegraph, Good Housekeeping, The Simple Things, Waitrose Weekend and more to come in the next few weeks.
You can also listen to interviews about the book on Standard Issue Podcast last week,
this week and stay tuned for lots more - Toaster podcast, Our Plant Stories, BBC Radio and beyond.Rough Patch events
Come for a chat, a flick through the book and a bite to eat:
Saturday 15th February, 10:30am - Nicholson’s plant nursery Oxfordshire: an informal cuppa, Q&A, Rough Patch reading and signing (free but register here).
Sunday 16th February - Bridewell Gardens Winter Wander open day: I’ll be signing books and chatting about Rough Patch (which features Bridewell).
Wednesday 19th February - Nicholson’s Oxfordshire: I’ll be leading a one day workshop about planning your veg garden for the year ahead. Includes hands on classes and a two-course lunch at The Yurt. (£125)
Sunday 23rd February - The Garden Museum: I’m teaching a 3-hour, hands-on cookery class featuring recipes from Rough Patch and beyond followed by lunch. (£95) SOLD OUT
Wednesday 19th March - Chloe’s, Charlbury, Long Table: a chat from me and fellow local foodies then a supper cooked by divine cook, Chloe Horner. (£25)
Friday 28th March - High Grange, Devon: a one day garden retreat featuring woodland meditation, a chat about Rough Patch, lunch and a laid back hands on seed sowing session with me. (£125 including copy of Rough Patch). Here’s how it went last time I visited High Grange:
Then after that there’s St Ives Food Festival, British Library events, Buckingham Literary Festival and some secret things I’m not meant to say yet but really want to. Buckle up.
Recipes from Rough Patch
There are over thirty seasonal recipes in the book, here’s a taster:
And below, for paid subscribers, an exclusive - my Mushroom, Chestnut & Leek Pastilla:
Mushroom, chestnut and leek pastilla
When leeks do finally arrive, this is what I cook first. It’s a vegetarian version of the traditional North African dish made with shredded meat, usually pigeon, eggs, spices, icing sugar and flaked almonds. Yes, an unfamiliar combination to some, but it really is the business, and the flavours work beautifully with the sweetness of the leeks and chestnuts against the deep savoury umami of mushrooms to make a dish that is both comforting and novel.
This is a variation on a recipe I wrote for Borough Market many moons ago and which they have kindly allowed me to use in the book.
Serves 4-6
50g butter, plus extra, melted, for brushing the filo
300g mushrooms, roughly chopped
5 large or 6 regular leeks, finely sliced
3 eggs, beaten
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