Related to: 'The Art of the Party'

Mitchell Beazley

Aperitivo

Kay Plunkett-Hogge
Authors:
Kay Plunkett-Hogge

Let's be honest: who doesn't want to be a little bit Italian? To glide through Rome on a Vespa like Marcello Mastroianni, wearing an impeccable suit? Or sit in St Mark's Square in Venice at dusk, nibbling cicchetti and sipping an Aperol spritz? This is la dolce vita, and this is aperitivo - Italy's take on drinks and small snacks.Aperitivo brings together 80 recipes from across Italy, and tells the stories behind the food and the drinks that shape the aperitif hour. The book opens with the aperitivi themselves - Campari and Aperol - as well as recipes for classic Italian cocktails (including the perfect Negroni) and a guide to Italian wine. Kay then introduces simple recipes for Antipasto and Pinzimonio; Tramezzini; Bruschette and Crostini; Seafood; Meat and Fowl; Vegetables, Dairy and Eggs; Bread and Baking; and Dolci. So let's cinch in our waists, pop on some cat's eye sunglasses, and make like Sophia Loren. It's time for Aperitivo.

Mitchell Beazley

Adventures of a Terribly Greedy Girl

Kay Plunkett-Hogge
Authors:
Kay Plunkett-Hogge
Mitchell Beazley

A Sherry & A Little Plate of Tapas

Kay Plunkett-Hogge
Authors:
Kay Plunkett-Hogge
Mitchell Beazley

Make Mine a Martini

Kay Plunkett-Hogge
Authors:
Kay Plunkett-Hogge

'Martini is made with gin. A Vodka Martini is made with vodka. Apple Martinis are an abomination. That is all.' - Kay Plunkett-HoggeFrom just a few friends for drinks and snacks in the kitchen to a sophisticated soirée for everyone you know, Kay Plunkett-Hogge draws upon her background in the worlds of film and fashion and her youth in Mad Men-era Bangkok to create the ultimate guide to making your evening as easy as ABC. Kay's approach to throwing a party is to keep it simple (yet stylish), plan ahead and, above all, enjoy it.The 80 cocktail recipes are organised by base spirit, with chapters on Gin, Vodka, Rum etc, and the 40 canapé recipes are grouped into Vegetarian, Fish & Seafood and Meat.As Kay writes in the book's introduction: 'Just the sound of ice being shaken, preferably to a rhythm all of its own, is enough to bring a smile to anyone's face. It's the promise of sweet relief, of good times, good friends and good conversation. Just make mine a Martini.

Conran

Leon: Family & Friends

John Vincent, Kay Plunkett-Hogge
Authors:
John Vincent, Kay Plunkett-Hogge

'The only challenger to Jamie Oliver's world domination in the healthy fast-food stakes is the team behind Leon, which has built a mini-empire on the ethos that "food should taste good and do you good"'. - StylistThe first Leon restaurant, in London's Carnaby Street, opened its doors in 2004 built on the promise of serving good fast food that does you good. Now, 43 restaurants later, Leon serves thousands of devoted fans a week. Leon Family & Friends is their fourth cookbook, created by Leon co-founder John Vincent and cookery writer and broadcaster Kay Plunkett-Hogge.At the heart of happy family life are meals spent together - sharing flavourful, nutritious food around the kitchen table and swapping stories of the day. Many of us feel we don't have the time to cater for our families in the way that we'd like but Leon Family & Friends shows you how to make the most of the time available to feed your family and celebrates the power of food to bring people together.It's divided into three sections: Today, including great breakfasts and brunch ideas and post-school teas, Tomorrow, for those occasions where some planning is involved - weekend lunches, birthday parties, Christmas and picnics - and finally; Yesterday, a culinary celebration of family food memories. With more than 200 recipes and ideas, there are dishes to keep everyone happy. Children will love the snacks in Crunch! Squish! Slurp! Their parents will welcome the quick suppers in After Lights Out. While no teenager should fly the nest without 10 Things to Know How to Cook Before You Leave Home. A new Leon cookbook is something to celebrate and Family & Friends is destined to become a much-used classic on the kitchen bookshelf.

Abbie Headon

Abbie Headon is the author of Poetry First Aid Kit and Literary First Aid Kit. She lives in Southsea, Hampshire, where she can often be seen strolling by the seaside with a book (or two!) in her hand.

Aimee Ray

Aimee Ray has been an artist all her life, she loves all types of art and crafts and is always trying something new. Aimee is the author of the Doodle Stitching hand embroidery books and has contributed to many other craft book titles. She lives in Northwest Arkansas with her husband and two children.

Brian Dilg

Brian Dilg is a photographer, filmmaker, writer, and educator. Founding chair of the Photography department of New York Film Academy, he has also served as a spokesperson for Canon, for whom he created a series of photography tutorials.He has been involved in photography since childhood, growing up in the darkroom under the tutelage of his father and grandfather, both avid amateur photographers. His work has since been exhibited and collected worldwide, and published in the New York Times, Time Out, the Village Voice, and on book covers for Simon and Schuster, Hyperion, Doubleday, and others.

Diana Henry

Diana Henry is one of our best-loved food writers. She has a weekly column in the Sunday Telegraph and also writes for BBC Good Food, House & Garden and Waitrose Weekend, as well as being a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4. Diana has won numerous awards for her journalism and books, including Cookery Journalist of the Year from the Guild of Food Writers (three times, most recently in 2015), Cookery Writer of the Year at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards in 2013 and 2015 and Cookery Book of the Year for Simple at Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2017. A Change of Appetite was voted Cookbook of the Year by the Guild of Food Writers in 2015 and A Bird in the Hand won a James Beard award in 2016. Diana has written ten other books including Crazy Water Pickled Lemons, A Bird in the Hand, Cook Simple, Salt Sugar Smoke, Roast Figs Sugar Snow, A Change of Appetite and Simple. Diana studied English Literature at the University of Oxford and journalism at City, University of London. She was a TV producer for the BBC for over ten years before starting to write. She lives in London with her children.www.dianahenry.co.ukInstagram: @dianahenryfoodTwitter: @dianahenryfood

Dominic Roskrow

Dominic Roskrow is the former editor of Whisky Magazine, The Spirits Business and Whiskeria. He has written eight books on whisky including The World's Best Whiskies, 1001 Whiskies You Must Taste Before You Die and The Whisky Opus, and has contributed to several more, including every edition of The Whisky Yearbook. He specializes in world whisky, and he has had work published in newspapers and magazines across the world including Drinks International, Harpers Wine & Spirits Trade News, Whisky Advocate, The Times, The Sunday Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Wall Street Journal. He has been made a Kentucky Colonel and a Keeper of The Quaich for his contributions to bourbon and Scotch whisky respectively, and he was named the 2015 Fortnum & Mason Drinks Writer of the Year.

Dr Ross Bayton

Dr Ross Bayton gained a Bachelor's degree in tropical ecology, and later a Masters and a PhD, both in taxonomy. He is the co-author of RHS Genealogy for Gardeners and RHS Gardening School (both Mitchell Beazley), and worked for three years at BBC Gardeners' World Magazine.

Frances Ambler

Frances Ambler is a London-based writer and art historian. She has a special interest in 20th-century design and is the author of Mid-Century Modern: Icons of Design and The Story of the Bauhaus. She has worked with museums and galleries across the globe, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, London's Victoria and Albert Museum and the Scottish Sculpture Trust.

Gizzi Erskine

After 7 years as a professional body piercer in Camden, Gizzi Erskine decided to pursue her life-long dream of being a chef. In 2003 Gizzi started training at the prestigious Leith's School of Food and Wine. She graduated the top of her year and went on to win a placement at BBC Good Food magazine, where she started to establish herself as an award-winning food writer and stylist. A career in TV started with the popular C4 primetime show, Cook Yourself Thin, and she has since appeared on dozens of shows from Iron Chef to Sky 1's Ones to Watch and Jamie Oliver's Food Tube network.Always at the forefront of any trend, Gizzi was one of the first to back the pop-up restaurant scene, and her food events and festival appearances are legendary for those in the know. She has been designated one of the London Evening Standard's 1000 Most Influential People six times.Gizzi has been a columnist for The Sunday Times Magazine, Contributing Editor for InStyle and has written for a wide variety of other magazines and newspapers such as Marie Claire, Elle, Elle USA, Vogue USA, GQ, The Times and the Evening Standard. Her books include Cook Yourself Thin, Gizzi's Kitchen Magic, Skinny Weeks & Weekend Feasts and Gizzi's Season's Eatings.Find out more about Gizzi: Instagram @gizzierskine | Twitter @GizziErskine

Jake Spicer

Jake Spicer is an artist and drawing tutor based in Brighton, England. He is head tutor at the independent drawing school Draw, a co-director of the Drawing Circus and regularly runs portrait and figure drawing courses for the Camden Arts Centre and National Portrait Gallery.www.jakespicerart.co.uk@BrightonDrawing

Joe Tracz

Joe Tracz spent years investigating the unfortunate world of Lemony Snicket before becoming a writer and producer on all three seasons of Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events. An LA-based screenwriter and playwright, his work includes the Drama Desk-nominated adaptation of the first Percy Jackson novel, The Lightning Thief, and the cult musical Be More Chill.

Kati Gálusz

Kati Gálusz combined her love of amigurumi and her need for creativity with her three main interests: animals, great books, and movies.

Louise Parker

Louise Parker has spent 20 years learning, researching, testing and improving The Louise Parker Method. Her clients include CEOs and celebrities too A-list to name, as well as figures from high society and royal family members from around the world. To date, over 18,000 people in more than 39 countries have completed a Louise Parker programme. Many are willing to pay thousands of pounds for the unique plan. Louise now runs the Louise Parker company with her husband Paul, who left his job 4 years ago to help keep up with the ever-increasing demand for The Louise Parker Method. They live in London with their 3 daughters.

Lucy Collin

After the great success of her book Star Wars Crochet, Lucy Collin has come up with Even More Star Wars characters for you to bring to life. Lucy Collin learned to crochet as a child, taught by her grandmother. But it wasn't until she had children of her own and discovered she could use her slightly rusty crochet skills to create amigurumi characters and cute toys that her obsession was born. Nine years later, Lucy has combined her passion for designing creatures and characters with her love of science fiction and fantasy. She has published patterns in magazines such as Inside Crochet and Crochet Gifts and created the patterns for the book Hollywood Crochet. Lucy Collin lives in West Sussex, England.

Matthew Brehm

Matthew Brehm is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Idaho, where his teaching responsibilities include design studios, graphics courses, and an annual study abroad program in Rome, Italy, that he initiated in 2007. He is the author of Sketching on Location and Drawing Perspective. In 2010, Matthew received the university's Hoffman Award for Excellence in Teaching, and his drawings have been recognized with awards by the Design Communication Association and the American Society of Architectural Illustrators.

Simon Akeroyd

Simon Akeroyd is a garden writer with a passion for both kitchen gardening and cooking. He contributes to numerous magazines including Grow Your Own (as the Allotment Gardener) and was also a garden and food writer for the BBC. His books include Shrubs and Small Trees, Lawns and Ground Cover, the RHS Allotment Handbook and Planner, A Small Course in Veg and Fruit, RHS Vegetables for the Gourmet Gardener and Raised-Bed Gardening. He was previously a Garden Manager for the Royal Horticultural Society, and worked at both RHS Wisley and Harlow Carr.