Finalist for the Guild of Food Writers Awards 2021: General Cookbook
Voted Best Outdoor Dining Spot in London by VOGUE Magazine
Selected as a best cookbook of the year by the Guardian, The Independent, Stylist and Daily Mail
Lori & Laura are a magical team. I suggest you dive in and cook up a Towpath feast for your friends and family. Fergus & Margot Henderson
From St. John's to River Cafe, London's food scene is peppered with iconic restaurants that are now intertwined with the city's landscape. Towpath is no different. The cafe, run by Lori de Mori and Laura Jackson, is a permanent fixture along Regent's Canal, complete with the honks of riverside coots and speeding cyclists. What sets it apart, however, is that it has no phone or takeaway; with only outdoor seating and no laptops it is one of the few places in London where time stands still.
Part snapshot of life on the canal, part recipe book, Towpath: Recipes & Stories captures the ebb and flow of Towpath's ever-changing seasonal menus and its waterside community, offering Laura's vibrant recipes alongside evocative stories by Lori. The cookbook features Italian classics like Aubergine Parmigiana and Olive Oil Cake and French delights like the Raspberry and Frangipane Tart amongst other Towpath specialties like Roast Chicken and gooey Cheese Toastie with a side of Quince Jam. In the words of Olia Hercules, '[Towpath] is a cookbook that absolutely everyone should possess. It's a life-changing kind of thing.'
Towpath is one of the reasons I live in London. It's a jewel-like, dream of a place. This book is an invite into their magical world. Keira Knightley
About the Author :
Laura Jackson cooked at Rochelle Canteen and at the Auberge de Chassignolles in France before coming to Towpath. She’s drawn chefs like Rosie Sykes, Davo Cook and Rachel O’Sullivan to cook with her in Towpath’s kitchen. Her food is seasonal, honest, unfussy and comforting – and so delicious people have been known to come for breakfast and stay through lunch. She delights in making everything from pickles to ice cream herself. And takes her inspiration where she finds it – so long as it’s about making the ingredients shine.
Lori De Mori is the author of four books about Italian cooking and food culture. Her writing has appeared in the Best Food Writing anthology (Marlowe & Company, 2000), Gourmet, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, the Independent, the Telegraph, Olive and elsewhere. Her last book, Beaneaters & Bread Soup (Quadrille 2007), was shortlisted for both the Guild of Food Writers’ and the André Simon Food Book of the Year. This is her first book about one of her own culinary adventures.
Review :
‘That’s what Towpath is to De Mori and Jackson – an invitation for people to start enjoying life.’
Financial Times
‘De Mori and Jackson have managed to translate Towpath magic into a cookbook through stories and recipes…Every recipe is a keeper.’
The Independent
‘Towpath: Recipes & Stories … celebrates all the good things about life.’
Stylist
‘A heart-warming read with a collection of appealingly stylish dishes.’
Daily Mail
‘A truly special place’
Evening Standard
‘Towpath is one of the reasons I live in London. It’s a jewel-like, dream of a place. Somewhere to sit and watch the world go by. It’s the perfect mix of strength and fragility. A treat for each one of the senses. This book is an invite into their magical world.’
Keira Knightley
‘Lori & Laura are a magical team with the ability and flair to know what is right, beautiful and tasty. Laura cooks an incredible, culinary juggling act – it’s hands off, down-to-earth cooking as she battles with crazy cyclists, the weather and a canal. This book is packed full of food you want to know and cook. I suggest you dive in and cook up a Towpath feast for your friends and family.’
Fergus and Margot Henderson
‘This is a cookbook that absolutely everyone should possess. It’s a life-changing kind of thing that you’d want to pass on to your children. My favourite food from my most favourite place that serves food in the whole world, but now also with all the stories and histories. I want to go full-on ‘Julie and Julia’ on it and cook a dish every day until I have cooked every single one. The only tricky thing about this book is that I will cook so much from it, I will probably have to get one each year as it will be cooked from to death.’
Olia Hercules
‘When people ask about my favorite restaurants, I instantly think of Towpath. Warm, quirky, intimate, it’s a restaurant you never want to leave. This cookbook is the same: personal, inviting and filled with fantastically appealing food. If I can’t get to Towpath, it’s the next best thing.’
Ruth Reichl, chef, food writer and editor
‘I find myself transported. Your voices, my dears, are as clear as bells, the words float off the pages like the coots of the canal. The sense of place and time, wonder and friendship, the sheer joy of generosity and giving and pleasing are all beautifully woven together, a joy to conjure. The love and respect you have for each other shines through on every page as you recall adventures and dishes and people and instances galore through the years together creating an idyll on a canal. This book, inspiring as it is useful, is a masterclass in the good things in life.’
Jeremy Lee, chef and author of Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many
'The pages feel personal, with a sense of place, time and friendship that make the book feel incredibly meaningful…It is a cookbook original, charming, and tasty in equal measure.'
Foodism
