Around the Kitchen Table

Book excerpt: Best-selling Sophie Hansen and her artist and art teacher mum Annie Herron have teamed up - with recipes to cook, preserves to make, things to sketch, crafts for the not-crafty, and more. 'Whether you're a cook, a painter or a crafter, you'll find something here to keep you leafing through the pages.' Alice Zaslavsky, author of In Praise of Veg Around The Kitchen Table is an invitation to pause our busy lives - even for half an hour - and cook, create or make something good every day. Written by food writer Sophie Hansen and her mum, art teacher Annie Herron, it celebrates the joy and sense of satisfaction that comes with preparing a simple meal to share, pencilling a sketch or making a jar of jam to give as a gift. Organised into seasons, each chapter is packed with inspiration and encouragement, including bright spring lunches and easy preserves, how to start and finish a watercolour painting at the beach (or anywhere!), generous picnics for summer days, the joy of Christmas baking and craft, cosy suppers, autumn sketching adventures and slow cooking and drawing games for cold winter afternoons. 'The kitchen table is the beating heart of any home and Sophie Hansen brings us into hers with her new book Around the Kitchen Table. Sophie's natural warmth, excellent and comforting recipes and prowess for simple crafts combine on these pages to bring us something so delightful and joyful that I honestly can't wait to bring these ideas to life on my own kitchen table. This book is not just about food and crafts, it's about bringing some lightness and joy into our lives.' Danielle Alvarez, author of Always Add Lemon