Books for Cooks
If you’re a food porn, magazine and cookbook addict and lucky enough to live in London or to visit it, you’re in for a treat. Imagine a whole bookshop dedicated to JUST cookbooks of all kinds. For a small shop the owners made best use of its space by covering the walls with floor-to-ceiling shelves, which heave under the weight of a stunning collection of over 8000 books. Come and look inside…
Some time last year I was reading Clotilde Dusoulier’s website, Chocolate & Zucchini, when I noticed she was doing a book signing in London. Books for Cooks was the location. After sussing out the website I just had to go there. Which self-respecting foodie wouldn’t?
A wide variety of cookbooks in the display window to lure you into shop…and rightly so.
Do you notice there are no duplicates? Yes, 8000 unique titles.
Shelves and shelves of books to browse through that will amuse you for days if not weeks.
My good friend, Robyn, enthusiastically accompanied me to the shop and immediately got stuck in.
She fell in love with a cupcake book and stood there slavering away while I mopped up after her.
At the back is a tiny café where you can nibble on some fresh cake. It left me slightly confused because I thought it’s a tad bit small to accommodate cooking workshops. Only after reading their website thoroughly I realised I missed the detail that there is a kitchen on the upper floor. Darn it, I would have loved to check it out and show you.
And some more books, just in case you forgot what this shop’s all about. 
Conclusion
Whether you’re feeling blue, bored or belchy this shop will make you happy if you’re a food fanatic. Just a stone’s throw away from Portobello Market, there is a comfy sofa waiting for you to relax on as you peruse book after book. The owners are cordial and utmost helpful and the atmostphere serene. If only we didn’t have to rush to a dinner appointment we would have stayed longer…
Books for Cooks
4 Blenheim Crescent
Notting Hill
London W11 1NN
http://www.booksforcooks.com
I would love this book shop to be near me, but given my cookbook addiction, it’s possibly a good thing it isn’t.
by Margaret
on 07. Jul, 2009