Joanna Weinberg''s love affair with cooking began at college. While she survived on pasta ... and more pasta, her sister would call from London with salacious stories of extra virgin olive oil, smoky pancetta and hunks of fresh Parmesan. Inspired, she started cooking for her friends, realising early on that a great meal was about the company as much as the food and that so many cookbooks forgot this most vital of ingredients. Which is how Relish came about. It is full of recipes, of course, arranged in 47 menus for every occasion, from an impromptu kitchen supper to a massive birthday party; from a cosy afternoon tea to a summer barbecue. But much more importantly, it is a reminder of how to nourish friends and friendship, and will delight anyone who, like Joanna, believes that food is love.

Joanna Weinberg''s love affair with cooking began at college. While she survived on pasta ... and more pasta, her sister would call from London with salacious stories of extra virgin olive oil, smoky pancetta and hunks of fresh Parmesan. Inspired, she started cooking for her friends, realising early on that a great meal was about the company as much as the food and that so many cookbooks forgot this most vital of ingredients. Which is how Relish came about. It is full of recipes, of course, arranged in 47 menus for every occasion, from an impromptu kitchen supper to a massive birthday party; from a cosy afternoon tea to a summer barbecue. But much more importantly, it is a reminder of how to nourish friends and friendship, and will delight anyone who, like Joanna, believes that food is love.

Joanna Weinberg''s love affair with cooking began at college. While she survived on pasta ... and more pasta, her sister would call from London with salacious stories of extra virgin olive oil, smoky pancetta and hunks of fresh Parmesan. Inspired, she started cooking for her friends, realising early on that a great meal was about the company as much as the food and that so many cookbooks forgot this most vital of ingredients. Which is how Relish came about. It is full of recipes, of course, arranged in 47 menus for every occasion, from an impromptu kitchen supper to a massive birthday party; from a cosy afternoon tea to a summer barbecue. But much more importantly, it is a reminder of how to nourish friends and friendship, and will delight anyone who, like Joanna, believes that food is love.