Towpath

Laura Jackson cooked at Rochelle Canteen and at the Auberge de Chassingnoles 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 Appetit, 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 Andre Simon Food Book of the Year. This is her first book about one of her own culinary adventures.

'Towpath is the definition of community and has become our veritable home away from home. Lori, Laura and their team have found a way to slow down time just to the right speed. This book conjures memorable days and nights spent canal-side at the thoughtful oasis they have generously conceived. Of course we would not spend all this time there if it was not for that food...'-Peter Doig 'Towpath is what it's all about. Family, community, friendships, sensational food in an unlikely spot. Lori and Laura create canal-side magic. It's my family's happy place. This book is beautiful. The recipes are not daunting to copy which is wonderful for someone like me. I love all the stories of how hard it was to start something like this - a tad dangerous even - in such a place, and the characters you have encountered. It's funny and human and you get the sense of what hard work it is too. It being written in a year like this makes you realise how special it is. It's great that people all over the world will get to have a little slice of the magic.'-Tracey Ullman 'Towpath is a unique and important part of the London food scene. Often thought of as a 'best-kept secret' by its regulars, Towpath is popular with both locals and discerning food tourists. Lori and Laura are always uncompromising in their ambition to deliver excellent produce, executed perfectly in every way. Theirs is a special story of being the first to take the gamble and set up shop on the canal in Hoxton and, from these humble beginnings, they created a place uncommonly genuine and nourishing in every sense of the word. Every year this is reflected in the growing community that surrounds them.'-Kate and Lee Tiernan 'Towpath is my absolute favourite place in London to eat out and pass time. This book is the perfect reflection of it - from the incisive introduction, through the pitch-perfect stories and of course the recipes - and will sit close to my stove forever, becoming more stained, splattered and thumb-worn as each season passes. It's an incredible gift to us that we can now cook Laura's food at home too.'-Ed Smith 'A book of stories and recipes for honest, unfussy food that sings of its season, and of the intelligence, love and companionship that is at the heart of Laura and Lori's Towpath. You are holding a piece of a special place, serving some of the best food you will eat in London.'-Rachel Roddy '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 '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 '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 'Towpath is a magical glimpse of life on the Regent's Canal, expertly documented by food, nature and the seasons. Unique, charming and delicious in equal measures.'-Sam and Sam Clark '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 '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