On the face of it, 2020 would not seem a good year to bring out a cookbook called A Table For Friends: The Art of Cooking for Two or Twenty. And yet Skye McAlpine’s new book is so full of the comforts of cooking and eating and the life-enhancing joys thereof, it turns out to be the perfect read for now. Besides, the dinner party element is never dominating, and even recipes rather more geared to larger numbers can often and easily be pared down to suit smaller gatherings. I suppose her style could be called sumptuous simplicity: Rigatoni with Mascarpone & Pancetta; Buttery Carrots with Chestnut Honey; Creamy Baked Leeks with Mustard & Parmesan; Panzanella with Tuna & Anchovies; and Limoncello Semifreddo. Those recipes all call to me, but the one I particularly wanted to share with you here is the cosy yet elegant Tagliatelle Gratin.
A Table for Friends by Skye McAlpine (Bloomsbury Publishing, £26) is out now.
Photography by Skye McAlpine.