Cooks & Books: Jaq Brewer for The Saffron Table

'Jaq’s cooking is clever, fresh and original. Her infectious warmth shines through everything she creates and makes every meal feel special.’ ~ Sir Michael Palin

Join us for an evening of talk, tasters, and storytelling with Chef Jaq Brewer. Jaq's debut cookbook, The Saffron Table, celebrates a lifetime of generous cooking, unforgettable gatherings and food made to share.

After more than three decades as a professional chef, Jaq Brewer is finally sharing the recipes, stories and philosophy that have earned her a devoted following and the admiration of Britain’s best-loved food names.

She has spent her career quietly feeding people: as a food stylist for a national newspaper, running her own catering company, and leading kitchens in and around Bath.

She is always guided by the same principles: simple ingredients, bold flavours and generous hospitality.

Now, in her debut cookbook, Jaq invites readers to cook the way she always has: with minimum fuss,maximum flavour and the belief that the purpose of cooking is not perfection, but bringing people together.

Published just in time for the festive season, The Saffron Table is filled with vibrant recipes for every kind ofgathering, from relaxed family suppers to full-blown celebrations. Its message: gatherings are measured not bynumbers, but by the connections they create.

Interwoven throughout are thoughtful, lyrical essays on taste, seasonality, sensuality, foraging, confidence in the kitchen and the art of hospitality.

She writes, ‘When we prepare a meal, we are offering up our own sense of taste, shaped by every kitchen we have worked in and every meal that we have loved. We are asking our guests to trust us. Their enjoyment becomes part of the dish.’

The book features a foreword by Italian chef Gennaro Contaldo and pays tribute to the late Antonio Carluccio OBE, whose friendship and philosophy of ‘minimum fuss, maximum flavour’ left a lasting mark on Jaq’s approach to food and hospitality. T

he pair met at London’s legendary Neal Street Restaurant, and their friendship lasted more than 30 years. Gennaro Contaldo writes, ‘This book captures everything that Antonio and I loved about sharing food. These recipes are made to be cooked, enjoyed and passed on. They come from the heart.'