Last July, Cara Oliver and I hosted an intimate food and craft gathering at Cookbookbake - a beautiful independent specialist cookbook shop in Hove - to celebrate the summer season. If you’re not familiar with our seasonal Syjunta gatherings, you can read more about them here.

The menu for the evening consisted of a selection of nourishing, comforting and seasonal recipes hand-picked from the wealth of inspiring books that filled the shelves of our venue. The seasonal ingredients, supplied to us by Able & Cole, came from the best of our country’s organic farmers and makers. The food was served on beautiful plates handmade by local ceramicist Brickett Davda and candles and flowers, cut and foraged from my allotment plot, decorated the tables.

Upon arrival our guests were greeted with cardamom & sage-infused gin & tonic’s and plates of radishes with whipped butter & salt. Once all our guests had been welcomed and the friendly introductions had begun, Cara began to teach everyone how to craft a macrame feather wall-hanging, while I set about preparing the evening’s supper. Halfway through the evening the craft projects were put to one side allowing everyone to indulge upon a seasonal feast of mint, pistachio & courgette polpette served with quinoa, pistachio pesto & fresh herbs, followed by raspberry, almond & cardamom cake served with seasonal berries & crème fraîche. With plates scrapped clean and appetites satisfied, guests took time to finish off their macrame feather wall-hangings before heading home feeling both nutritionally and creatively nourished.

It was a truly wonderful evening of good food, good drinks and great company. There were new skills learnt, recipes shared and new friends made. It was our first Syjunta Gathering and it certainly set the standard going forward. Within a few weeks we were already planning our next one.

Visit my Instagram Highlights to see images from the evening.

Photos: main image: Louise Gorrod; other images all Melanie Barnes | Geoffrey & Grace.

Our event was very much made possible thanks the amazing support and generosity of a few seriously brilliant companies - Abel & Cole, Copper Rivet Distillery, Brickett Davda, la Juniper, The Organic Company and CookBookBake. Thank you one and all.