A sneak peak of Jane Green's cookbook: 'Good Taste', Exclusive Q&, + Event Info
October 18, 2016
When Robin Kall Homonoff, of Reading with Robin (avid readers MUST check our her events, podcasts, & unmissable Point Street Reading Series!), called me about Jane Green's new book I jumped at the chance to get my hands on a copy.
Best known for her fiction novels, Jane has swapped the fiction for the kitchen and published her first cookbook. To celebrate the release of Jane's book: 'Good Taste', Robin is hosting an event 'In Celebration of Jane Green's Good Taste' at Roger Williams Casino on October 26th (use exclusive code HOLLYCOOKS for $10 off your ticket!)
Packed with beautiful recipes, and equally beautiful images of the tasty food. The book promises 'simple, delicious recipes for family and friends' and certainly delivers- the only awful thing about getting this book when I did, is that due to our upcoming move, I can't start cooking any of the wonderful dishes yet!
Food and entertaining go hand in hand for me, and Jane's book has so many ideas for simple, wholesome, flavourful food that I can easily see sharing with those I love.
Jane took some precious time from her very busy schedule to chat to me about 'Good Taste' and the story behind it, including her move from the women's literature scene (in which she is a multiple New York Times best seller), and her early career in journalism.
Q: It's so lovely talking to a fellow Brit living in America! When did you move from the UK to the States? What made you make the trans-Atlantic leap?
A: I moved here fifteen years ago. I had long been fascinated with America, and had always hoped I might live here one day. I married an American, and once our son was born, we started talking about it, although when it happened, it was entirely unexpected. We had come here for a vacation, and decided to look at houses “just for fun”. Of course by the end of the day, we had bought a house.
Q: You are best known for your incredible portfolio of best selling novels, but you began your writing career in journalism. Did you draw on your experience as a journalist to start your fiction career? What drew you to women's literature?
A: The greatest lesson of all that I learned as a journalist was that writing is a discipline, and you get your words on the page, whether you feel like it or not. In that sense, I have always drawn from that journalistic experience. Working on a national daily newspaper, when an editor asked for 1,000 words on any subject, within an hour, it had to be written, whether I felt like it or not. I always say it was the best training I ever had. I wrote my first book in 1996 after reading High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, and realizing that nobody at the time was writing about the single thirty-something woman.
Q: Your newest book, "Good Taste" is a cookbook, what inspired your leap from fiction to the kitchen?
A: I have included recipes in a couple of my novels - Promises to Keep and Saving Grace - and had a secret wish to write a cookbook, but honestly didn’t know if anyone would be interested. I decided to self-publish a collector’s edition, selling it through Kickstarter, and it was so successful, Penguin Random House then approached me to publish a more mass-market version themselves. Writing is how I make sense of the world, and cooking is what makes me feel at home.
Q: 'Good Taste' is a book of 'simple, delicious recipes for family and friends', is food an important part of your relationships? What made you want to share these recipes in particular?
A: Many of the recipes are passed down from my mother, and Grandmother. I love food, but more than food, I love feeding people. Inviting people to my home for dinner is less about the food than it is about the experience: I want everyone who walks in the door to feel instantly comfortable, and welcome, and I want to serve them the kind of comfort food that will make them feel nurtured, safe, and loved. These recipes are all spectacularly easy, but delicious. They will make everyone think you have slaved over a hot stove for hours, when in fact they are for every level of cook.
Q: Do you have a favorite recipe in the book? What is it about this recipe that is so special to you- is it the finish product, the process or the memories it evokes?
A: I do adore the sinfully delicious Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle, probably because I tend to only make it once a year for Thanksgiving. This is my mother-in-law’s recipe, and very early on when I was just getting involved with my husband, she threw a dinner party and served this. My husband (then very new boyfriend) and I got up to clear the table. I carried this half-empty bowl of trifle into the kitchen, we both looked at each other, and without a word, at exactly the same time, we both grabbed spoons and dived in. I knew then this was true love.
Q: Does 'Good Taste' mark a permanent move away from fiction for you, or can we look forward to more novels from you in the future?
A: I’ve just finished 'The Sunshine Girls' which will be out June 2017, and tells the story of three sisters and their narcissistic, self-absorbed, rather awful mother. I have loved writing this book, and think it may possibly be one of my best. That said, I’m itching to write a Young Adult novel, which will be next, and I’m hoping there will be another cookbook in the not-too-distant future!
If you, like me, are heart eyeing over this sneak peak of the book, then you are in luck. Not only can you get your hands on a signed copy, but you can feast on recipes cooked directly from 'Good Taste' at 'In Celebration of Jane Green's Good Taste' at Roger Williams Casino on October 26th.
A few tickets tickets are still available but selling fast, so if you want to experience some of these simple, delicious recipes get your ticket over at Eventbrite today- don't forget to use code HOLLYCOOKS for $10 off your ticket!
2 comments
Looks like such a great cookbook! And I loved getting to know the author better, she sounds like a really awesome woman.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brittany! Jane was so lovely to chat to- if you can make it to the event on the 26th it'd be lovely to meet you!
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