Food is a major issue – politically, environmentally, socially and in terms of health. Cookery books are now one of the biggest selling genres in publishing – but cookery bookshops are definitely not two-a-penny. In fact, nationally there are only a handful, including the famous and long-established Books for Cooks in London’s Notting Hill – and The Kitchen Table at Shaftesbury.
When the British Library wanted a bookshop to support the opening Big Weekend of its annual Food Season, it was the small independent shop in Dorset that was invited to be the official bookshop partner of what is one of the UK’s leading festivals dedicated to food, culture and storytelling, now in its eighth year.
Curatorial credibility
Over the two days, The Kitchen Table, which specialises exclusively in food writing, had a pop-up shop and its mobile bookshop, nicknamed Vanny Cradock, on the forecourt of the 1990s building in St Pancras. The Shaftesbury team sold books on-site for 60 food writers as part of a packed programme of talks, signings and conversations exploring the stories, politics and people behind how and why we eat.
‘Being asked to support the British Library Food Season was such an honour for us,’ says owner Sarah Rudder. ‘Our independent bookshop right in the middle of it! An incredible achievement for us in our third year of trading and a wonderful way to start Independent Bookshop Week. It was a joy to set up shop in the piazza at the library and fill the space with books and beautiful things for people who love to read, eat and cook.’
The partnership between one of the country’s major literary institutions and a little independent from Dorset reflects how Sarah and her team, including husband Jon, have developed The Kitchen Table as a culinary cultural hub, connecting Shaftesbury with national and international food writing and culinary heritage.
Supporting the British Library in this way signals curatorial credibility within the wider food landscape and represents a rare instance of a regional independent bookshop stepping onto a national cultural stage.
Story and provenance
The Kitchen Table opened in Shaftesbury in 2023 with a clear mission to champion food writing that tells authentic stories from within the cultures it represents. Alongside its full range of food books, the shop also stocks a curated selection of pantry ingredients and kitchen items, all chosen with the same eye for story and provenance. There is also a busy events programme from the shop and via Vanny Cradock, a converted library van that takes books to festivals and events across the South West.
This was the seventh annual British Library Food Season, running from mid-June to the beginning of July. Its aims are to bring together some of the most influential names in food, drink, hospitality, literature and science, for a series of events that highlight the stories, the politics and the people behind how and why we eat.
Highlights this year included afternoon tea with Honey & Co (Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich), to mark the launch of their new book, Honey & Co Daily; and singer Neneh Cherry and the multi-talented cook, presenter and singer Andi Oliver, talking about 45 years of friendship, family and food.
The Dorset Life Community News section is sponsored by Wessex Internet
