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Towpath: Recipes and Stories
Selected as a Best Cookbook of the Year by The Guardian , The Independent , Stylist and Daily Mail 'Towpath is one of the reasons I live in London.' Keira Knightley 'Dive in and cook up a Towpath feast for your friends and family.' Fergus and Margot Henderson Inspired recipes from the beloved East London cafe, along with stories capturing the ebb and flow of community, food, and the seasons A lot has changed since Towpath first rolled up its shutters 10 years ago on the Regent’s Canal in Hackney and everything but the toasted cheese sandwich was cooked from home across the bridge. And a lot hasn’t. It is still as much a social experiment as a unique and beloved eatery. What happens when seasonality means you close every year in November, because England’s cold, dark winters are simply inhospitable to hospitality from a little perch beside a shallow, manmade waterway that snakes through East London? What if you don’t offer takeaway coffees in the hopes that people will decide to stay awhile and watch the coots skittering across the water? If you don’t have a phone or a website, because you’d rather people just show up like (hungry) kids at a playground?
Towpath is a collection of recipes, stories and photographs capturing the vibrant cafe’s food, community and place throughout the arc of its season―beginning just before the first breath of spring, through the dog days of summer and culminating―with fireworks!―before its painted shutters are rolled down again for winter. 'The pages feel personal, with a sense of place, time and friendship that make the book feel incredibly meaningful…It is a cookbook original, charming, and tasty in equal measure.' Foodism
Towpath is a collection of recipes, stories and photographs capturing the vibrant cafe’s food, community and place throughout the arc of its season―beginning just before the first breath of spring, through the dog days of summer and culminating―with fireworks!―before its painted shutters are rolled down again for winter. 'The pages feel personal, with a sense of place, time and friendship that make the book feel incredibly meaningful…It is a cookbook original, charming, and tasty in equal measure.' Foodism
288 pages, Hardcover
Published October 7, 2020
7 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 1, 2021
wonderful food
easy to follow, using good quality ingredients for rich but homely receipes
lovely photos and the writing is so full of warmth
easy to follow, using good quality ingredients for rich but homely receipes
lovely photos and the writing is so full of warmth
August 20, 2021
The book arrived. I immediately sat down, read and mark recipes to try straight away. I am finished and ready to try the marked dishes.
The Towpath restaurant is located on the Regent's Canal towpath, Hackney, London.
A delightful mix of Towpath pictures, stories and recipes follow the months of the year. Note: the restaurant is open March to November. However, lucky readers can make yummy food everyday of the year.
Some of my favourite dishes from my visits are in the book: Potted shrimp and pickled cucumbers, Olive oil cake, and Roast lamb chops, tomatoes, chickpeas, cumin and yoghurt. There are other recipes I am ready to try like Tomatoes, Peaches and Tarragon.
The recipes are easy to follow. The page layout makes following the recipes easy. The draw back (as with many British cookbooks) is there is a bit of "translation" to do before starting. Measurements are in grams and ounces i.e. 250g./9ozs stale bread for the Gazpacho recipe. Tomatoes have different names from those at US farmer's markets -i.e. datterni, camone, and mirinda. There are other British terms like - caster sugar, aubergines, beetroot and rashers of streaky bacon. Also some ingredients are a bit difficult to source ( I live in Oregon). Pickled walnuts are not a staple in my local grocery store. Most of the recipes are accompanied by pictures.
My suggestion -- read and note unfamiliar ingredients before you begin cooking. If you are a fan of good food this is certainly a book for you.
Tonight I'm making Crispy lamb with hummus, caramelized onions, pine nuts, and parsley; Chocolate chip, walnut, and oat cookies or Peanut butter, chocolate and sea salt cookies. On second thought why not make both.
** the only reason this is not a glowing-5 star book is the bit of translation required.
The Towpath restaurant is located on the Regent's Canal towpath, Hackney, London.
A delightful mix of Towpath pictures, stories and recipes follow the months of the year. Note: the restaurant is open March to November. However, lucky readers can make yummy food everyday of the year.
Some of my favourite dishes from my visits are in the book: Potted shrimp and pickled cucumbers, Olive oil cake, and Roast lamb chops, tomatoes, chickpeas, cumin and yoghurt. There are other recipes I am ready to try like Tomatoes, Peaches and Tarragon.
The recipes are easy to follow. The page layout makes following the recipes easy. The draw back (as with many British cookbooks) is there is a bit of "translation" to do before starting. Measurements are in grams and ounces i.e. 250g./9ozs stale bread for the Gazpacho recipe. Tomatoes have different names from those at US farmer's markets -i.e. datterni, camone, and mirinda. There are other British terms like - caster sugar, aubergines, beetroot and rashers of streaky bacon. Also some ingredients are a bit difficult to source ( I live in Oregon). Pickled walnuts are not a staple in my local grocery store. Most of the recipes are accompanied by pictures.
My suggestion -- read and note unfamiliar ingredients before you begin cooking. If you are a fan of good food this is certainly a book for you.
Tonight I'm making Crispy lamb with hummus, caramelized onions, pine nuts, and parsley; Chocolate chip, walnut, and oat cookies or Peanut butter, chocolate and sea salt cookies. On second thought why not make both.
** the only reason this is not a glowing-5 star book is the bit of translation required.
January 22, 2025
Such a lovely and inspiring book; reminiscent of what 'being at Towpath does', albeit smaller and from a distance. It captures the wonder of this special place and the two magnificent women who run it. I love Lori's stories and adore Laura's recipes; I started to bookmark the ones I wanted to try only to realize at the end that I bookmarked nearly all of them (except the ones with meat or fish).
I loved every second of reading this book; the beautiful language, the fondness and inspiring that the Lori and Laura show for each other and their staff, the wonderful seasonal food... I love it all. I can not wait to visit Towpath again soon but until then, I have this book (and a heap of recipes to work my way through).
I loved every second of reading this book; the beautiful language, the fondness and inspiring that the Lori and Laura show for each other and their staff, the wonderful seasonal food... I love it all. I can not wait to visit Towpath again soon but until then, I have this book (and a heap of recipes to work my way through).
January 18, 2023
I spent time in London last autumn, visiting my daughter who lives in the East, near Dalston. I fell in love with nature in this part of the city and especially the canals. We had breakfast at Towpath, a grilled cheese sandwich with quince jelly for me, which was super lovely.
My daughter gave me the book as a Christmas gift and I loved reading it. I learned a lot about local ingredients, the impact of the weather on local produce and recipes and the community that those leaving near the canal have formed.
It was like going back and visiting her again, spending time waking through Clapton and Dalston, and enjoying the beauty of nature in the autumn.
My daughter gave me the book as a Christmas gift and I loved reading it. I learned a lot about local ingredients, the impact of the weather on local produce and recipes and the community that those leaving near the canal have formed.
It was like going back and visiting her again, spending time waking through Clapton and Dalston, and enjoying the beauty of nature in the autumn.
March 22, 2021
When people ask about my favorite restaurants, I instantly think of Towpath. Warm, quirky, intimate, it’s a restaurant you never want to leave. This cookbook is the same: personal, inviting and filled with fantastically appealing food. If I can’t get to Towpath, it’s the next best thing.
Ruth Reichl
Ruth Reichl
November 23, 2020
Delightful stories of an unusual London neighborhood cafe (canal side); delicious and enticing recipes.
February 9, 2021
If you like a good story to go with your recipes, this is the book for you.
August 13, 2025
I <3 Towpath
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews