The Little Library Parties

by Kate Young

50 party recipes to suit every occasion, from award-winning food writer Kate Young.
It's time to spend time with those we love most. It's time to party. In The Little Library Parties, Kate Young draws on all of her experience catering for weddings and events, and her love of cooking for friends, to provide 50 sensational new recipes for entertaining. From dinner party feasts and canapes for a crowd, to barbeques, tea parties, house parties and that all important morning-after tonic, Kate provides delicious and joyful recipes – as always, inspired by her favourite literature – to ensure your get-together tastes delicious.

With beautiful photographs throughout and in a gorgeous, giftable format, this is the perfect book to help you kick off the party season.

'Transportative... [The] recipes are enhancing and useful' Caroline Eden, TLS on The Little Library Christmas

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2022

About the author

Kate Young is a writer and cook. Her award-winning Little Library Cookbooks (The Little Library Cookbook, The Little Library Year, The Little Library Christmas, and The Little Library Parties) feature food inspired by beloved works of literature.

Her debut novel Experienced, a queer romcom set in Bristol, was released in summer 2024.

After a sunny Australian childhood, spent indoors reading books, she moved to London, which suited her much better. She now lives in the English countryside.

Reviews

[Maree Silver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yummy sounding recipes, makes me want to have a party.

[Hayley (Shelflyfe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to headofzeus for sending me a copy of 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦 by Kate Young along with some ingredients to make a delicious pumpkin pie! 🎃
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I'd never had pumpkin pie before, and for those who haven't tried it, it's somewhat hard to describe what it's similar to, but the filling was in some ways similar to an egg custard tart (but with pumpkin) and it felt similar to a chesecake with the spiced biscuit base 😋
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I was surprised at how easy the recipe was to follow and make, and having read through the rest of the book I will definitely be trying the other recipes for the same reason.
Some cookbooks and recipes for party food require a lot of preparation and ingredients, but The Little Library Parties focuses more on the flavours and the fun of parties, and gets you out of the kitchen so you can actually spend the time with your guests! 💃🏻
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I love how Kate's recipes are centred around books and food from works of literature, including the pumpkin pie, which is inspired by Kiley Reid's 𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘈𝘨𝘦 - and in true bookworm fashion, I own that book but haven't yet read it! 🤭
It makes me want to read each book alongside making the recipe, and maybe that's something I'll try to do as I go along - not that I need any excuse to add to my already groaning bookshelves 🤣
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The Little Library Parties has recipes for any kind of party - garden, tea, wedding, dinner, house - and there are some real show stopper recipes as well as simpler ones to follow. I'll definitely be trying the Baked Manhattan (inspired by Mary McCarthy's 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱) - another dish I've never tried to make before - and will see if it comes out right the first time 🤞🏼
But next up I'll be trying to make the bang bang chicken (inspired by Zadie Smith's 𝘖𝘯 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺) as it looks and sounds absolutely delicious 💥🍗
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Overall, I'd definitely recommend The Little Library Parties, and for any bookworm who likes to cook/bake, this would make a fantastic gift.
I'll also be treating myself to a copy of The Little Library Christmas as I'm hosting Christmas this year (for the first time!) 🎄

[texbsquared · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Kate Young more and more with every book she puts out. She has this incredible knack of making me feel as if we're dear, close friends - and that I could pop round hers for tea whenever I'm in the area. This is another triumph, full of nostalgia and joy and celebration, plus about a thousand recipes I am dead keen to try out.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

i loved this book - two things I love - books and food. I loved some of the recipes inspired by babette's feast.

[Bodies in the Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I treated myself to Kate Young’s latest literature-inspired recipe collection at one of the London Review Bookshop’s Christmas lates and read it just as we were finalising our list for the big Christmas food shop.

It did not disappoint. This time I think I’ve only read a dozen or so of the books she takes as her starting points, so my 2023 To Be Read list is comfortingly long already!

There’s also the best account I’ve read of meeting with friends for the first time after the Covid lockdowns, which does more than simply anchor the book to its setting in time. It provides a real insight into Kate Young’s character and the role food and hosting plays in her life.

Overall, a wonderful read. If you like food at all, I commend this book to you.

Three Word Review: Inspirational, delicious dishes