Cold Kitchen
by Caroline Eden
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Pub Date 8 May 2025 | Archive Date 8 May 2025
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) | Bloomsbury Publishing
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Description
A Financial Times and Observer "best summer read"
A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year
‘With its union of practicality and magic, a kitchen is a portal, offering extended range and providing unlikely paths out of the ordinary … longed-for places are suddenly not so far away. Not unreachable, but present. Held again in the hand and heart.’
In her Edinburgh basement kitchen, Caroline Eden recounts travels across Central Asia, Turkey, the Baltics and beyond using recipes, souvenirs, ingredients and imagination to provide routes back to distant lands and past adventures.
From late-night baking as a way to Ukraine, to the magic of Uzbekistan’s wintertime melons, once gifts fit for emperors and tsars, this is a hauntingly honest memoir with the smell, taste and preparation of food at its heart. Cold Kitchen is an ode to the kitchen’s extraordinary ability to tell human stories and transport us to faraway places and different times.
Advance Praise
A quiet and beautiful book, a unique blend of history, place, love, food and belonging. Eden writes so sincerely and so intimately you miss her as soon as you’ve read the last page. - Diana Henry
Powerfully evocative and beautifully written Cold Kitchen will warm your heart. Curl up with this book and let it gently take you places near and far; you will find a sense of home, the hearthstone of our shared humanity. - Elif Shafak
One of the most brilliant travel writers of her generation, Caroline Eden is masterful at evoking the flavours and emotions of her encounters while on the road in eastern Europe and Central Asia. In Cold Kitchen, she weaves together the contemporary and the historical, the mundane and the magical, in a heartfelt memoir on the meanings of both distant adventures and the comforts of home. - Fuchsia Dunlop
A hugely accomplished work that manages to be wildly enjoyable, often moving and always thoughtful. - Olivia Potts, The Spectator
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781526658999 |
| PRICE | £10.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 256 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 850130
I have just found my new favourite genre of book !
Caroline Eden writes beautifully, it's like having a coffee and a chat with a well travelled best friend, she takes you on the journey with her with her prose. I loved this book.
Rosamond C, Reviewer
This was a pure escapement read. I loved the food descriptions and you travelled while sitting on your sofa to Central Asia, the Baltics etc. Each chapter starts with a lovely cooking lesson and you get the the recipes.. Darwin the dog is a lovely part of the story . I can’t recommend it enough .
Anita W, Reviewer
Caroline Eden has taken me on a journey, almost literally. From the moment I read the opening pages where she returned from her travels to her Edinburgh home, I warmed to her writing style and knew I was going to enjoy her story, This is, in essence, an autobiography and travel journal, with food at the heart of the writing. There are a few recipes thrown in, but what’s really worked for me is that this serves as a taster. Caroline has visited areas of the world that are remote to me. It’s unlikely I’ll ever actually go to most of the places she talks about in Cokd Kitchen, but each place has been brought to vibrant life.
Her story is split into seasons and within each season, she visits different areas; Russia, Turkey, Baltic nations and more. But every section is also grounded in Edinburgh, a city close to my heart and she uses her kitchen and food to recreate her travels, people and meals she encountered during her journey. As a narrative technique, it works really well and made the story even more enjoyable. There are a few recipes thrown in along the way, but the reason to read this is to reach into corners of the world that are otherwise inaccessible. Caroline is a travelling companion who is generous to share her experiences and understanding of cultures that are different. It’s an inspirational book. I’m determined to learn more about cooking food I’ve not tried before. Springtime soup with bulgar, tomatoes and herbs has provided the kick start I needed and this book is a total joy. I live food, cooking and gave a large variety of cookery related books. I prefer those that have stories with the recipes because of the insight they provide. This has few recipes, but more insight than I’ve come across in a long time. It’s filled with wisdom and joy. Absolutely loved it.
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