January 2023

This week feels like the least week-like week of the year. My tiny brain hasn’t quite clicked into whatever form new year-new me takes this time, and I feel incapable of full engaging with the me that likes being elbows deep in writing.

It’s been a week of walking early in the mornings and trying to resist the post-festive desire for something sweet to end every meal, breakfast especially. That said, those cannoli won’t eat themselves.

So here seems like an especially good place to be. Welcome to the first Round Up. Looking back at the last month, and looking forward to what’s coming - courses, events, talks and more - in the hope we might be in the same actual place before long.

Ahead

I’m hugely excited to say that 2023 brings podcasting to The Imperfect Umbrella.

There will be a whole range of fascinating, bright-minded people in the coming months enriching this corner of the universe, including gardeners/garden designers, writers, cooks and food writers. Here’s a taste of some of those coming up:

Joe Swift - Gardeners’ World presenter, garden designer, etc
Jeremy Lee (of Quo Vadis) - one of the great chefs, with his first book just published
Gurd Loyal - his debut book soon published, about which there will be much fuss
Cathy Rentzenbrink - memoirist and more
Adam Frost - Gardeners’ World presenter, garden designer, etc
Debora Robertson - columnist with a hugely successful first book
Nik Sharma - cook, writer, photographer, molecular biologist…

The first will be this month, so keep an eye out.

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If you are thinking of growing some of what you eat for the first time or want to take it to the next level, now is the perfect point in the year to plan and learn. I led the garden team at River Cottage back in the day and created the unique Otter Farm, so why not join me and Olly Hutson (head gardener of The Pigs) on 24 January for the kitchen garden course at The Pig Hotel in East Devon.

The kitchen garden there is extraordinary, and the food and welcome as good as you’ll find. A couple of places left, so join me if you can.

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Every last Sunday of the month, I host the Cafe Murano Book Club. On 29th January our guests will be Jeremy Lee (of Quo Vadis) and Dave Broom - both have excellent books recently published. It’ll be a cracking evening with great food, conversation and drinks, under the guiding hand of the amazing Angela Hartnett.

These nights always sell out so book soon if you’d like to join us.

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Back

My mind is especially musical around the turn of the year, and I’ve been troubled by realising that in a couple of months it’ll be the same time since the Brexit vote as it took The Beatles to release all their albums - from Please Please Me to Let It Be - changing everything. It’s not possible, and yet.

Of course I’ve made a playlist of music I loved in 2022 partly as it gives me pleasure, partly so I can go back to it in the future and none of it be lost to me, and partly to share it here. I’ve had many lovely messages about the Christmas playlist (and others over the last 6 months) and I hope you enjoy this one. Its unlikely you’ll like everything but my bet is you’ll find something that leads you to at least one album you’ll love. It seems I didn’t hear too much that was noisy that took my ear in 2022.

Click above and it should play.

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This is the book that stole my late December. It’s short - which suits my easily-distractible mind - but carries so much in its 89 pages.

A small girl is sent to live with foster parents on a farm in rural Ireland, without knowing when she will return home. In the strangers’ house, she finds a warmth and affection she has not known before and slowly begins to blossom in their care. And then a secret is revealed and suddenly, she realises how fragile her idyll is.

As with my visit to the Helium Museum, I speak very highly of it.

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Rather excellently, SPICE/a cook’s companion was long listed for the Andre Simon Food Book of the Year award - this is a pretty big deal.

There are a few different ‘Food Book of the Year’ awards and they all have a different take; the Andre Simon might be described as the most writerly. Tragically, the list is of ridiculously high quality but I’m delighted to be in their company.

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As in the olden days with being excused writing the previous year on cheques, this is probably the last opportunity to say Happy New Year before we get too far into January. So Happy New Year, and see you here for more soon.

Mark