Annie Gray

Described by Lucy Worsley as “the queen of food historians” Annie Gray is always welcome at Toppings. Her engaging wit and warmth are matched by a wide and effervescent knowledge that make her the dinner party guest sans pareil and a wonderful public speaker and raconteur.

Victory in the Kitchen: The Life of Churchill’s Cook is the story of a woman who was not a royal, not rich, not famous, simply someone who worked hard and enjoyed her life. But while Georgina Landemare saw herself as ordinary, her accomplishments, and the life she lived, were anything but. This is a culinary biography: a life lived through food, ranging from rural Berkshire to wartime London, via Belle Epoque Paris and prohibition-era New York.

More than anything (and including some of Georgina’s original recipes) this is a book to savour – an amuse bouche for all the senses. Bon appetit!