This London Bookstore Lets You Try the Recipes Before You Buy

Finding a good recipe isn’t as simple as it should be. Photos can’t always be trusted and estimated cooking times can be a bit too optimistic for the everyday home cook. With endless options online and countless books available to buy, things can get a bit overwhelming.

In 1983 Heidi Lascelles came up with an intriguing concept, a bookstore with a small kitchen that could put cookbooks to the test. A different book would be chosen every day and recipes from that book would be cooked and served for lunch in-store. Regular customer Eric Treuille would frequent the shop hoping to get the attention of a charming staff member named Rosie and before he knew it, they would eventually take over running the store together.

Eric has been in the business long enough to know what makes a book special. Having cooked hundreds of recipes from different cuisines, tell him what you're looking for and he’ll be able to recommend the right book in a heartbeat. If you don’t know what you want, that’s not a problem either! Drop in for lunch and you might get to try something that surprises you, but… only if you stick to Eric’s rules…

What’s your favorite cookbook?