Our gift shop is situated just outside the CBC and is a must visit if you are dining or attending one of our venues. In addition to the purchase of some of the most rare and well researched cookbook selections, we have a fine variety of teas from the Tea Palace on Westbourne Grove, and chocolates from the infamous Melt chocolatier.

Unique featured items are our handcrafted tea pots from the Crafts Council. Each tea pot is artistically designed by various artists (stop in our shop for details) and no two are alike. These tea pots are the perfect gift for all those tea pot collectors who appreciate not only the beauty and craftsmanship of each one-off pot, but also their functionality in the social environment where it is certain to stir up a bit of conversation.

If you are struggling to find the perfect Holiday gift for that special someone we can customise a Christmas hamper specially designed to your liking and desired budget. Prices start at around £75.00.

Or how about giving that friend of yours who has everything and then some…a gift certificate for perhaps the best Sunday Brunch in London at the Cookbook Cafe.

If you haven’t had the immense pleasure of visiting St. Moritz, a prestigious mountain resort in the Engadine valley of Switzerland, where the jet/trend-setters of the world spend their winter days and nights simply playing, then you must put this on your own personal list of the 7 wonders of the world to see and experience before you…tuck your party shoes away!

There are so many unique events which make St. Moritz the icon that it is. From the annual Cartier Polo-on-ice event to the prestigious Gourmet food festival on the frozen lake, this winter wonderland has the best-of-everything life has to offer. No wonder that it has been the winter stomping ground for the social elite and their families for generations.

Reto Mathis is the son of the infamous Hartly Mathis who is personally responsible for changing the gastronomic experience of the Alpine catering trade. He began back in the 1960’s by taking over the existing Corviglia Restaurant located at the top of the mountain in the ski resort of St. Moritz. At the time the Corviglia consisted of a self-service restaurant with space for 240 guests along with a Cafeteria for 80 guests.

From the moment Hartly set eyes on the Corviglia he realised that this location had yet to reach its potential. His awareness that there was a niche in this particular market for Gourmet cuisine and his desire to put his culinary talents to good use, inspired him to introduce more sophisticated choices on his menu. He already was certain the elite clientele would understand and support his wish to experiment with his gastronomic offerings.

However, in usual Swiss fashion, his decision was met with opposition from the local community who believed that such changes were not necessary and would not be well received. Fortunately they were wrong! Hartly began with simple additions to his menu by adding an entrecote and soon to follow lobster, truffles and caviar became the normal offering for a lunch time break from skiing when visiting the Corviglia. In other ski locations throughout Switzerland, this dining concept might not have worked but for Mathis and his niche clientele, it was an immediate success!

Hartly ran the Corviglia restaurant for 25 years until his son Reto took over in 1992. Originally Reto had chosen to pursue a career in Electrical engineering, a popular choice for youngsters at this age, but he quickly realised that his passion was in the kitchen. Realising from a very early age that following in his fathers footsteps would not be easy, he realised that for him to be in the same trade he had two choices open to him: Either run away and form his own business, or stay and challenge what already existed! With his keen business sense he realised that to succeed in today’s culinary world, it is not just about being a good cook but also to be looking outside the box by investing, designing, marketing and PR. Through implementing such changes and staying on top of the game, Reto has been able to thrive in this highly demanding and competitive market. It probably does not hurt that he is handsome as hell and has a charming personality to boot!

What inspired you to become a Chef?
Initially I was interested in Electrical Engineering because this was a popular field at the time. After my Dad arranged an interview through one of his friends, from one of the big Swiss companies, I quickly realised this was not for me. I was concerned with how little time I saw my father when I was growing up as a result of his occupation and did not want to create the same life for myself. But it became apparent to me that this is what I love doing! I attended Lausanne Hotel School and knew that it was the Food and Beverage side of the industry that interested me. Rooms are a dead material which I couldn’t influence, but as a Chef you can see the results of your input right away. I then apprenticed at the Palace Hotel in Lucerne in the summer and at the Suvretta Hotel in St. Moritz in the winter. I also apprenticed under the legendary Anton Mossiman who has remained a close and personal friend.

How is your business affected by the fact that it is a seasonal location? The fact that it a seasonal business we cannot change. We do 95% of our turnover in the winter months from the beginning of December until mid-April. We keep our coffee shop open in the summer more out of goodwill as I have an agreement with the community to keep it open when the train is in operation.

How do you spend your time in the off-season?
My wife Barbara and I travel a lot! We do promotions, galas, catering and PR events. My wife Barbara is very involved in PR and has recently been responsible for a small range of merchandising items we are retailing.

What is the strangest request a customer has asked for?
One lady wanted fresh fruit salad with truffles all over it. So I gave her what she asked for!

I understand that you have two young daughters; do they have an interest in taking over your business one day?
My daughter Georgina who is almost 21 is currently attending the Hotel management school in Lausanne. And my daughter Camilla who is 19 has just completed her apprenticeship as a pastry Chef. Anything is possible!

What would your last meal on this earth be?
Sovaroff Truffle: this is goose liver, whole truffle, port wine, porcini mushrooms and gravy, covered in a puff pastry and baked for 20 minutes in the oven.

What do you always have in your refrigerator at home?
Champagne and a nice selection of cheeses!

If you haven’t already tubed it to High Street Kensington to check out the latest rage of Whole Foods Market, the food retailer extraordinaire, which recently hit the high street then you are certainly more clever than I. Yes I queued for 25 minutes in front of a rope and wired security dude on a Sunday afternoon to check out the latest in organic offerings. I don’t think I’ve ever queued in front of the hottest night club in N.Y. nor London for that long. But one satisfied customer meandering her way out the front door informed the masses that it was “well-worth the wait!” I personally had to find out first hand what all the fuss was about…

To put all this into perspective, let me give you a little history: Whole Foods Market originated in Austin, Texas in 1980 and was the brainstorm of three local businessmen who decided the natural foods industry was ready for a supermarket format. At the time there were less than half a dozen natural food supermarkets in the U.S. The original store in Austin, Texas staffed a total of 19 people. When it opened its doors it was an immediate success!

Fast-forward to 2007 and you are looking at the Whole Foods Market chain comprising over 39,000 employees, with locations in North America and now the U.K. The average store size is 32,000 square feet.

Keeping in mind that the average waist-line in the UK is growing at a rate faster than the bald spot on Prince Charles’ head, I’m thinking organic healthy options can’t be a bad thing. So 150 pounds lighter, and I’m not referring to my waist-line here, I left the store with a bag boy (no not carrying my Balenciaga) to help me get my tasty offerings to my car. Perhaps this is when I realized the Whole Foods people might have given more thought to location. Granted High Street Kensington has all the buzz with commuters, but there is no parking lot and no easy access for getting the groceries to your pay and display parking slot. So I’m thinking this location is simply designed for the commuter on the go looking to make it a lunch time stop or to pick-up something healthy for dinner on their way to the tube. Pricey? Oh yeah, makes M&S look like a real bargain! Healthy? Most certainly!

In my opinion, the just-right climatized cheese room is not to be missed! Whether it is a fabulous savory Gruyere from the Swiss Alps you are craving or a perfect goat cheese from the mountains in Italy, you are certain to find just the right cheese to satisfy the most discriminating cheesy palate.

So does the Whole Foods Market meet the UK expectations? I think it is worth a visit, and perhaps the worst thing that might happen is that you sample your way through your lunch hour for free.

Like all good things, there is always a flip side: The CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, has led a bizarre anonymous online attack of one of his competitors Wild Oats. Mackey used a pseudonym on financial message boards to bash rival Wild Oats as a bad business not worth its stock price. He’s now making a move to buy it. Illegal? Unethical? Perhaps not one of his better moves. I’m thinking this organic, natural, wholesome, pure company has one bad apple!!! But now that the seed is planted, let’s leave it to the universe to balance things out…

For those of you who are still reeling from Hugh Grant’s recent bean salad-toss-tantrum towards a photographer outside his Chelsea home - may you gain some solice from the rumor that HG’s weapon of choice just may have come from one of his favorite local suppliers…Luigi’s Delicatessen.

Luigi’s one-stop shop has been open for business and serving the local community of Chelsea for the past 34 years - offering fresh cheeses, pastas and sauces of every type and brand, the finest of olive oils from Italy and Spain, and an extensive wine selection (90% of their products are imported from Italy - the remaining 10% are Spanish delicacies).

Whether you are entertaining last minute - or simply cannot decide what to feed your family for din-din, Luigi’s offers an outstanding selection of dishes cooked on the premises by a friendly staff who somehow seem to know all their customers by name.

Luigi’s daily specials are a revolving variation of: homemade lasagna, risottos, roasted and stuffed chickens, meatballs, and soups. Each dish du jour is determined by the fresh produce of that season, and is accompanied by a robust salad and vegetables. Note…Luigi’s regular customers claim the Gazpacho is “world class!”

Here’s a tip - want to prepare a quick meal but make it look like you slaved the entire afternoon? Try Luigi’s breaded veal Milanese. Simply fry each patty on both sides in a little olive oil, served on a bed of rucola salad and a wedge of fresh lemon, and viola!!

For me, what sets Luigi’s apart from other delicatessens is its old world charm. The friendly service and clientele chitchat in their native tongue (Italian, Spanish or Portuguese) is just the icing on the cake.

So, next time you dread slogging your bum to the local M&S for another qwikie dinner fix and are feelin’ like a little Italiano, wend your way to Fulham Road and try one of Luigi’s daily offerings and tell Hugh I’ve been meaning to get back to him - then DUCK!!

What a great tool, Yahoo has added (since quite a while) a platform where events of whichever nature can be shared, so if you want to start a local group of some sort of activists, or start a neighborhood meet up group, or see what’s happening at Cookbook Cafe, “upcoming” is the answer…I will put all future events on to upcoming and you can find it here http://upcoming.yahoo.com/

Why are you in London? I Love the town and the cosmopolitan life here. With all the international cuisines on offer London is like the worlds biggest larder, for shopping, cooking, and eating.

Do you have a favourite neighborhood restaurant you would recommned to a friend? Yes, No. 1 Thai, at 1 Dalgarno Gardens in North Kensington. This very authentic Thai restaurant is situated at the back of Ladbroke Grove and has the cheapest and best Thai food outside of Thailand. It’s run by a husband and wife team. If you desire vino then you must bring your own bottle as alcohol is not served on the premises. There is a great outside garden area which backs onto a lovely park. You can dine and watch the sun go down - it’s a little piece of heaven.

What dishes do you recommend? I love the Massaman or Penang curry, however the Pad Thai or Tom Yum are also excellent dishes. My intention is to try a new dish every time I go there and so far every one has been sensational.

What do you generally like to have in your fridge? Being German I of course have Black Forest ‘Speck’ in my fridge together with pickled cucumbers. However I could never be without Chilli Jelly;this sweet but spicy jelly is fabulous on cheese toast and is also outstanding with ice cream. An absolute must have in the fridge.

What do you have in your fridge at this moment? Smokey Tomato chutney, Thai green curry paste, chilli jelly, speck, pickled gherkins, Dijon mustard, paprika oil, pomegranate molasses, tamarind paste, fresh horseradish, Anilla’s Korma curry paste, coconut butter and cream,and my homemade vinaigrette dressing.

What is your favourite cook book? The food of India by Murdoch Books, this book is written by quite a few authors who travelled through India and wrote the best authentic recipes of the local cuisine; it’s worth every penny.

What is your favourite dish? My very own Hungarian Goulasch with Spatzle and sour cream.

Please share your favourite recipe with us?

Hungarian Goulasch
Ingredients:
1lbs beef diced, 1lbs sliced onions, 1lbs skinned and deseeded finely chopped tomatoes, 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 1tblspn of crushed caraway seeds, 1 handful fresh Marjoram or 1-2 tblspn dried marjoram. 3 tblspn Hungarian Paprika sweet.

Preparation:
Fry meat until brown on all sides, they add onion and fry until golden brown. Then add tomatoes and cook the juices out. Add the garlic and spices, Place all the ingredients in a big casserole dish and add beef stock to cover. Let it simmer for 1.5 hours or until meat is really tender, serve with potatoes or Spatzle (our traditional pasta from the Black Forest) and a dollop of sour cream .

What would you never eat? Tripe can’t stand the leathery stuff at all.

What is your most important kitchen tool? My big granite pestle and mortar. I could not live without it.

What is your all time favourite drink? Sorrel, sometimes called Hibiscus. I came across this drink in the Caribbean. Take a few flowers and place them in a big jug, pour boiling water over it and let it infuse for 30min. Serve over ice, or with a shot of rum or brandy. Either way its thirst quenching, slightly sour, and a great long drink to sip as you watch the sun go down.

What inspires you? The smell of my spices when I open either the shop door or the warehouse door. It’s different everyday and gives me the motivation to blend new spice mixes almost on a daily basis.

What would you cook for someone you are looking to impress? Osso bucco with porcini risotto.

What would you want your last meal to be? Chicken Mole! That Mexican chocolate sauce over chicken is to die for.

Here are the activities coming up in the next 3 month:

April 17 at 11am - 12.30pm:

Cooking workshop with Executive Chef, Michel Gehrig, get inspired with various easy to make but effective and impressive spring time cocktail party and small plate dishes to cook for your friends on any occasion. £15.00

April 24, from 11.30am - 2.30pm:

Our special of the day will be the Austrian world famous speciality Wiener Schnitzel or thin escalopes of veal, breadcrumbed and pan fried. What is the secret behind a perfect crispy, golden crust? Pop in to CBC for a light lunch and learn from our chefs all the secrets behind Wiener Schnitzel. from £15.00

April 26, from 7.00pm

Cookbook Cafe Kitchen Party, join us to have a dinner full of activities, various cooking stations and tasting sections, try Michels Ceviche with Tequilla shots, Stirr the Risotto pot, Roll the Sushi and use the blow torch to caramelize one of the several creme brulees! Muddle mojitos and caipirinhas and discover the secrets of mixology. £35.00 includes all food, wines and cocktails during the night.

Our CBC Industry Launch party was a huge success with over 50 journalists from throughout the UK. This event was a great opportunity to meet top Chefs and passionate foodies in the trade.

Mark Edwards head chef of Nobu was cooking up his famous black cod, Anton Mossimann was book signing, Keith Hurdman (Master-Chocolatier, who holds the prestigious Truffe D’or as Swiss Champion Confectioner/Chocolatier) of Melt was creating and serving up outrageous chocolate truffles, and The Gorgeous Group (UK’s leading bar operators and
consultants) were teaching us how to mix and serve the perfect mojito.

And this is only a small taste of events we are cooking up. So now that we have the pot boiling, grab an apron and get in on the action at one of our up-coming events.

The CBC Cafe is cooking up all kinds of activities to satisfy the taste of foodies of all levels at their long awaited Launch Party!

True to CBC style, the festivities for the evening will include an interactive cooking lounge cafe. That’s right, it’s all about “hands-on” participation with activities including:
- learning how to make Black Cod with visiting Chef Mark Edwards from Nobu
- making your own signature to-die-for chocolate truffles with Keith Hurdman from Melt
- mastering the killer Mojito with Joel from CBC bar
- and learning to refine taste and perfectly pair champagne and wine with food through the skills of New Zealand born writer and Master of wine, Peter McCombie.

This private industry event has been designed to introduce the CBC’s unique interactive concept as a “foodie knowledge hub” and cookbook shop to the savvy taste-buds of London.

Now that our pot is boiling…check-in weekly to our calendar of events, grab an apron, and join the fun in this one-of-a-kind-full-on culinary experience.

We look forward to seeing you get down’n'dirty - and whip up something fantastic!

Join us in honoring your mum this Mother’s Day, Sunday, March 18th - as we have so many surprises in store!

While your mother relaxes with a Bellini or two, our kid’s event coordinator, Sivan, will help your children decorate a complimentary heart shaped cake for Mom to take home - a fantastic way to continue celebrating long after your family brunch is over.

If you are anything like me, you too have spent many a Sunday searching for the perfect spot to mix and mingle with family and friends. Well, I can certify that the Cookbook Cafe’s Sunday brunch does not disappoint. In fact, it just might be the best Brunch served in London! And next to the scrumptious food, I believe the best thing about the CBC brunch is that once the kids have exhausted themselves on the desert buffet, they can work their artistic magic at the supervised arts-and-crafts table which offers weekly children’s events (see our events calendar). This gives the adults ample time to enjoy the ‘unlimited’ consumption of Bloody Marys, Bellinis and Iced Tea Martinis. Or if you prefer to keep it clean - tea, coffee and soft drinks.

The Eggs Benedict is not to be missed - topped with salmon, caviar and sour cream - this dish is simply outstanding!

The Sunday brunch at CBC is catching on in popularity, so I suggest you make your reservation early to guarantee your seating.