A day of creative escapism

It’s a week before Christmas, your to do list is longer than a boa constrictor and you’d quite like to hide in the wardrobe with an oversized selection box rather than face another day of festive frenzy. I may have a soothing solution for you…

On Saturday 16th December fellow author Kate Young and I will be holding a day of total creative and culinary escapsim at the beautiful Papermill studios near Angel tube in London. It will be a day full of workshops, delicious foods, hedgerow cocktails and baked goods. You’ll be making and/or eating for most of the day so will go away replenished, with a full tum. Oh and there’s a discount on this lovely event at the moment so read on…

Kate writes the Little Library Cafe column for the Guardian and her book The Little Library Cookbook is full of recipes from Harry Potter, the Moomins, Agatha Christie and a whole host of  favourite novels. She has brought them to life so you can immerse yourself in those books by escaping into your kitchen, then eating the tasty results and pretending you’re in the Gryffindor common room or in Moominvalley. Kate will teach you how to make both crystallised ginger from Agatha Christie’s The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and fruit mincemeat from Kate Atkinsons’ Behind the Scenes at the Museum, both of which make wonderful gifts

Imprinting sage leaves and other botanical finds into silver clay and them setting the dried clay on fire is a wondrous modern alchemical process resulting in beautiful fine silver fossil pendants.I will be holding a silver fossil pendant workshop at our event so if you’ve ever wanted to come to one of my workshops and enjoy cooking (and eating) good food then you might like to join us.

I’ll also be arriving at Papermill laden with bendy twigs from the wood behind our cottage. We’ll make woodland wreaths together that will look beautiful on your door or wall during the twinkly weeks to come. Wreaths are not just for Christmas…

Kate co-founded the luxury catering company Feast and she will be making a delicious, comforting 2 course lunch for us that day using seasonal ingredients and will be catering for all dietary requirements.

In the early evening we’ll feast on the sausage rolls from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire while sipping on my Berry cocktail, made with blackberries and named after Mary Berry. We will sign copies of our books if you wish, oh and you’ll go away with a goody bag full of handmade and delicious things.

There’s a 15% discount on this very special event just now (add Retreat15 at checkout) and there are just a few spaces left. There will be four workshops, a gorgeous lunch, a cocktail party and a goody bag to take away. Click here if you’d like to join us for a whole day of making, cooking and eating in a truly gorgeous creative space.