The Food Room and Library

Forget weighing and measuring, stop clock-watching and calculating, learn to cook instinctively, with a few basic rules of science and the confidence that Jane Lunzer Gifford at The Food Room & Library will inspire.

Trained at Leith’s, Jane has spent the past 30 years cooking, eating, and teaching about food. She has also written cookery books, photographed food, and created dishes for all sorts of events.

‘Maximum impact with minimum effort’ is Jane’s principle—and is the basis for her demonstrations. She believes simplicity and style are key ingredients when creating wonderful food.

The Food Room

In her cookery demonstrations Jane uses a remarkably small number of scientific rules with clear, practical guidelines to explain how to transform ingredients into delicious dishes. Her clients range from experienced cooks who want to give their cooking a lift, to those who dread walking into the kitchen.

In her calm, comfortable and spacious kitchen, Jane gives demonstrations either one-to-one or to groups of up to ten. She tailors her lessons to suit her clients’ needs. She advocates making use of what is available in the fridge and cupboard to produce fabulous dishes.

No need for the massive shop, but she will advise on which five key essentials should always be to hand, as well as giving store-cupboard advice. She teaches how to taste, assess and tweak, and shows the importance of considering design and how to present food beautifully.

Jane does not believe in rigidly sticking to the recipe, when it can be just as successful (and much more fun) to go off-piste—and she will show how to retrieve a situation when things have gone awry. Jane believes that with a little coaxing and one or two guidelines, anyone can cook with confidence and panache.

The Library

Jane has collected over 700 food-related books, a resource which she is happy to share. Guests at the demonstrations or Library subscribers are encouraged to drop by, have a cup of coffee and enjoy the thoughts of writers such as MFK Fisher, Jane Grigson, Fergus Henderson, and Nigel Slater, explore the esoteric simplicity of Japanese cookery through Shizuo Tsuji or dip into the learned scientific explanations of Harold McGee.

Some of the titles in Jane’s collection date as far back as the 1700s and give a fascinating insight into how approaches to food have changed (or not) over time, from pre-war opulence to post-war austerity, and how attitudes have moved on from the stereotypical Britishness of ‘meat-and-two-veg’ to the sheer enjoyment of food for food’s sake.

The Food Room & Library 80 Eccleston Square
London SW1V 1PP

020 7630 6036

www.thefoodroomandlibrary.co.uk