Published By: Sceptre
Pages: 288
Released On: 20/08/2026
To award-winning novelist Charlotte Wood, cooking is ‘creativity in its purest form’, nourishing the soul – and the mind – as well as the body. And in the age of gastro-porn and Instagram lifestyle gurus, this wise and practical book is her invitation to rediscover the pleasure of good food, prepared and presented with minimum fuss and maximum love.
This collection of personal reflections and recipes – ranging from the practical to the contemplative, offering warm and witty reflections on everything from carving a chicken to cooking through grief – will make you long to get into the kitchen and leave you freshly inspired to cook with joy for the people you cherish in your life.
Like a simple but glorious meal cooked by a dear friend, this feast of a book is infused with warmth and generosity – a treat for all who value the solitary and shared pleasures of cooking and eating.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Sceptre for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I’ve read one of Charlotte’s books before – Stone Yard Devotional – but I didn’t realise it was the same author.
It’s a relatively short book but it’s full of little chapters. I love short chapters so this was instantly a big plus for me. It also made a short book for even quicker.
I believe this was initially published 12 years ago but this is the British publication.
I’m not a cook. I mean, I can cook things like Bolognese or stew or homemade soup. So I’m basically set up for the winter. But I don’t cook. I love reading cookbooks but as a novel, cover to cover, rather than something to attempt. I just panic too much. But I am, or have been, a baker, and so whilst I can’t identify with her writing in terms of how she feels when cooking, I could see it in reference to baking and the love behind it.
It’s full of her own recipes. Being a non-cook, these were not intended for me, but there were a handful I’ve noted down. I love it when books have recipes, particularly if it’s not your traditional cookbook (because if a cookbook didn’t have recipes I’d want my money back). It makes it more interactive for the reader.
It did get a bit rambling now and again but it reads as a sort of stream of consciousness and so it was not going to sound perfectly crafted. But it also meant it lost a lot of its structure and felt a bit like she was ranting, which stripped it of some of the enjoyment.
What I did enjoy was that, yes this is about cooking and she talks about how to cook. However, she doesn’t linger on this. It’s more about her love and enjoyment she gets from cooking as opposed to making sure everything is perfect. Which I liked because your average reader is not going to be a top Michelin star chef.
There’s no denying her storytelling ability (fiction or non-fiction) or her love and passion for food and cooking, but I think the book itself needs to be tidied up a bit and focussed a bit more to stop it losing it’s enjoyment.
Books By Your Bedside 