✨ Letter from the Editor ✨
“I have a confession to make. Two years ago I wasn’t much of a cook at all. And when I say I wasn’t much of a cook, I mean during the six years I lived in my old apartment I never even took the sticker off the oven.
I know. That’s crazy, right? But I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that I was busy, I had a demanding job, and I guess I thought that cooking was a lot of effort for little reward. How wrong I was.
Recently I’ve completely fallen in love with cooking. It’s partially a result of spending so much time at home over the past few years, but I think it’s also a symptom of getting older. I’ve realised how special it is to make and share meals with the people you love – even if that person is just you. Now I’m not saying that I’ve miraculously turned into Nigella Lawson, but I have become more confident in the kitchen. I make @juliaostro’s pumpkin gnocchi all the time. It’s a simple, warming and scrumptious recipe that’s really good mopped up with a slab of @sian_redgrave’s focaccia with leeks, ricotta and honey. But perhaps my favourite recipe, and something I find myself making on autopilot when I need something quick and delicious, is @ellies.table’s pan con tomate: thick slices of grilled bread topped with garlicky grated tomatoes, lots of olive oil and flaky salt. That’s all. It is unbelievably good.
We put this book together to show that cooking a beautiful meal doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it can be as simple as selecting a few high-quality ingredients and piling them generously onto a slice of toast. I remember when the first lockdown was lifted in Sydney, we invited 20 friends over and it felt like such a treat to host them in our garden. Everyone brought a dish they loved and together we shared such a memorable meal. After so long apart we realised we would never take such simple pleasures for granted again. I hope that Put On A Spread helps you have similar moments with your own loved ones, and reminds you of the absolute joy of cooking.”
— Genevieve Rosen-Biller
Co-Founder, Bed Threads
[IMAGE: Genevieve Rosen-Biller stands behind a table set with linen tableware.]