The Little Library Café
Kate Young cooks and bakes food inspired by her favourite works of fiction. This is her blog, recipes included, as part of the Guardian Books Network. You can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram
-
To celebrate female friendship, Kate Young reimagines a sweet treat enjoyed by Miss Pettigrew and a pal during a night out in Winifred Watson’s famous novel
-
Who eats as well as Inspector Montalbano? It’s a mystery – but you can, as Kate Young demonstrates how to put together this easy Sicilian classic
-
Lingonberries, pickled herring and a batch of pepparkakor: as a fan of Swedish Christmas traditions, Kate Young makes some these easy biscuits, enjoyed by Pippi Longstocking herself
-
Dreaming of a hot, Australian Christmas, Kate Young puts together a pomegranate pavlova: a dessert as festive as a traditional English pudding
-
A fan of the famous French chef Alexis Soyer, Kate Young recreates a recipe made by Soyer in MJ Carter’s mystery novel The Devil’s Feast
-
These thick, little pancakes, topped with caviar and sour cream, are enjoyed by Babette and her neighbours in Isak Dinesen’s novella. Kate Young shows how you can enjoy them too
-
After a sleepless night following the US elections, Kate Young recreates one of Roald Dahl’s most delicious inventions – packed with salted caramel and gooey marshmallow
-
An Australian children’s classic reminds Kate Young that a good apple can hold all the crispness of a clear day in autumn
-
Meals in Neverland were mostly make believe, but Kate Young manages to prepare an edible delight from the fruits available to Peter Pan
-
For Lemony Snicket’s orphans, fresh muffins are just a dream. For Kate Young and her 10-year-old charge, they are delectably real and easy-peasy to make
-
John Kennedy Toole’s hero might not always appreciate his mother’s baking, but her brownies raise fond memories in Kate Young
-
After discovering the joys of south London and author Sarah Waters for the first time, Kate Young celebrates by baking a currant loaf from Waters’ latest novel
-
To celebrate the submission of the first of her cook book, Kate Young serves up Okayu – Japanese rice porridge – and a cucumber salad from Banana Yoshimoto’s novel
-
Dahl’s centenary and the change of the season inspire Kate Young to magic up a fresh and summery pea soup
-
Kate Young’s mind turns to Australian coming-of-age classic Looking for Alibrandi, and to the generations of Italian women who cook together in the book
-
After enjoying the many memorable meals mentioned in Elizabeth Jane Howard’s classic, Kate Young settles on making a plum tart from the novel
-
Finding herself missing her sister, Kate Young makes a recipe from Dodie Smith’s iconic book about the Mortmain sisters
-
After a week of blackberry picking, Kate Young is inspired to make jam – using far more sugar than the characters in Michelle Magorian’s wartime classic
-
While preparing for a trip to ‘Laurie Lee country’ – Gloucestershire – Kate Young bakes a batch of Eccles cakes, enjoyed by the author in his childhood
-
While being incredibly moreish in both summer and winter, piccalilli is also the perfect recipe to make now for Christmas gifts, writes Kate Young
-
While enjoying British summer holidays, Kate Young was taken back to her childhood dreams to live in Arthur Ransome’s adventure stories
-
Even when one’s kitchen has been raided down to the bare essentials, plain bread, milk, butter and eggs can be transformed into a crisp and sugary dish, writes Kate Young
-
As the UK sizzles in a heatwave, Kate Young conjures up a sweet, cold treat enjoyed by Harry Potter himself
-
After a month of unsettling news, Kate Young turns to LM Montgomery’s children’s classic to find a sweet summer treat – and avoids the book’s boozy mixup
-
Harper Lee’s iconic character Atticus Finch not only inspired Kate Young to briefly dream of being a lawyer, but also to make this delicious breakfast
-
Kate Young’s copy of Atkinson’s debut novel is now dog-eared due to all the food references in it, but she settled this week for making a sweet treat
-
Kate Young muses on the joys of morning markets and makes a Swedish favourite from Stieg Larsson’s popular crime novel
-
Kate Young makes a very meaty recipe from the International Man Booker winner – despite its title – and remembers a steak so good it brought her to tears
-
There’s more to Sylvia Plath’s classic novel than grey despair. Kate Young summons up a slice of summer from The Bell Jar – minus the food poisoning
-
Kate Young discovers Sarah Perry’s new novel, full of realistic portraits of London, fantastic characters and a great love of food
-
After discovering the witty and wonderful Barbara Pym, Kate Young sets out to make a tastier take on the disappointing dish eaten by Mildred Lathbury
-
Kate Young blogs about what inspired her to cook meals from books – and why, since that first tart, she has never looked back. The answer lies in Harry Potter
-
England finally smells like summer. Kate Young writes in praise of Louise Fitzhugh’s children’s classic – and English tomatoes
-
Kate Young returns to Virginia Woolf for an evocative piece of food writing, rich in detail
About 64 results for The Little Library Café
1
2
Food in books: breakfast rolls from The School at the Chalet