Cafe Murano Book Club

Last Sunday of each month 6.00pm-9.00pm at Cafe Murano Bermondsey

Welcome cocktail and nibbles

Two course menu with wine

A 60-minute chat with the featured writer and hosted by Mark Diacono.

Q&A opportunity

Ticket price £85pp

0203 985 1545

A monthly celebration of the best food writing with Angela Hartnett, Mark Diacono & invited authors
Taking place on the final Sunday of every month at Cafe Murano Bermondsey, tickets will also include a bespoke two-course dinner inspired by the respective guest.
Hosted by food writer Mark Diacono, our Book Club evenings include an interview in which we hope to find out what brought our guest to this point in their career, what inspired their latest book, and more. There’s also a Q&A, giving you the opportunity to ask questions, and to buy their latest book and have it signed and dedicated.

And of course, there will be the familiar Cafe Murano hospitality: a two-course meal, wine, cocktail and nibbles on arrival is all included in the price.

Sunday 24th March - Niki Segnit & Alice Lascelles

In The Flavour Thesaurus: More Flavours – Plant-led pairings, recipes and ideas for cooks, Niki Segnit applies her ground-breaking approach to explore 92 plant-based flavours, from Kale to Cashew, Pomegranate to Pistachio. Every ingredient is vegetarian and explored with the economy of a thesaurus, then expertly paired with those they complement.

Together with Niki Segnit’s first book, The Flavour Thesaurus, this is a modern classic of food writing. Witty, playful and beautifully written, More Flavours is as much a bedside read as an indispensable kitchen resource.
Alice is an award-winning drinks journalist, author and presenter. An expert on production, provenance and the stories behind each drink. Alice will be joining us to discuss her second book, The Cocktail Edit: Everything You Need to Know About How to Make All The Drinks That Matter. A collection of twelve classics with six twists on each, sharing tips, techniques and inspiration. Get ready to mix up your own delicious drinks at home.
Book here

Sunday 21st April - Gennaro Contaldo

Gennaro Contaldo’s warmth, Italian spirit and sense of fun have led him to be one of the UK’s most-loved chefs. He is renowned for being a mentor to Jamie Oliver and teaching him, with Carluccio, everything Jamie knows about Italian cooking. In 1999, he opened Passione in London, which was awarded Best Italian restaurant in 2005. He is a favourite on Saturday Kitchen, has his own YouTube food channel, and is an ambassador for Citalia, Parmigiano Reggiano and Birra Moretti. This is his eighth book with Pavilion, which include Limoni, Pasta Perfecto and Fast CookItalian. He lives in east London with his wife and twin daughters.

In his new cookbook VERDURE, beloved chef Gennaro Contaldo celebrates the huge bounty of vegetables, transforming them from humble side-dish into the hero of the plate. And although this book is all about vegetables, it is not solely a vegetarian book as, following in the cucina povera tradition, Gennaro does add a little meat, such as pancetta, Parmesan or maybe anchovies to a few dishes. Most of these can be omitted, if preferred, and he includes suggestions for each recipe so they can be adapted and made 100 per cent vegetarian.

Sunday 2nd June - Brunch in London with Thérèse Nichols the editor/founder One Plate, Karan Gokani from Hoppers and Phil Khoury from Harrods

In celebration of the launch of Brunch in London we welcome Thérèse Nichols for a special evening along with contributors Karan Gokani & Phil Khoury.
Thérèse Nichols is the Co-founder and Director of OnePlate. After a life changing trip to Manila in 2015, Thérèse was deeply impacted by the plight of children living on the streets of Manila. Witnessing their struggles ignited a passion within her to make a tangible difference. Harnessing her entrepreneurial spirit, she founded OnePlate, a successful charity dedicated to providing sustainable food projects to nourish these children in need.

Thérèse’s creative and innovative approach was the driving force for the launch and success of OnePlate's first cookbook in 2020, "Brunch in Melbourne". With the notable achievement of this cookbook, OnePlate has now been able to expand its reach to encompass more than 30 projects spanning the Philippines, Cambodia, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Over the past two years, Thérèse has delved into the dynamic world of London's culinary scene, spearheading the creation of OnePlate's second cookbook, "Brunch in London."
Karan grew up in Mumbai and moved to England in 2005 to study law at the University of Cambridge. Even as a practicing solicitor, Karan’s passion for food and hospitality never faded and he spent time in professional kitchens in his spare time. In 2012, he left his legal career at a Magic Circle city law firm to pursue a career in hospitality, traveling across India and Sri Lanka to immerse himself in the food and culture of the countries.


Karan founded Hoppers in 2015 with JKS restaurants. The first Hoppers in Soho was inspired by toddy-shops, home cooking and roadside stalls of Sri Lanka and South India, and served its namesake Hoppers alongside Dosas, Kothu, Short Eats, Rice and Roasts. Further sites followed in Marylebone & Kings Cross.

The hotly anticipated debut cookbook from Hoppers was released in Autumn 2022 and soon topped the bestseller ‘cookbook’ lists of the Sunday Times, Financial Times, Evening Standard and BBC Good Food . Written by Karan, the book tells a personal story of the inspiration behind Hoppers and the people and places that shaped it, via recipes and stunning imagery.

Philip Khoury joined the 173-year-old Harrods in 2018 and became Head Pastry Chef just before Christmas. He now pioneers plant-based desserts, or what he calls the “final frontier” of vegan cuisine. For him, it’s as much about stimulating the senses of pleasure as it is about saving the planet.

Khoury wants the world to know that plant-based or vegan foods should no longer be overlooked on the counter. “There is a negative bias that vegan desserts are in a lower position than their traditional counterparts, and I think this is to some extent to be expected,” says the chef. “This is an unfortunate thought, but this is a very new field; knowledge and techniques are very new. With eggs and dairy products in the bakery, we never had to question their presence in our food or whether there was any other way to have beautiful desserts without them.

In Phil’s first book A New Way to Bake: Re-imagined Recipes for Plant-based Cakes, Bakes and Desserts, Philip transforms the traditional building blocks of baking by using plant-based, natural ingredients or ingredients that have been in use for over 100 years. As our own Mark reviewed in Delicious magazine - “Philip has created a book that will be a game-changer… all using alternatives to the animal fats, eggs and dairy that are traditionally used.

Sunday 7th July – Mark Diacono & Angela Hartnett interviewed by Tim Hayward

In a break with convention we’ve responded to audience demand & tuned the tables on our hosts. Angela & Mark have agreed to have the spotlight firmly focused on themselves for this early June book club. Our friend & former guest Tim Hayward will be joining us to quiz Angela & Mark on their own unique & fascinating journey in food, professional cooking & food writing.
Mark is lucky enough to spend most of his time eating, growing, writing and talking about food. He has written over a dozen award-winning books, winning Food Book of the Year twice and being shortlisted for a James Beard award for his book Sour. Known for growing everything from Szechuan pepper to pecans to Asian pears, Mark's refreshing approach to growing and eating has done much to inspire a new generation to grow some of what they eat.

Mark’s latest book Vegetables is full of simple, seasonal, home-cooked main meals with vegetables very much at their heart, encouraging us to celebrate the seasons, embrace a health diet and tread more lightly on the planet.
Tim Hayward will be swapping chairs in June to take on the role of host as he quizzes Angela & Mark on their own fascinating careers in food and writing. Originally a guest in March last year, Tim is a writer, broadcaster and restaurateur, Tim is also a columnist and restaurant critic for the Financial Times, alongside a regular presenting slot on The Food Programme and The Kitchen Cabinet.
Angela Hartnett, MBE, is one of the UK’s most loved chefs and restaurateurs, known for her sophisticated yet simple, Italy-inspired cooking.

Born in Britain, her passion for good, honest food and the best ingredients was instilled in her by her Italian grandmother and mother.
After starting out in the kitchens at Aubergine, Zafferano, L’Oranger and Petrus, Angela became head chef at Petrus, helping the restaurant to achieve a Michelin star. She went on to launch Amaryllis in Scotland; Verre in Dubai; MENU and The Grill Room at The Connaught, with Gordon Ramsay.

Angela will be discussing her career as a chef and her latest book The Weekend Cook. The book consists of simple weekend recipes, packed full of flavour. From satisfying one-pot dishes and comforting risottos to perfect party food and bakes to feed a hungry crowd. It's all the dishes Angela likes to cook for herself and husband Neil.

Sunday 28th July – Rachel Roddy

Rachel Roddy is a food writer from London living in Rome since 2005. She is the author of three books about Italian food, contributes regularly to a number of publications both in the UK and Italy, and for nine years has written a weekly column in The Guardian newspaper called A Kitchen in Rome.

Her first two books, Five Quarters (2015) and Two kitchens (2017) were published by Headline and Five Quarters: recipe and notes from a kitchen in Rome is being reissued this June. Meanwhile an A to Z of pasta was published in 2021.
Cafe Murano Book Club will provide guests with an opportunity to go behind the scenes of these writers’ minds, creative processes, and forthcoming publications. The entire experience – including a welcome cocktail, signature Cafe Murano nibbles and a two-course menu – will be influenced by the speakers’ themes.
Book here
Tickets are £85
The evening starts at 6.00pm for welcome cocktail and nibbles.
Ticket price includes: All food and drink – a welcome cocktail and snack, a 2 course menu with wine.
A 45-minute chat with the writer hosted by Mark Diacono.
Q&A opportunity.
Book signing – note: books are not included in the ticket price.
Approx. 9.00pm Finish
Email silvia@cafemurano.co.uk for questions.