MIKE DAVIES OF THE CAMBERWELL ARMS LAUNCHES DEBUT COOKBOOK

Chef Director Mike Davies, of South London institutions The Camberwell Arms and Frank’s Cafe, is delighted to announce the release of his debut cookbook, Cooking for People (Pavilion, £30).

A devout publican, Mike has spent the past decade perfecting the art of hosting and cooking for guests at his award-winning pub and restaurant The Camberwell Arms. Now, due to popular demand, Mike shares his insights and cult-classic recipes to recreate the magic at home.

Cooking for People is organised into seasonal chapters, each featuring four carefully curated menus with a range of centrepiece dishes, including vegan, vegetarian, fish, and meat options. The recipes are designed to be foolproof, accompanied by comprehensive cook’s notes, shopping lists, and prep schedules, ensuring an organised and happy host as well as wowed and well-fed guests. Celebrating his love of food, Mike weaves his own musings throughout the cookbook on seasonality, ingredients, and the meaning of hospitality, brought to life by joyful illustrations and sun-dappled images of bountiful tabletops. Recipe highlights include:

●  Peppers Piedmontese
●  Nduja squid with parsley salad
●  Curried mussels on toast
●  A good tomato salad
●  Brown shrimp and crab cocktail with soda bread
●  Corn on the cob with Scotch bonnet butter
●  Beef shin osso buco, saffron puntalette and orange gremolata
●  Slow-roast pork shoulder & chestnut polenta with apple and watercress salad
●  Baked frangipane apples with Calvados custard
●  Pistachio cake with lemon cream and raspberries
●  Poached peaches, zabaglione and toasted almonds

Mike comments: “Inviting people into your home, into your personal safe place, to cook for them, to host them and to care for them is, at its core, a pure act of love. I’ve written a book of dinner party menus titled Cooking for People to help you do just that. Each dish is accompanied by a shopping and prep list to allow for planning ahead. After all, a happy cook is an organised cook, making their favourite food. I dedicate this book to my mum and grandma, who taught me the value of good hospitality and great food.”

About Mike Davies
Michael Davies is a London-born chef and co-owner of Frank’s Cafe and the award-winning The Camberwell Arms. After studying biology for a year at Manchester University, he left to pursue his passion for food. His culinary journey includes roles at The Anchor and Hope and The Canton Arms, as well asstages at renowned restaurants like Le Manoir, St John Bread and Wine and The Ledbury. In 2008, he co-launched Frank’s Cafe, named the best rooftop bar in Europe by Time Out in 2023, followed by the opening of The Camberwell Arms in 2014, celebrated for its seasonal comfort food and warm hospitality. In 2015 The Camberwell Arms was named The Best Sunday Lunch at the OFM awards.

Cooking for People by Mike Davies (Pavilion, £30). Available to order here.

For more information please contact CRAB Communications on
camberwell@crabcommunications.com