Josceline Dimbleby

Josceline Dimbleby was brought up both abroad and in England. She trained as a singer at the Guildhall School of Music but then became one of Britain’s most popular food writers for over forty years. Her cookery books have sold well over 2 million copies in the UK alone, and been translated into many languages. Her first book A Taste of Dreams, published in 1976, won the Andre Simon Award for the best cookery book of the year. Since then she has published seventeen cookery books and was cookery correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph newspaper for 15 years, winning a Glenfiddich Award for her pieces on India and the Far East. A complete change from anything she had done before was A Profound Secret — a biographical family mystery spanning 100 years, which included her great grandmother’s secret relationship with the Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones. It was published in hardback in March 2004 to great critical acclaim, and a year later in the US, together with a UK and US paperback. Josceline continues to travel widely, writes occasionally on travel and food for various publications, gives live talks and contributes to television and radio programmes. Her book Orchards in the Oasis:Recipes, Travels and Memories was published in October 2010 and won the Kate Whiteman Award for Work on Food and Travel at the Guild of Food Writers Awards in June 2011. Her revised 1980’s bestseller Marvellous Meals with Mince was published by Quadrille in September 2012.

Behind the Cookbook: Josceline Dimbleby on Cooking for Christmas

One of Britain’s most popular food writers takes a look at her book, Cooking for Christmas, and the recipes that have stayed popular since its publication.