If you’ve got a social media account, the chances are you’ve heard of Our Place. Launched in 2019, the cookware brand was founded by Shiza Shahid, her husband Amir Tehrani and their friend Zach Rosner. Since then, it’s been pretty hard to escape as its colourful selection of cookware, bakeware and kitchen accessories, have been snapped up by fans and are regularly showcased by influencers on social media platforms. Now, Our Place is branching beyond cookware with its first cookbook. ‘Dinner At Our Place: Recipes for Gathering’ is compiled by Shahid and a host of home cooks but it’s not just a cookbook, it’s a guide to hosting too.
The ethos behind Our Place has always been about bringing people together, and the brand has never been so perfectly captured as it is in ‘Dinner At Our Place’. The introduction emphasises how the book aims to help foster traditions and empower other home cooks. There’s even a simple diagram to show you how to seat yourself, and your guests. From that point on, the book is split into 12 chapters, each tied to a month of the year and each curated by a home cook. The book features over 100 recipes and 12 specially curated menus, giving you plenty of inspiration for the year.
The book opens with January compiled by Shahid, which focuses on ‘Family Dinner’. Each chapter follows the same format – there’s an introduction from the home cook, a selection of mouth-watering recipes, tips for hosting (e.g. dinner party conversation) and a plan ahead section to help you be the host with the most. The recipes contained in this book aren’t your bog standard dinner party fare, this is elevated food designed to make the taste buds go crazy and impress your guests. A sample of recipes from the first chapter include a Citrus Salad, Saffron Tachin and a Pear Spritz.
There are some truly innovative ideas across in the book. From Molded Butter Candles and Steamed Rose Buns (using the Our Place Spruce Steamer, of course) through to Strawberry Cream Cheese Slab Pie (using the Our Place Griddle Pan) and Mama Fong’s Hot Pot, it really is a source of inspiration if you’re planning your next dinner party. I won’t go into the details of every chapter as this would result in a very long review but a highlight for me is March, ‘A Goodbye Party for Winter’, by Lauren Shaefer and Amiel Stanek. Starting with a Spätlese Spritz and featuring delicious recipes for Choucroute Garnie a la Adobo and Gooey Lemon Custard Cake, I found myself plotting to make all these recipes for my next gathering.
As you would expect from Our Place, the design of the book is spectacular. The pages use the same colour palettes as the cookware and there are plenty of tantalising, and perfectly posed, photos of the food. The only complaint is that it would have been nice to have photos accompanying every recipe, especially given that a lot of the food and ideas here won’t be familiar to a lot of home cooks.
‘Dinner At Our Place’ isn’t your typical cookbook but those who love the brand, will adore the ideas and inspiration it provides. While the majority of the dishes presented here are perfect for Our Place cookware, you can still make them without having bought any of the Our Place range. In fact, the book doesn’t even reference the relevant cookware item to use from the Our Place range, but you can see them in a lot of the photos. I hope the first of many books to come from Our Place as this is truly a sumptuous delight.
Publisher: Harvest Authors: Shiza Shahid and friends of Our Place Release date: 18th February 2025 Buy ‘Dinner At Our Place’ now
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