Press Release: Deals Done
Mitchell Beazley Signs Up New Food Star
Posted at 10:39AM Friday 28 Mar 2008
This autumn Mitchell Beazley will be publishing the high-profile TV tie-in What to Eat Now by new and rising star Valentine Warner. The book is published to coincide with the new television series of the same name which is to be aired in September/October on BBC2 for 6 weeks in a key prime time 8.30pm slot.There is a huge buzz reverberating around the food and media world already about Valentine Warner. Valentine is a completely new and refreshing face and he has a winning formula behind him: Pat Llewellyn – the television producer who first brought Jamie Oliver to our screens and her company Optomen, which has already brought us Gordon Ramsay's F Word, The Two Fat Ladies and The Great British Menu. The book and TV series What to Eat Now will combine cooking and natural history to produce a timely guide to seasonal fare. Valentine takes us on a mouth-watering journey around the rivers, seas, woodlands and fields to seek out the very best ingredients that autumn has to offer. We then follow Valentine as he brings whatever he has hunted, fished, and picked back to the kitchen to create delicious, inspiring and accessible dishes. The book will consist of over 100 recipes including all those on the programme, and will be beautifully illustrated with photographs by well-known photographer Howard Sooley. As Valentine's first book, it will be highly personal - his engaging text will draw upon his upbringing, and his own illustrations will be dotted throughout the book. Valentine Warner grew up on a farm in Dorset, where he learned to fish and shoot. He spent 7 years working in London's kitchens, including some time with Alastair Little and Rose Carrini. Valentine ran his own catering company, Green Pea, which he set up with the ex-manager of the River Cafe. They catered for big names such as Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci. Pat Llewellyn said "Valentine's enormous personal charm and his enthusiasm for seasonal cooking is infectious and, once you understand exactly how and why foods appear at certain times, it will be hard to resist the urge to get up off the sofa and cook for yourself." Mitchell Beazley is planning a high profile marketing and publicity campaign to launch Valentine Warner this autumn. There will be events for both journalists and book buyers to meet the author and we will be working closely with Optomen TV to ensure that Valentine's profile will be everywhere. Octopus Publishing Group's Sales & Marketing Director, Steven Edney, commented "We have invested a handsome six figure advance for this exciting, high profile TV tie-in with Valentine. He is a rising star of cookery and with this key prime time slot we will make What to Eat Now the blockbuster cookery book this Christmas." Pat Llewellyn said "We are delighted to be working with Mitchell Beazley - they are focused, creative and have heaps of enthusiasm for this project." For further information, please contact: Fiona Smith on 0207 531 8489 or email: fiona.smith@octopus-publishing.co.uk
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