The Cookbook Club Is the New Dinner Party

glamour.com:

.So when Laverty, 29, moved to London a few years ago, she thought she’d try her hand at a cookbook club—an edible spin on the age-old .

In April 2023, a six-person cohort gathered at Laverty’s house in West London armed with ingredients, and began cooking different recipes out of “We all have such busy lives, and it can be really hard to make consistent plans,” says Laverty, whose group now meets monthly. “I think it’s really about that time together and that sense of community.”As cookbooks’ and chefs’ cultural cache swells, cookbook clubs like Laverty’s are growing alongside them, too.

Although cookbook clubs have been around for decades, the pandemic ushered in a new wave of get-togethers, with many discovering the phenomenon on TikTok.“They became much bigger in 2020,” says cookbook author Paula Forbes, who also runs a cookbook industry newsletter. “It was like a relatively easy way to connect with friends.

I think, in general, people are just interested in connecting with a cookbook as a whole in a deeper and sort of more detailed way.”While Laverty’s club makes their meals in-person as a group, other clubs operate more potluck-style with members preparing different recipes at home out of the same book.