Food Whisky Life with Ghillie Basan

Join us for an intimate chat with "The Spice Girl" Ghillie Basan to celebrate her latest book Food Whisky Life

Ghillie Basan has long been one of our favourite authors.

An award-winning writer, broadcaster, food anthropologist, storyteller and travel guide, over the past 30+ years Ghillie has written more than fifty books on Turkey, Morocco, the Levant, Tagines, Vietnam. Singapore, Malaysia, spices, seafood and whisky; many of them award winning. At one stage or another, we've stocked them all and cooked from many.

Although Basan has often written about food in warm exotic and faraway places, home has long been an off-grid crofter's cottage in wildest faraway Highland Scotland. Living in the Highlands has given her a rich appreciation of the infinite varieties and flavours of whisky. And when you combine her unparalled spice and flavour expertise with her deep and abiding love of Highland malt, you have a marriage made in heaven.

Ghillie also presents a podcast featuring food and drink stories in Scotland "Spirit & Spice"; which is also the name for her whisky and food experience business.

Food Whisky Life is first, a beautifully photographed memoir of her life growing up in East Africa, travelling to and living in the Middle East and India, and settling home in the wilds of Scotland. And second, a wonderful collection of recipes that you can cook at home, garnered from her eventful and interesting travels.

An added bonus, are the chapters on whisky flavours and whisky matching and the suggested pairings throughout where Ghillie provides a deep insight into the flavours of whisky and how to match whisky with recipes.

All of her recipes are written from personal observation and experience and based on her culinary travels over many years, making her food warm, evocative, comforting and delicious.

To our delight, Ghillie has embarked on a one-woman world tour to celebrate the release of Food Whisky Life and we are very pleased to be hosting her instore next week. We'll be chatting about food writing, travelling and whisky whilst sampling a few dishes and perhaps toasting the book with a wee dram.

Please join us on Wednesday 19th November for a wonderful discussion. As usual tastes from the book will be served.

Tickets are limited.

FAQs

I can't attend an event, can I buy/pre-order a signed copy of the book?

Yes. Copies will be available for signing and purchase on the night. If you can't attend, we can organise to post signed and personalised copies to you.

What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?

If you haven't been to one of our events for a while, please note we have moved to the northern side of the Queen Victoria Market. Our new address is 115-121 Victoria Street (next to A Shed)

The 19, 20, 57 (Elizabeth St)and 55 (William & Peel St) trams go past the Queen Victoria Market and run frequently. We are in the Free Tram Zone and are a short 50m walk from the Elizabeth St Queen Victoria Market stop and the Peel St Queen Victoria Market stop. Melbourne Central and Flagstaff railway stations are two blocks away.

If driving, there is plenty of metered parking on Queen St near the corner of Victoria St. There is also limited parking on Victoria Street outside the store.