How to Cook a Book: A Food Writing Retreat
Food writers and would-be writers, if you fancy cuddling up over a good book with a bunch of fellow food scribes, this is the retreat of your dreams.
The book is yours-in-the-making, a mass of words, probably in the wrong order and all a bit unfocussed. But, with a bit of magic, some creative writing exercises, expert advice and lots and lots of time to write among a supportive gang of people, you'll leave with a clear vision of what you want to say in the world, to whom and why.
Each retreat, which runs from a Monday evening to a Wednesday afternoon at my home in East Sussex, I invite experts from the publishing industry and guests from my Cooking the Books podcast to Zoom in to share their insights, process and advice. With inspiration from our muse-in-residence, you’ll come with a dream and leave with a plan.
You’ll have plenty of time to retreat and write, with a large bedroom with en-suite and writing desk overlooking the meadow for £365 or a slightly smaller room with shared bathroom or en-suite in the upcycled barn for £355.
Our Zoom panel experts have included Gill Meller, Gurd Loyal, Tara Wigley, Lerato, Felicity Cloake, Sophie Grigson, Rachel Roddy and Dominique Woolf, and agents Emily Sweet, Emma Bal and Charlie Brotherstone. Bloomsbury Publishing Director, Rowan Yapp joined Mark Diacono and Skye McAlpine. Melissa Hemsley joined Don Sloan from the Jane Grisgon Trust Awards. Our muses in residence have been Elisabeth Luard and Jo Thomas, and Lori De Mori from the Towpath Cafe.
The next retreats are May 19-21 and July 14-16 2025 with Elisabeth Luard our muse in residence.
Prices include all your food; all you need to bring is your laptop, your yoga mat and wine. Email gilly@gillysmith.com for more info and to book.
Testimonials
Gilly is that rare and happy combination of someone who is intelligent, curious, kind, generous and fun. And that’s what you’ll get on her retreat - all of it, in spades. If you’re looking to get started on a project, to hone skills or simply to get yourself off the starting block - do it - book into the House of Dreams and get your dreams of writing come true. What’s more, she’s built up an incredibly supportive community of ex-students that you’ll be part of and you’ll have the pleasure of hanging out and learning from the ever-inspiring Elisabeth Luard. It’s such an enriching experience, I went back a second time and I loved it all over again.
I consider this to be one of the best investments I have ever made in myself. Gilly has a knack for helping you develop a crystal clear idea of what it is you really want to say to the world and in the hours we spent together she really helped me hone the idea for my first cookbook. And her generous guidance and pragmatic advice encouraged me (after many years of hesitating) to finally commit the words for my proposal to paper (and get it in decent shape) and start reaching out to agents.
Plucking up the courage to enquire, followed by the nerve wracking trip to this retreat with my imposter safely sat beside me was a punt I am so grateful to have made. Gilly has a wonderful skill of seeing exactly what each person has to bring to the table, gently coaxing it out and enabling our sub-conscious to flow. Along with the infinite industry insights from Elisabeth Luard, there is so much to learn from this powerhouse duo. It’s little wonder most of us come back for more.
This retreat is merely the beginning of each writer's journey into a wonderful, supportive community with like-minded people, cheering each other along in the background. Simply priceless.
I was struggling as a humble potter and avid cook, how to develop an infusion of the two. After a weekend at Gilly’s food writing retreat I left with a melting pot of ideas, some transformational writing techniques and a fabulous supportive bunch of new foodie friends. Katrina Riley @naturalpottery
The ‘House of Dreams’ is a beautiful, modernist eco-house in the heart of the Sussex countryside. Here Gilly hosts monthly food writing retreats where legendary food writers, aspiring food writers, agents, publicists, publishers, experts and talents from all avenues of the food writing world gather round her table to talk about life through the prism of food. Every take on this infinite subject is unique and fascinating.
