Is the cookbook dead?

The first in our series of dinner party conversation starters.

by Stephanie Clifford-Smith

Hands up who bought into the argument that with the advent of digital content the hardcopy cookbook would die. Some may have felt a frisson of excitement that so much would be instantly available at the mere click of a mouse. Others may have scampered whimpering to a corner with their favourite hard backs, drawing their metaphorical curtains against the cold digital light.

Turns out the second group had nothing to fear. Cookbooks sales have suffered little if at all in the digital age. Yes there’s masses of free content available online but who really wants all that coming at them unfiltered? The massive curatorial and design efforts that continue to go into cookbook publishing are appreciated by consumers who love to cook.

It’s not just the worry of splashing hot oil on your expensive ipad or phone, it’s that a hard copy page won’t fade to black after a few minutes unattended, requiring a swipe with a buttery finger before it can be read again.  Besides, curling up with a real cookbook is a welcome break from screen time, a form of relaxation that frees creativity and inspiration.

So when we posted on Instagram and Facebook a stack of my desert island cookbooks we got some serious social media engagement. People following Gastronomy and all of us within the company are crazy for real cookbooks, a love that has been borne out by publishing figures. We love their tactility, the grubby pages reminding us of favourite recipes, the annotations and, whether we cook a recipe or not, the ideas a quiet flick through a book generate are unparalleled by anything coming from a screen.

Do you think the cookbook is dead?