To mark the bicentenary of Dickens’s birth Vintage Classics and Ebury have joined forces to host a Dickens Day at Foyles Charing Cross Road.

Saturday 25th February 2012

10.30am-5.00pm

A host of celebrated writers, including acclaimed authors and historians Deborah Moggach, David Kynaston, Sarah Wise and Alex Werner, screenwriter Sarah Phelps (who wrote the recent BBC adaptation of Great Expectations) and one of our most well-known children’s authors Michael Rosen, discuss their love of Dickens’s writing, London in the nineteenth century and the power that Dickens continues to hold today.

The day will also include an ‘I Never Knew That About Dickens Quiz’, hosted by Christopher Winn, author of the popular ‘I Never Knew That About…’ series. The audience will have the opportunity to win a selection of the books discussed on the day, including sixteen of Dickens’ works.

We will be decorating the Foyles Gallery for two weeks surrounding the event with spectacular images taken from the Vintage Classics Oliver Twist cover competition and photography from Ebury’s Dickens’s Victorian London.

All in attendance will also receive a goody bag including a free Vintage Classics book.

For more information you and a schedule of events, check out the Foyle’s website here

Tickets for the day are on sale now at Foyles (£10/£8)

Here at Ebury we love a good birthday celebration. Partially it’s about celebrating another year of our colleagues but mostly it’s about the cake!

It really is no surprise that we love cake, one look at our bookshelves reveals cookbooks of all shapes and sizes that celebrate their deliciousness. Staff can often be seen flicking through books looking for that perfect recipe, whether it’s a Christmas Cake from Delia’s Happy Christmas, a Chocolate Roll from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible, Pina Colada Cupcakes from Eat Me!, chocolate treats from Miss Hope’s Chocolate Box or an edible gift from Good Food: 101 Delicious Gifts we have the office sweet tooth covered

This week celebrated the birthday of our Publicity Assistant, Charlotte (and fed our cake addiction) with a Strawberry and Cream White Chocolate Sponge Cake from the Great British Bake Off. And the celebrations continue today with some amazing birthday cupcakes baked by Charlotte’s family.

Birthday Cakes like these and the Great British Bake Off has recently bought out the competitive bakers within Ebury and Friday has become cake day with someone bringing in temping goodies on a weekly basis. With new books due out later this year on cake decorating, I can only image the competition will heat up as the year progresses.

One thing though is certain, fitness books will begin disappearing from the Vermilion bookshelves as we attempt to counter the inevitable effect!

Kasi – Press Officer

CRÈME BRÛLÉE WITH CINNAMON SCENTED WHISKY ICE CREAM

Serves 8

For the cinnamon-scented whisky ice cream

500 ml double cream
2 vanilla pods
70 g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 egg yolks
50 ml (2 drams) The Famous Grouse
2 shortbread biscuits

For the crème brûlée

500 ml double cream
1 vanilla pod
100 g caster sugar (plus an extra 6 tsp for the topping)
6 egg yolks
25 ml (1 dram) The Famous Grouse

To make the ice cream, place the cream in a saucepan and start to heat. Halve the vanilla pods lengthways and scrape out and reserve the seeds. Add the pods to the cream and bring to the boil, then add the sugar and cinnamon and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl then slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture.

Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into another bowl and whisk in the vanilla seeds. Allow to cool, mix in the whisky and crumbled shortbread biscuits and either churn in an ice-cream maker until frozen or pour the mixture into a freezer-proof container and freeze for 2–3 hours, or until set.

To make the crème brulee, preheat the oven to 140˚C (gas mark 1). Pour the cream into a saucepan. Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds into the cream. Finely chop the empty pod and add to the cream. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Beat the sugar and egg yolks together in a large heatproof bowl until pale and creamy. Bring the cream back to boiling point and pour it over the egg mixture, whisking all the time until thickened (this indicates that the eggs have begun to cook slightly).

Strain through a fine sieve into a large jug, stir in the whisky then pour into 6 ramekins until about two-thirds full. Place the ramekins in a large roasting tray and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up their sides. Place on the centre shelf of the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the custards are just set and are still a bit wobbly in the middle. Remove from the water and cool to room temperature, then store in the fridge until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, sprinkle 1 level teaspoon of caster sugar evenly over the surface of each crème brulee, then caramelize under the grill or using a mini blowtorch. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes before serving. Serve each crème brulee with a generous scoop of whisky ice cream.

Recipe from The Famous Grouse Whisky Companion (Ebury) £9.99

The exhibition of photography from b-boy book, From Bronx to Brixton, launched last night in classic b-boy style - great music from DJ Renegade, amazing moves from dancers including former World Solo Champion Mouse and members of Soul Mavericks crew, Eugene, Gabriel Ma, Roxy and Spin. The photos displayed some electric images from the last 15 years of the B-Boy Championships, which DJ Hooch founded and has run ever since. With a packed crowd coming down to get the exhibition off to a beat-filled start this show is not one to miss. Make sure you make it down before it finishes its run here at Red Bull Studios.

Read more about the book here

Struggling with a little last minute shopping? We thought we would give you a hand with some great gift ideas. And the best part is books are so easy to wrap!

Next year is the 200th Anniversary of Charles Dickens’s birth and to mark the occasion the Museum of London are unveiling a new major exhibition and a tie-in book on the Dickens and his relationship to London.

Opening to the public on Friday, I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the exhibition this morning at the museum’s press (and publisher) preview. The exhibition is the first exclusively on Dickens since the 1970’s and explores the relationship between Dickens and London and the various elements that inspired his work.

The highlights for me though were the rare manuscripts and first corrected proof copies of Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Bleak House and Dombey and Son, as well as Dickens’s bank ledger and writing desk and chair. It was amazing to see all the editorial marks in the margins of the proofs, marks that are still used by editors when editing manuscripts today.

But the exhibition isn’t just about the man himself and the final products but his inspiration. Through stunning photographs, many which are beautifully reproduced in our book Dickens’s Victorian London, as well as paintings and artefacts from Victorian London, various elements of the city and its people point to what inspired so many of Dickens’s characters and stories.

Another part of the exhibition worth mentioning is the beautiful costumes from the BBC’s new production of Great Expectations, which is airing in December, that are on display in the museum’s foyer.

A fascinating look at Dickens and his city of inspiration, it is well worth a visit to Dickens and London fans alike.

The exhibition Dickens in London opens on the 9th of December and runs through to 10th of June 2012. The Museum will be stocking copies of our tie-in book Dickens’s Victorian London exclusively until wider publication on the 5th January 2012.

Kasi - Press Officer

This week we held a super signing at Forbidden Planet in London.  Dedicated Doctor Who fans queued in the cold to have their copies of The Brilliant Book of Doctor Who and The Doctor Who Encyclopaedia signed by not one but a mix of 12 Doctor Who authors, screenwriters and Executive Producer Stephen Moffat.

Over 150 patiently waiting fans started with Moffat and moved their way down the table getting the chance to talk to some of the creative minds behind Doctor Who.  Some fans didn’t get enough the first time around so decided to requeue and do it all over again!

Check out some of the action, interviews with Stephen Moffat & Gary Russell and some vox pops of the crowd on the Forbidden Planet website:  http://forbiddenplanet.com/picks/exclusive-doctor-who-interviews/

Richard Branson and head of Virgin Unite, Jean Oelwang, launched Screw Business as Usual at a press conference in central London earlier this week.

Following appearances on Sky Radio and BBC Breakfast, Jean and Richard joined contributors to the book, including John Bird of The Big Issue and Johen Zeitz of PUMA, to explain just what is involved in Screwing Business as Usual to a packed audience of international print and broadcast journalists.

Richard also launched Virgin Unite’s competition for people to share their ideas for Screwing Business As Usual. The best ideas will win a place on a Connection trip with Richard to South Africa - it is open to everyone, so log on to www.virginunite.com/screwbusinessasusual to find out how to enter.

Find out more about the book

Last week I joined Ebury Illustrated Senior Editor Imogen Fortes and author Juliet Sears on a photoshoot for Juliet’s book, The Cake Decorating Bible, which we are publishing next year.

Armed with a long list of shots to get through, we meet at the studio early to make the most of the light. On the list of shots was some step-by-step sequences, to show readers exactly how techniques are done, as well as finished images for some of the recipes. Many of the cakes were pre-baked but Juliet spent much of the day icing and decorating them, some in parts, for shooting.

Lucky for me this meant that there were delicious cupcakes, cakes, icing and cake decorations in every stage all in need of eating once their photo had been taken.

We also had some fun building mini sets for the final shots with the boxes of props that had been delivered. It was such a busy and fun day that I thought you might like to have a little look at what we got up to…

Kasi - Press Officer

To mark remembrance day,  we would like to share two poems from Heroes: 100 Poems from the New Generation of War Poets

Some Help Here, Please!

Warrant Officer Theodore Knell (59)
Parachute Regiment

Hello God it’s me again.
I know I only call when I’m really in the shit
but at least you know you’re needed
and I’m not faking it.
I’ve heard men call your name
when they’re about to jump;
they promise to never drink again,
to go to church every Sunday

if you’ll only let them survive the fall
and live to see just one more day.

But with me you know it’s different
I only call when it’s something really big,
well God today is one of those days.
I know you’re busy elsewhere
with other
more deserving lives to save
but you must have heard that bloody great bang
and seen the white plumes of our phos grenades

To say we’re outnumbered would be a bit of a joke
the firefight’s in full swing now
the air full of buzzing bullets
and thick with acrid smoke

I have two dead
and of the four that are left
two of us are carrying fresh wounds
so as you can see
we’re in well over our heads

I’ve spoken to Zero
he says they’re on their way
but it could be some time
so it would be really good to get a second opinion
as to whether I’ll live to fight another day

anyway God,
needs must
things to do and lives to take

thanks very much for listening
but I suspect the next time we talk

it could well be
face to face

This is My War,
but No One Shoots at Me

Colonel Simon Marrambe (46)
Royal Regiment of Fusiliers,
Afghanistan (Operation Herrick) 2007 and 2010

This is my war, but no one shoots at me.
Weekly we meet to review strategy.
Clustered in corners of Whitehall labyrinths,
We are the comprehensive government.
Forward looking and customer facing,
We’re joined up, linked in, clever and snappy.

This is my war, but no one shoots at me.
Handshakes and smiles before we take tea
(Coffee the victim of efficiencies).
Sitting in our designated places
We watch VTCs’* broadcasting faces
From the business end. They are audible,
Even visible, but still so remote.

This is my war, but no one shoots at me.
We few, we happy few, serving politely.
Sifting and shifting the words and papers
In artful mazes of prepared phrases.
All stakeholders must feel free to express
The risks, costs; departmental prejudice.

This is my war, but no one shoots at me.
We weave politics and priorities
Into strategies with ends, but no means.
Minimal resources are projected
Departmental budgets are protected.
Agreeing to disagree, we depart.

* Video Telephone Conference