This brilliant space, based at Michael Mayhew and Laura Elliott’s home in Cecil Road and the Workshop for Sustainability directly opposite, boasts in excess of 700 food and drink related books to browse and borrow. From pickling and preserving to growing, cooking and sustainability, there’s pretty much a book here for every foodie avenue you want to go down and it’s aimed at everyone from home cooks and enthusiasts to professional chefs and foodies; a space to browse, meet, discuss, learn and share.

You can become a library member for just £25 a year or £40 for a joint membership, which means it’s pretty accessible and supremely useful if, like me, you’re the sort of person who buys far too many cook books. But it doesn’t stop there, because you can also visit for the popular monthly Dining Club events too, these are bespoke dining events for ten people, featuring freshly grown produce straight from the kitchen garden, as well as homemade preserves and tipples such as rhubarb gin and blackberry whisky, which are also available to buy from the shop. You can book just one or two places for the Dining Clubs or book out the whole event for a large group and the menu will be tailored to each group according to seasonality.

Last year saw the launch of their Workshop for Sustainability, a beautifully converted space directly across the road, where you’ll find the fruit and veg patch, bee hive and a curious space for ‘pop up’ events and workshops inspired by the books and focussed on Laura and Michael’s how-to and DIY focus. The workshops include foraging and fermenting, growing unusual vegetables and making zero-waste cheese, as well as pop-up Food Halls, where you can eat street food and buy produce from a wide range of local growers, makers and producers. In 2025 they are taking their workshops to the wonderful Hideaway Wood Farm with their Summer Solstice Residential and Slow Food Sundays, re-interpreting the relaxing Sunday lunch.