A Night Out with Restaurant Critic Jay Rayner

A talk by the writer and broadcaster Jay Rayner at The Old Woollen in Leeds, marking the publication of the cookbook Nights Out in the Kitchen. It forms part of Farsley Lit Fest.

Jay Rayner returns to Leeds, where they studied at university, to speak about the restaurants and home cooking that shape their writing. The session celebrates the release of Nights Out in the Kitchen, a follow-up to Nights Out at Home, and is staged as part of Farsley Lit Fest.

The book combines dishes inspired by Jay Rayner's years as a restaurant critic, spanning more than a quarter of a century, with a set of family recipes developed in their own kitchen. Recipes such as meatballs with braised spaghetti, a shaved fennel salad with lemon zest and a slow-cooked tandoori lamb shoulder sit alongside anecdotes about dinner parties, Christmas lunch and the difficulty of describing flavour without falling back on stock adjectives.

The talk suits readers of Jay Rayner's books and anyone curious about restaurant criticism and home cooking. Jay Rayner will sign copies of the cookbook afterwards. The event takes place at The Old Woollen.