Two things that we love are bringing people together and sharing good food. So, we were very excited to announce that Sarah & Nina hosted the very first Supper Club!

Our menu was inspired by Sarah Winman’s Tuscany from the novel Still Life. If you have been a follower of us for a while, you will know that this novel is adored by all of us here at Mainstreet. We felt it was an incredibly appropriate book to pick as it is about people coming together and the chosen families that we create throughout our lives. (Read Sarah’s full review below.)

Each ticket included a three course, fully vegetarian meal, a welcome cocktail/mocktail and the opportunity to meet new and old friends.  We encouraged people to come along by themselves or with friends, creating a wonderful atmosphere. We got to see some familiar friendly faces as well as meet some new ones. 

If you missed out on a ticket or were unable to attend but would like to try to recreate our menu at home, Nina took inspiration from the cookboook ‘House Party in Tuscany’ by Amber Guinness. Working with seasonal ingredients and focusing on the joy of feeding friends and family, we can highly recommend adding it to your kitchen shelves. You can buy a copy HERE.

Overall, the evening left Sarah & Nina on a high and they thoroughly enjoyed being able to host all of their wonderful guests. To be the first to hear about any upcoming author events/future Supper Club events, join our newsletter or follow our social media channels.

Still Life by Sarah Winman – Reviewed by Sarah

Set across 35 years in a London pub to a pensione in Florence, Still Life pays tribute to Italy, food, art and the chosen families we create. After 64 year old art historian Evelyn and young British soldier Ulyssess have a chance encounter during the war, they are both left with a new perspective on life that changes the course of events. From page one, readers ache and celebrate with the incredible cast of characters, while we wait for fate to work its magic. 

Throughout the novel food is always in the background. Whether it is the bowls of ribollita that helped a life long friendship be formed, the crema filled puff pastries that are remembered on the climb to the best view in Florence or the spam that was carried all the way from London to Italy so that one friend could be there for another… food is always there, evoking cherished memories and bringing characters together.

This novel is a love letter to those people who are there for you through thick and thin and the beauty of those chosen families. It does an extraordinary job of making us believe in fate, coincidence and luck – all of those things that help us find those who make our lives a little bit better…. And it also does a marvelous job of making all its readers want to jet off to Florence and to be enchanted by its beauty and cuisine.

Buy the book HERE.