Persia in Peckham

Persepolis is a foodie's paradise. Sally Butcher and her husband Jamshid have created a food store from heaven, gathering all that's best from Iran and the Middle East.

Chef and food writer Tom Norrington Davies remarks that 'Persepolis is my corner shop. But even if it wasn't, I'd happily cross town and country to get there. Otherwise, I'd miss the heady scent of their herbs and spices every time I opened my kitchen cupboards. Persepolis is an emporium in the true sense of the word. It feels exotic and local all at once, and this is, in no small part, thanks to Sally Butcher. She is always happy to give advice on everything from chick peas to hookahs with the same warm mix of humour, expertise and enthusiasm. And if the samovar is on you get all the above with a cuppa. Persepolis is the sort of place no neighbourhood should be without.'

This book distils all that is remarkable about this shop and the style of cooking that it supports. Sally herself is English, but she has had to learn the ways of her customers and her husband's family. She is a matchless interpreter of Persian food and cookery, as well as of modern Iran and the tremendous changes that have been going on in that society since the revolution.

This book should be seen as a way for British readers to enter into the Persian experience; to understand how the cuisine has developed; and to appreciate how the cookery (and the society) is reacting to the modern world. The recipes are full and informative, covering every aspect of Persian cookery from soups and stews to drinks and sweetmeats.

This will be a book to remember; and a book that will be applauded and endorsed by some of the most respected of our modern food writers and chefs.

Praise for PERSIA IN PECKHAM

Named Sunday Times Cookbook of the Year: 'A gem of a book [that] mixes alluring Persian recipes with tales of modern Iran and insights about running a corner shop in southeast London. What makes Persia in Peckham so gripping is the engaging authorial voice of Sally Butcher, who explains everything from persimmons to pickles with zip and charm... Like a great corner shop, the book is stuffed with unexpected treats – little asides on cinema in Iran, or the link between the Iranian love of saffron fudge and the large number of Iranian dentists'

Named by Charles Campion in The Independent on Sunday as one of his favourite cookbooks for Christmas.

Picked by Kate Colquhoun in the Telegraph's round up of great Cookbooks for Christmas: 'good recipes ... with great insights into a captivating culture'.

Names as one of Time Out's Christmas Cookbooks: 'Butcher says that the book aims to be a ‘kitchen-table book, rather than a coffee-table book’, and it is. There are no lusty food-porn images (though there are some nice line drawings) and the author has a writing style that’s witty and charmingly irreverent. So too with the recipes. From kebabs and khoreshes (stews) and kuftehs (stuffed rissoles or meatballs) to pulaos (rice dishes), classic Persian recipes make up the bulk of the book. Yet the recipes aren’t precious or overinvolved, and are written in a way that’s likely to encourage neophytes. The book also delves into the wider culture of Iran, covering topics such as the Persian music scene, Iranians and their relationship with Islam and Iranian wedding rituals. One chapter is dedicated to ‘The Peckham Influence’, with recipes that reflect the multi-ethnic mix of this particular slice of southeast London, such as suya chelow with jerk chicken, or Persian pizzas. It’s a book that – like the best kitchens – is marked by tolerance, generosity and great food.'