A Gothic Cookbook

By Ella Buchan and Dr Alessandra Pino, with illustrations by Lee Henry

A feast for the senses: an illustrated cookbook inspired by classic and contemporary Gothic texts.

Illustrated | Food & drink
119% funded
605 supporters
Writing in progress

Publication date: TBC

Support this project
The crowd has spoken – A Gothic Cookbook is happening. Pre-order your reward now.
$15 
12 pledges

Digital

The ebook version of 'A Gothic Cookbook'.

PLUS:

  • Your name in the back of the book
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$35  + shipping
289 pledges

Hardback

A first edition hardback.

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  • Ebook
  • Your name in the back of the book
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$60  + shipping
15 pledges

Bar blade

An exclusive Gothic-inspired bar blade with a quote from a classic text.

PLUS:

  • Signed first-edition hardback
  • Ebook
  • Your name in the back of the book
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$65  + shipping
8 pledges

Tea Towel

A tea towel emblazoned with a bespoke illustration from A Gothic Cookbook.

PLUS:

  • Signed first-edition hardback
  • Ebook
  • Your name in the back of the book
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$75  + shipping
17 pledges

Cook with a Friend

Two signed first edition hardbacks so you can share ideas and recipes.

PLUS:

  • Two ebooks
  • Both of your names in the back of the book
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$85  + shipping
49 pledges

Cocktail Booklet

A beautifully illustrated booklet of libations inspired by favourite Gothic novels, printed in full colour on high-quality recycled paper, in the style of a bound pamphlet or vintage chapbook.

More than a dozen cocktail recipes include a Mint Espresso Martini, inspired by coffee and creme de menthe in Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby, a Champagne cocktail as quaffed by vampires in Jewelle Gomez’s The Gilda Stories, and a Corpse Reviver 1818 – stiffened with absinthe and named in honour of the year Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was published.

And, of course, your very own Cup of Stars a la Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House – though ours is a sheer, silky-smooth clarified rum milk punch based on an 18th-century recipe.

PLUS:

  • Signed first edition hardback
  • Ebook
  • Your name in the back of the book
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$90  + shipping
3 pledges

Limited edition Art Print

A signed, limited edition A4 art print by the illustrator of A Gothic Cookbook, Lee Henry. Your print will be printed in colour on high quality 300gsm paper.

LIMITED TO 50.

PLUS:

  • Signed first-edition hardback
  • Ebook
  • Your name in the back of the book.
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$110  + shipping
13 pledges

Dinner Party Kit

An exclusive set of illustrated recipe cards to inspire a Gothic-themed meal for yourself or to try with friends, family or your book club.

PLUS:

  • Bar blade
  • Tea towel
  • Signed first edition hardback
  • Ebook
  • Your name in the back of the book
Choose this reward
$120  + shipping
7 pledges

Cocktail Party Kit

A beautifully illustrated, full-colour, booklet with more than a dozen recipes for Gothic cocktails, from an absinthe-infused Corpse Reviver 1818 – named in honour of the year Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was first published – and a Cup of Stars inspired by Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House (ours is a clarified milk punch, stiffened with rum).

You’ll also get a set of 3 downloadable, illustrated cocktail recipe cards that can be shared with friends.

PLUS:

  • Bar blade
  • Tea towel
  • Signed first edition hardback
  • Ebook
  • Your name in the back of the book
Choose this reward
$190  + shipping
1 pledge

Tea with Mrs Danvers

The authors of A Gothic Cookbook will dress up as Mrs Danvers from Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and bring afternoon tea to you and your friends, family, colleagues or book group.
We'll prepare the entire spread described in the novel and served each day, at half past four, at Manderley, from the "dripping crumpets", scones and "sandwiches of a mysterious nature" to the angel cake, its "rather stodgier cousin" (a fruit-laced pound cake) and "that very special gingerbread". And we'll bring it to your home or a location of your choice.*
The spread is enough to serve 10-12 people (or you will have plenty of leftovers – and we will offer storage tips!).
*We will travel, on a mutually convenient day and time, to: Greater London, Greater Manchester, Co Durham, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, or Tyne & Wear. Pledge level limited to 3.

PLUS:

  • Signed first edition hardback
  • Ebook
  • Tea towel
  • A digital/downloadable Manderley afternoon tea recipe booklet
  • Your name (or group's name) in the back of the book
Choose this reward
$250  + shipping

Book Club

Five signed first edition hardbacks to read with your book club or friends.

PLUS:

  • Five signed limited edition A4 art prints by the illustrator of A Gothic Cookbook, Lee Henry.
  • Five ebooks
  • Up to five names in the back of the book
Choose this reward
$1,250  + shipping

Patron

Be one of our biggest supporters.

Our patron level includes a special thank you printed in the FRONT of the book with your name and/or the name of your organisation.

You will also have our eternal, undying (and undead) gratitude for helping to bring our book into being.

LIMITED TO 5.

PLUS:

  • Five signed first edition hardbacks
  • Five ebooks
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Sold out!

$60  + shipping
5 pledges

Vegetarian Monster Special

Celebrate Mary Shelley's 224th birthday with this limited-time "Vegetarian Monster" themed pledge, inspired by her (and Victor's) most famous creation.
Receive a set of 13 beautifully illustrated, downloadable cards with vegetarian recipes from A Gothic Cookbook, with step-by-step instructions for dishes such as a Shepherd's Breakfast Bake (a savoury bread pudding inspired by a meal devoured by Frankenstein's creature), walnut ravioli from Rebecca and a meat-free take on Jonathan Harker's paprika hendl (Dracula).
(There will be tried and tested vegan adaptations where relevant.)

PLUS:

  • Signed first edition hardback
  • Ebook
  • Your name in the back of the book
$250  + shipping
1 pledge

Bespoke Illustration

A one-off A3 illustration of yourself or the subject of your choice hand-drawn and signed by the illustrator of A Gothic Cookbook, Lee Henry.

LIMITED TO 1.

PLUS:

  • Signed first edition hardback
  • Ebook
  • Your name in the back of the book

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I get my book delivered to?

We deliver to most countries worldwide. Enter your delivery address during checkout and we'll display the shipping cost when we know where to send your book.

How do supporter names work?

Every person who pledges to help to make a book gets their name included in a supporter section as a thank you as long as they pledge before the list closing deadline. If you want to add a different name, this can be changed in your account after you have completed your pledge.

Will the book and rewards that I receive look the same as the images shown on the Unbound website?

Book designs, cover and other images are for illustrative purposes and may differ from final design.

Still have a question? Visit our Help Centre to find out more.

A Gothic Cookbook is composed of thirteen chapters, each focusing on a different Gothic story and its edible motifs before bringing them to life - and to your table. Delicious yet devious, this cookbook is a culinary and literary delight.

Inspired by Dr Alessandra Pino’s academic studies into how food manifests itself on the pages of Gothic literature, and combining her knife-sharp analysis with Ella Buchan’s experience as a food writer and recipe developer, A Gothic Cookbook pays homage to the most appetising cuts of the genre, featuring over sixty original recipes illustrated by Lee Henry. 

Dracula lulls protagonist Jonathan Harker into a false sense of security with cold cuts and a spicy, smoky, peppery stew. Frankenstein’s “monster” starts out as a benign vegetarian, while Mrs Poole’s overindulgence in Mother’s Ruin triggers Mr Rochester’s downfall in Jane Eyre – and a bitter tangerine signals a sharp, yet unheeded, warning against marriage and Manderley in Rebecca. Notice, too, how a ghostly presence craves sugar and burnt bread in Toni Morrison’s Beloved... 

In this interplay between supper and the supernatural, you’ll learn to pick your desserts carefully: chocolate mousses foreshadow impending doom, yet the humble seed cake is a gesture of kindness.

With a foreword from acclaimed writer, editor and academic, Leone Ross, A Gothic Cookbook is the perfect culinary companion for those of you who enjoy a slice of the macabre with your dinner.

Image credits: Design by Mecob. Images: © Shutterstock.com. Book illustrations © Lee Henry. Book designs, cover and other images are for illustrative purposes and may differ from final design.

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Quick select rewards

$35  + shipping
289 pledges

Hardback

A first edition hardback.

PLUS:

  • Ebook
  • Your name in the back of the book
Choose this reward