Walker signs GBBO winner's children's cookbook

Walker Books will publish "The Great British Bake Off" winner David Atherton's children's cookbook. 

My First Cook Book by Atherton, and illustrated by award-winning illustrator Rachel Stubbs, will be published in August 2020, in time for the next season of "The Great British Bake Off". 

Publisher Denise Johnstone-Burt acquired world rights for one title from Felicity Blunt at Curtis Brown and Cecilia de la Campa on behalf of Lindsay Auld at Writers House.

Atherton, who won the Channel 4 show in 2019, is now an international health adviser, working in UK Aid-funded hospitals overseas. 

"David brings flair and a healthy approach to all his recipes; My First Cook Book is his first cook book, with a focus on fun to encourage the youngest readers to get cooking," said Walker. "My First Cook Book is a beautifully illustrated celebration of the enduring power of cooking to bring families together and to spark creativity from the earliest age."

Atherton said: "Winning 'The Great British Bake Off' was an amazing experience. So much of my love of food and health came from being in the kitchen from an early age with my Mum, touching, smelling, experiencing and experimenting. Preparing and making food together is not a chore, it should come under the category of play."

Stubbs said: "This project has been a joy to work on with David. My aim is to make this book a visual treat that will give its readers a taste for fun in the kitchen."

Johnstone-Burt added: "I have wanted to commission a first cook book for children for as long as I can remember so David’s proposal felt like an answer to my prayers. David’s imaginative and irresistible recipes are sure to inspire children to get cooking from the youngest age. Easy to follow steps and beautiful illustrations by Rachel Stubbs will ensure this becomes the classic first cookbook for children everywhere for years to come."