Seven Dials to publish Famous Five recipes for grown-ups

Seven Dials is publishing an official Famous-Five inspired recipes book for grown-ups for the Christmas market, licensed from Enid Blyton Entertainment.

Capitalising on Enid Blyton's global brand, Five Go Feasting is billed as "the perfect nostalgic gift for Famous Five fans this Christmas" and promises to allow grown-up readers to revisit stories featuring Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog and create 80 food and drink recipes "faithful to the books". 

With examples including the gang's famous ginger beer, chapters divide recipes for food and drinks into several categories: Jolly Good Breakfasts; Perfect Picnics; Scrumptious Suppers; Cracking Cakes and Tasty Treats; and Lashings of Delicious Drinks. Each will be accompanied by "familiar illustrations" and quotes from the stories.

The book is entitled in full Five Go Feasting: Famously Good Recipes and will be written by food writer Josh Sutton and published on 1st November 2018 to tie in with the 50th anniversary of Blyton’s death later that month. Emily Barrett, commissioning editor for Seven Dials and Orion Spring, Orion Publishing Group, licensed world rights from Enid Blyton Entertainment to publish it.

Five Go, a series published by fellow Hachette UK publisher Quercus featuring Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five as adults, first took the Christmas market by storm in 2016. Its Five on Brexit Island title was a special hit, following in the footsteps of the Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups that initiated the Christmas sales trend for the nostalgic tongue-in-cheek spoofs in 2015.

Barrett commented on Seven Dials' new deal: "I’m thrilled to be publishing Five Go Feasting on the burgeoning gift-tranche of the Seven Dials list. With the world feeling a little miserable right now, what could be more comforting than returning to the stories from our childhood? And this is the perfect stocking-filler to allow adult Famous Five fans who can wistfully recall the delicious spread Enid Bylton reliably laid on for her readers to do just that.

"We know from the continued popularity of the original books and the success of Quercus’ grown-up spoof series that a varied readership exists – this will be a brand-new, fun extension of the brand for that readership, packaged in a small, giftable format and beautifully designed."

Alex Antscherl, editorial director at Enid Blyton Entertainment, added: "This lovely new recipe book is sure to evoke nostalgia for the wholesome and delicious food in The Famous Five books. Our Enid Blyton family cookbook Jolly Good Food introduced her food to a young audience, now Josh’s new cookbook will do the same for grown-up fans."