John and Catherine Pawson Share Family Recipes in ‘Home Farm Cooking’

Twenty years after Interior Design Hall of Famer John Pawson collaborated on acclaimed cookbook “Living and Eating” with food writer Annie Bell, he decided to revisit the connection between food and architecture on a more personal level. This time, Pawson’s chief collaborator is his wife, Catherine, who has cooked and tested each recipe featured in their soon-to-be-released book, “Home Farm Cooking” (published by Phaidon and on sale April 28).

Marking a departure from “Living and Eating,” shot in Pawson’s London home, “Home Farm Cooking” offers readers a rural escape for the eyes—and palate. Filled with images of the couple’s farm in the Oxfordshire countryside, which they restored and renovated themselves, the book includes 100 recipes organized by season as well as original cookware, tableware, and homeware creations. Each image offers a fresh perspective on farm-to-table eating and the ways in which architecture facilitates the enjoyment of food. “The book shows the variety of places we have to eat here,” notes John Pawson, pointing out that first and foremost it celebrates Catherine’s cooking. As for the recipes, they are “accessible and easy to produce,” she adds. Catherine’s favorite? Ricotta-filled zucchini flowers, which she says “look really pretty and taste delicious”—a statement that holds true for many of the recipes here.