What does it mean to entertain? To create a space for curious conversations and rumbling stomachs? Hosting, for some, is like a fine art. For others, algebraic. Writer and cook Jago Rackham’s debut book, To Entertain, is subtitled: “Instructions for a Dinner Party,” but it is more than a simple etiquette guide or hosting how-to. Part-memoir, part-cookbook, the British cook and writer celebrates the delicious alchemy of gathering friends and answering their appetites.
Rackham’s philosophy resists fussiness and celebrates good food, whatever the funds or friends at the table. Advice flows easily and warmlys, and recipes revel in the simple but sumptuous: there’s an oregano and beef sauce ribboned through a tagliatelle that is “not Italian…not really from anywhere, save [his] kitchen in London,” chicken and rice for “when you’re sick as a dog,” and a “sort of” ratatouille that bastardizes some Delia Smith. There’s a proper custard, and a very British sticky toffee pudding and trifle. Pointers are offered for cooking for new friends, lovers, and family—as well as dealing with unexpected guests, lateness, getting people to leave, speeches, and the right glassware.
On a warm Saturday afternoon, Rackham and his partner, the artist Lowena Hearn, welcomed friends and other creatives to their east London home to celebrate the launch of To Entertain. “Parties are really important to me,” Rackham tells Vogue. “In our early 20s, we used to throw lots and lots of parties.” (This writer has frequented several of Rackham and Hearn’s infamous, bustling parties at their previous home in Forest Gate—this one, Rackham wanted to be a little bit more “civilized and grown-up.”) Their apartment is airy and sun-dappled: a whorling sculpture has been moulded around the fireplace, by Hearn, and piles of the book are surrounded by large vegetal sculptures and candles to make a beautiful shrine.
“It’s not often you find yourself at a party where carrots are artfully strewn across cabinet tops and spilling your drink is met with encouragement,” muses Song-I Saba, a London-based fashion and art writer, and founder of tinned fish brand Pyscis.
“I think there’s something so special about people opening up their homes,” says Egle Loit, the chef-proprietor of Darling’s Eatery and Studio, and a culinary artist captivating Instagram with her current visual series rolling pasta inspired by the runways. (Edible, colorful sheets referencing Simone Rocha prints and Dior tutus included.) “Getting everything ready for guests, offering whatever they’ve made themselves. It’s one of the most joyful things for me. I truly didn’t want this escapism to end, and overstayed… I definitely made new friends.”
For drinks, guests enjoyed South African winery Krone’s Cap Classique, a vintage sparkling wine produced in champagne traditions, and more wines by Sandridge Barton—a vineyard in South Devon, close to where Rackham and Hearn grew up, and a leading producer changing the face of English wine. Red wine stains bloomed on the white tablecloth, where tins of Runan Caviar sat atop cold concrete stones, which people spooned onto fistfuls of chips. The door thrummed often, and Rackham warmlys welcomed the likes of Alexa Chung, Wooden City Substack writer Isaac Rangaswami, The Goal is to Eat writer and podcast host Panayiota Soutis, floral designer Christie Leigh, and APOC concept store founder Ying Suen.
“It’s a relaxed mess,” says Rackham, “which ties into the book really—this is about entertaining when you don’t want to feel formal, but it’s still something pleasant and easy. It’s not tied up with feelings of stress or anxiety.” At the center of the curated culinary chaos? A gigantic domed cake filled with Cornish strawberry jam and rosemary syrup, sculpted jagged peaks of ivory buttercream. “It’s like the Titanic,” he observes.
When I catch up with restaurant PR and girl about town Pink Squire late the next day, she echoes that spirit of conviviality—and confirms that she, too, left with a much fuller calendar. “By the time we left, the tablecloth was drenched in red wine, there was rosemary icing on the floor, and three more dates had been added to my diary to have dinner parties with new friends,” she informs me. “I suppose that’s exactly what Jago’s ethereal universe intended. He and Lowena have a very fond place in my heart, and I can’t wait to return the favor soon.”
