Jo Pratt, chef and writer of cookbooks
July 2024
Jo Pratt is a renowned TV chef who has collaborated with celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver, Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay, and John Torode.
Jo has published six successful cookbooks and she ventured into the restaurant industry with The Gorgeous Kitchen, a Heathrow Terminal 2 restaurant specialising in global cuisine made with British-grown produce, alongside chefs Sophie Michell, Gee Charman, and Caroline Artiss.
Her book, The Flexible Vegetarian, addresses the diverse dietary preferences of modern families. Designed for cooks who enjoy vegetarian recipes but may occasionally add meat or fish, the book is ideal for households where dietary needs may include vegetarian teenagers and carnivorous adults. Jo continued this series with The Flexible Pescatarian in 2019 and The Flexible Family Cookbook in 2020.
Jo’s passion for cooking dates back to her primary school days, where she frequently sought recipes from the school cook.
Despite her degree in Home Economics from John Moore’s University in Liverpool, Jo opted out of the restaurant industry’s demanding and male-dominated environment. Instead, she found her niche in food media, starting with BBC’s Good Food Magazine.
Her talent and creativity eventually led her to on-camera roles, where she drew inspiration from cooking for her husband, Phil, and their two children.
Jo met fellow Chiswick resident and foodie Lucy Cufflin at Lucy’s cookery school, Ginger Whisk. Their friendship and collaboration led to the creation of the Cookbook Festival, which ran alongside the Chiswick Book Festival in 2018 and 2019, and then the Chiswick Cheese Market from 2021. Both have been run by a group of local women who share an interest in good food.
Jo also regularly hosts cooking classes at Leith’s and Divertimenti Cookery, and also the food and music festival Pub in the Park.
READ ALSO: Jo Pratt profile 2018
READ ALSO: Cook Book Festival
READ ALSO: Try out recipes from Jo Pratt’s new Flexible Family Cookbook
READ ALSO: Lucy Cufflin, co-founder of the Cheese Market
READ ALSO: Chiswick Cheese Market
Page updated July 2024 by Ciara Fitzgerald
