A recipe book sharing stories of food, heritage and culture from across European towns and cities - including Eastwood, Kimberley and Giltbrook - has won an international award.

Cooking and Culture! won first place in the Best Plurinational Book in the World category at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Lisbon earlier this week.

Co-produced with four other European cities as part of a project to break down cultural barriers, the book aims to bring people from different cultures together through the universal language of food.

Well known Broxtowe businesses including Charlie’s On The Hill in Eastwood, Rumbletums Cafe in Kimberley and Blue Monkey Brewery in Giltbrook feature in the Broxtowe section of the book, along with recipes and stories from Chateroux (France), Falun (Sweden), Grudziądz (Poland), and Gütersloh (Germany).

A new cook book featuring recipes from Eastwood, Kimberley and Giltbrook has won an internation award.

placeholder image — A new cook book featuring recipes from Eastwood, Kimberley and Giltbrook has won an internation award.

Historical recipes are also included from the DH Lawrence Birthplace Museum in Eastwood.

The Gourmand awards are known to be the ‘Oscars’ of the cookbook world, welcoming top gastronomic talent 221 countries and regions in 2024.

Coun Teresa Cullen (Brox All), portfolio holder for health and leisure at Broxtowe Council, said: “The World Gourmand Book Awards has been celebrating the very best of culinary writing for 30 years. In a convention centre packed with world renowned authors, publishers and celebrity chefs, it was truly humbling that the committee chose our book as best in the world in its class.

"It is truly testament to the power of food to bring about friendships and diplomacy between different peoples and cultures.”

This internationally-acclaimed book is available to purchase for £20 from the DH Lawrence Birthplace Museum gift shop in or on request by emailing [email protected]