review by Anne van Oorschot

17 Jan 2022. “Your ability to change everything – including yourself – starts here” – ELIZABETH ZOTT

The Book

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans, the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with – of  all things – her mind. True chemistry results.

Like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later, Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show, Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo. Meet the unconventional, uncompromising Elizabeth Zott.

Reviews of the Book

 A novel that sparks joy with every page – Elizabeth Day

 I am devastated to have finished it – Nigella Lawson

 Page-turning and highly satisfying – Maggie Shipstead

 Vibrant and original – Rachel Joyce