Renowned British chef, television personality and culinary educator, Rosemary Shrager, will fittingly launch this year’s Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival over lunch in October this year.
The annual event has been named by Harper's Bazaar as one of the UK's Best Literary Festivals. 2023’s Festival will open with a Literary Lunch with Rosemary Shrager, in association with Yorkshire Life on October 19.
With a career spanning over four decades, Rosemary has established herself as a prominent figure in the culinary world. She has made numerous appearances on popular cooking shows, as well as featuring in ‘Ladette to Lady’ and ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ Alongside her television appearances, Rosemary has authored several successful cookbooks and is highly regarded as a culinary educator, running her own cooking school. She has a real love of Yorkshire - not only did her mother’s family hail 'from Scarborough way,' but she ran a cookery school at Swinton Park, Masham, until a few years ago. She has recently started writing crime novels, with her latest novel titled, ‘The Proof in The Pudding’, which is set in the fictional village of Scrafton Busk in Yorkshire.
Rosemary is one of a number of celebrated speakers at this year’s event based at The Crown, Harrogate, including Victoria Hislop, Alison Weir and Andy McNab to Monty Panesar and Dr Hilary Jones meaning the event is likely to live up to its Harper’s Bazaar billing as ‘one of the UK’s best literary festivals’.
Best-selling authors and leading thinkers will share their stories in a diverse programme designed to entertain, inspire, educate, challenge and amuse. The annual event is curated and produced by Harrogate International Festivals and sponsored by Raworths Solicitors.
For lovers of historical literature, Victoria Hislop introduces her new novel, The Figurine, which, like her best-seller The Island, is set in Greece, and shines a light on the controversial acquisition of cultural treasures. Closer to home, popular historian and author Alison Weir, author of the Sunday Times bestselling Six Tudor Queens series, will explore the life of one of Britain’s most infamous monarchs, Henry VIII, the subject of her latest historical novel.
Meanwhile, celebrated royal correspondent and author Robert Hardman will share insights from his definitive account of Elizabeth II’s reign, Sunday Times Biography of the Year 2022 Queen of Our Times, and examine the transition from our longest-reigning monarch to her son, Charles III.
From the worlds of sport and entertainment, England cricketer and broadcaster Monty Panesar will recount stories from his sporting career, while husband and wife team Carrie and David Grant tell the tale of their extraordinary family, explored in their new book A Very Modern Family.
Andy McNab, who has written three best-selling books about his life in the SAS, will give the inside line on his latest fictional thriller, Down to the Wire, along with the personal experiences that inspire his writing, and comedian Rosie Holt will share the story behind how she became an internet sensation.
From the medical sphere, the festival welcomes GP, author and broadcaster Dr Hilary Jones, who will join a panel exploring the challenges currently faced by the NHS.
Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, says, ‘This year’s Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival features a terrific mix of fiction writers, TV broadcasters, sports personalities, historians and journalists, with more thrilling programme announcements coming soon. We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors, Raworths Solicitors, who have been our partner in this acclaimed event for over a decade.’
October 19-22 To find out more and book tickets, visit harrogateinternationalfestivals.com or contact the box office on 01423 562303.
