Will Travel for Food

Clarissa Dickson Wright, the surviving member of the Two Fat Ladies cooking-show team, has a handkerchief-sized used book shop in the old Grassmarket area in Edinburgh. The buildings are very old and the shop reflects the history of the area. The Grassmarket used to be the "bad" part of town. When I lived in Edinburgh in the early Seventies, you never went down there at night and had no reason to go there in the daytime. On this visit, I discovered that after gentrification the Grassmarket is now filled with artisan food stores, a cyber cafe, an exquisite linen shop, pubs, and restaurants. Clarissa's shop specializes in used cookbooks: an impressive collection of old Elizabeth Davids, several of the various Time/Life series (including one on offal that I'd never seen), and lots of old English cookery books. She also has some books by contemporary authors; Charlie Trotter is apparently revered here. Her own latest is Clarissa and the Countryman 2. Interestingly enough, the day I visited the shop, there was a large piece of posterboard in front of the book display with a handwritten bomb threat taped to it. Apparently, Clarissa's support of hunting and "sport" has gotten certain British knickers all in a twist! According to the clerk, Clarissa loves Americans, and, when she is in the shop, will sign books quite readily for tourists, but only grudgingly for Brits. Unfortunately, I missed her by one day. The shop does have a Web site, but the clerk said that Clarissa rarely checks it. Instead, the best way to contact her is by fax. Here's all of the contact info: 118 West Bow, Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH12HH. Fax: 0131 266 4449. www.cooks-book-shop.co.uk.