Join Village Books and Alleyn’s Schools Enterprises for an evening with Ben Macintyre where he’ll be discussing his book Siege: The Remarkable Story of the Greatest SAS Hostage Drama.

In April 30, 1980, six heavily armed gunmen burst into the Iranian embassy on Princes Gate, overlooking Hyde Park in London. There they took 26 hostages, including embassy staff, visitors, and three British citizens. A tense six-day siege ensued as millions gathered around screens across the country to witness the longest news flash in British television history, in which police negotiators and psychiatrists sought a bloodless end to the standoff, while the SAS laid plans for a daring rescue mission: Operation Nimrod.

Drawing on unpublished source material, exclusive interviews with the SAS, and testimony from witnesses including hostages, negotiators, intelligence officers and the on-site psychiatrist, Ben Macintyre takes readers from the years and weeks of build-up on both sides, to the gripping minute-by-minute account of the siege and rescue.

Ben Macintyre is the multimillion-copy bestselling author of books including Colditz, Agent Sonya, SAS: Rogue Heroes, The Spy and the Traitor, Agent Zigzag, Operation Mincemeat and A Spy Among Friends . He is a columnist and Associate Editor at The Times, and has worked as the newspaper’s correspondent in New York, Paris and Washington.

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British architecture has always been a battle of styles. For a thousand years it has been romanesque versus gothic, gothic versus renaissance, palladian versus baroque, classical versus gothic revival. The greatest battle came in the 1960s, when modernists took control of British planning and plotted the demolition of large swathes of the centres of Britain’s cities.

Most of London’s West End was to be destroyed. Piccadilly Circus, Whitehall, Nash’s St James’s, Covent Garden and Soho were to disappear. Urban Britain was to be transformed into a uniform townscape of concrete and glass. Yet by 1974 almost all these plans had been abandoned. It was one of the most dramatic U-turns in British social history. How did it happen?

Simon Jenkins tells the turbulent history of Britain’s built environment. He shows how the battles of the past live on today, in arguments over tall buildings, over what should be preserved and what form new buildings should take and where they should stand.

‘Provocative, elegant, intriguing – Jenkins is a bold, imaginative writer, brilliant at challenging old assumptions and encouraging you to look at British architecture in a new light’ Rory Stewart, author of Politics On The Edge

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Pollyanna Wilkinson is one of the UK’s most exciting and sought-after garden designers. She has won the coveted People’s Choice Award at both the Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows, and her designs have transformed gardens across the UK and internationally.

Now Polly wants to share her expertise with readers with her new book. How to Design a Garden is a glorious mix of inspiration, expertise and advice presented with perfect clarity and Polly’s infectious enthusiasm. Polly explains all the steps you need to work through to design create your dream garden – from making early moodboards to creating timeless plant combinations. The book also contains month-by-month growing guides to help you to nurture your garden for years to come.

Whether you’re a new gardener or have years of experience, Polly can help you realise your dream garden – and find joy in every step along the way too.

Pollyanna Wilkinson studied garden design at the English Gardening School at the Chelsea Physic Garden, graduating with distinction. She went on to study Horticulture at Merrist Wood and then set up her landscape design business. She is passionate about design, sustainability and horticulture. Polly’s studio holds three RHS medals from Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court Flower Show. She has also won the coveted People’s Choice Awards at Chelsea in 2022 for her Garden for Mothers and at RHS Hampton Court in 2019 for her Naturecraft Garden.

Pollyanna will be interviewed by Alice Vincent, author of Rootbound: Rewilding a Life and Why Women Grow. Her latest book Hark: How Women Listen will be published in May 2025.

In partnership with James Allen’s Girls’ School.

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We’re delighted that bookshop favourite, M. G. Leonard will be visiting the bookshop to sign copies of Hunt for the Golden Scarab , the first book in the Time Keys series.

In Hunt for the Golden Scara b we are introduced to twelve year old Sim Lockier and his mum, who never live anywhere long. When dangerous strangers appear one night, Sim discovers why. His mum has been keeping secrets: she has the power to open doors in time through music and can travel into the past as a ‘key’ to doors in time, but every journey could be her last.

Running for their lives, Sim and his friends are determined to outwit the sinister Council of Keys and be the first to find Nefertiti’s lost tomb, a powerful door to Ancient Egypt. They must piece together long-hidden clues if they are to solve the mystery of her golden heart scarab. Can they find it before the Council finds them?

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Christina Soteriou is on a mission to make eating plants exciting. In Big Veg Energy , Christina shares 100 simple, tasty and nutritious recipes to be enjoyed by everyone – from long-time vegans to anyone simply looking to adopt more plant-based habits. With influences from Christina’s Cypriot roots, expect nourishing, vibrant food, including Spicy Mushroom Skewers with Peanut Lime Sauce, Sweet Potatoes with Tahini Butter Chickpeas, Roasted Courgettes with Lemony Whipped Tofu and Peanut Butter Cherry Jam Semifreddo.

Always fresh and healthy, with advice for making sure meals are packed with protein and nutrients, Big Veg Energy has everything you need to move towards a plant-based lifestyle – including money-saving tips and debunked vegan myths. With chapters including Small Plates, Big Platters, Cosy Bowls, Baking Dish and Dessert Spoon, Christina makes eating plants easy, abundant and joyful, for whatever the occasion.

Join us at Bell House where Christina will be discussing her new book and dishing out some tasty samples.

Christina Soteriou is a chef, recipe writer and content creator who creates plant-based food for people who love to eat, inspired by the Mediterranean flavours of her Greek Cypriot heritage. Christina’s passion for food has made her determined to find creative and nutritious ways to make plant-based dishes as tasty as possible. Find her online @christinasots and at christina-soteriou.com

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Come to Village Books to meet Oliver Jeffers, author of the multi-million copy How to Catch a Star, where he’ll be signing copies of his new book Where to Hide a Star .

Where to Hide a Star is a brand-new story from global picture book phenomenon Oliver Jeffers featuring his much-loved characters, the boy and the penguin. Once there was a boy who would often play hide-and-seek with his friends the star and the penguin. The star was always easy to find, but one day it went missing. So, the boy radioed the Martian for help and soon found himself on an exciting spaceship rescue mission to the North Pole! But there, he discovered that he wasn’t the only one who had always dreamed of having a star as a friend…

We want all fans to have the best possible experience meeting Oliver. In the interest of the limited time available and to maximise the number of readers that Oliver can meet, the following terms and conditions will be in effect for this book signing. We are putting these rules in place for the safety and enjoyment of everyone involved.

Terms and conditions :

Due to the anticipated high turn-out, please come prepared to queue – we will aim to keep you updated on your waiting time which may be around an hour. You will need to queue outside on Calton Avenue so please do come dressed appropriately for the weather and keep hydrated. Our shop is small so to keep everyone safe we’ll be letting you in a few at a time.

Please note the event may be filmed of photographed, as an attendee you consent to footage and/or images of you being used for promotional purposes.

If you have further questions, please contact us.

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In 2022, after eight years of political reporting in the US, Jon Sopel moved home to the UK. Having spent almost a third of his career abroad, he returned to find a very different country to the one he left. In Strangeland , Jon examines the new post-Brexit Britain with fresh eyes, as a native who’s been out but come back. With his characteristic wit and clarity, he unpicks the changes that have rendered his homeland almost unrecognisable from the country he once knew.

Strangeland is a personal exploration of post-Brexit Britain and what it now means to be British, from the bestselling author, political insider, and presenter of the chart-topping podcast, The News Agents .

Jon Sopel was the BBC’s North America Editor for 8 years, before launching The News Agents podcast with Emily Maitlis and Lewis Goodall in August 2022. During his time at the BBC, he covered the 2016 and 2020 elections and Trump’s White House at first hand, reporting for the BBC across TV, radio and online, as well as presenting the highly successful Americast podcast with Emily Maitlis and Anthony Zurcher. He is the author of If Only They Didn’t Speak English: Notes from Trump’s America , A Year at the Circus: Inside Trump’s White House and UnPresidented: Politics, Pandemics and the Race that Trumped All Others

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Join Village Books & Alleyn’s Schools Enterprises for an evening with bestselling and multi-award-winning author, Meera Sodha.

Dinner: 120 vegan and vegetarian recipes for the most important meal of the day is the new book from the Guardian columnist, and is a fresh and joyful celebration of the power of a good meal.

Discover vibrant, easy-to-make vegetarian and vegan main dishes bursting with flavour, including baked butter paneer, kimchi and tomato spaghetti and aubergines roasted in satay sauce. There are also ludicrously delicious desserts, such as coconut and cardamom dream cake and bubble tea ice cream, and versatile and surprising side dishes, including salt and vinegar potato salad and asparagus and cashew thoran.

From quick-cook recipes to one-pan wonders, Dinner is the essential companion for the most important meal of the day.

Meera Sodha is a cook and a food writer, renowned for her Asian-inspired, meat-free recipes. She writes the Guardian’s weekly ‘The New Vegan’ column , and is the author of three best-selling cookbooks: Made in India , Fresh India and East . She cooks, writes and lives in London with her husband and daughter.

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Village Books and Alleyn’s Schools Enterprises are delighted to host an evening with three-Michelin starred chef Pierre Koffmann celebrating a new edition of his award-winning cookbook Memories of Gascony

With recipes and reminiscences from his grandparents’ home in rural Gascony, this is an intimate account of school holidays spent on the farm helping his grandfather to harvest and hunt, and learning to treasure seasonality, simplicity and the best ingredients at his grandmother’s side.

The recipes stand the test of time and speak to the food tastes and trends of today. While you read the charming stories of everyday life on the farm, you’ll devour the cuisine as you go along.

“If you do not own a copy of Pierre Koffmann’s glorious Memories of Gascony your cookbook collection is not complete. Brilliant to read; even better to cook from.” Jay Rayner

Pierre Koffmann has been at the heart of fine cuisine in Britain for nearly fifty years. After working as a young chef in France, Koffmann arrived in London in 1970 to work under Michel and Albert Roux at Le Gavroche and then the Waterside Inn. Within six years of opening, La Tante Claire had its third Michelin star. Between them Koffmann’s protégés now boast over twenty Michelin stars in their own right.

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