The Underdog with Felicity Cloake
Wed 06 May 2026
7:00pm at Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights, 14-15 John St, Bath, BA1 2JL
All tickets include 15% off any books purchased on the night, a glass of wine or soft drink, author talk, Q&A and signing.
Other ways to book:
Email books@mrbsemporium.com, call 01225 331155 or pop into the shop at 14-15 John Street, Bath. BA1 2JL.
The multi-award winning foodwriter Felicity Cloake joins us for her debut novel of culinary dreams and unexpected romance (and a dog of course!)
We’ve had the joy of hosting Felicity for a couple of Team B’s food writing faves, Red Sauce Brown Sauce, and Peach Street to Lobster Lane. We are now delighted to welcome Felicity back to Mr B’s, as she turns to fiction, with The Underdog, a gorgeously witty romcom about a wannabe chef and a dog-loving doctor…
Can’t make it to the event? Order a signed and dedicated copy of The Underdog here.
About the book:
Sometimes life doesn’t follow a recipe…
Katy is thirty-six, has recently been dumped by her dull-yet-deceitful fiancé and in a (not-unrelated) moment of madness, abandoned a Solid, Decently Paid Career to pursue her dream of becoming a chef. But, after a year of expensive cookery school and months in Michelin-star kitchens blow-drying edible ferns for free, she finds herself making sandwiches (heritage duck egg and black garlic mayonnaise on sourdough, admittedly, but sandwiches all the same) in a north London café and stuck in an ill-advised situationship with a twentysomething who thinks he’s his generation’s answer to Marco Pierre White.
Then, a gorgeous doctor strolls in and orders an espresso. Katy is briefly charmed… until she sees the scruffy mutt at his feet. Katy hates dogs ― and Dr Dipesh never goes anywhere without Alan. Can she overlook this major red flag? Will she ever convince her mother she’s not having a midlife crisis? And, when a drunken mishap involving a restaurant critic turns Katy’s life upside down, will she ever see Dip, Alan or the inside of a kitchen again?
“Food. Romance. Dogs. There is literally nothing not to love in this novel.” Emma Freud
“Irresistibly funny, sexy and charming. It made me pine for both a puppy and a serving of beetroot & pink peppercorn sorbet, not to mention a hot romance (or two). Expect this book to stimulate and reveal your appetites.” Amy Key
About the author:
Felicity Cloake is the multi award-winning author of the Guardian’s long-running How to Make the Perfect series, the New Statesman’s food column and seven books, including One More Croissant for the Road and Red Sauce Brown Sauce, which won the Fortnum and Mason food book of the year award in 2023. The Underdog is her first novel.