By now, artisanal toast is an established staple of the breakfast scene and so naturally – there’s cookbooks too. We invited our staff to bring in recipes from Kristan Raines’s new cookbook, On Toast: Tartines, Crostini, and Open-Faced Sandwiches, so that we could see what all the fuss was about…

Here, staff reflect on the success of our ‘toast party’.

“I was one of those people going, ‘Avocado on toast isn’t a recipe, Nigella!’, so when our toast party was announced I was internally rolling my eyes a little. I shouldn’t have mocked though, On Toast is less of a cookbook, and more of a book that shows how different flavours and textures work together. I chose to make the ‘Apples and Cookie Butter’ recipe, because even though I previously had no idea what cookie butter was, a quick google told me that it was a thing I needed in my life. The combination of the sweet biscuity spread (I made my own) and sharp granny smith apple was great, and I’d happily plough my way through a couple of slices in the morning. Or the afternoon. Or the evening.” – Lian Hingee

“I will definitely use the recipe I chose for Tuna Salad Tartine again. I’ve made a tuna mix sandwich filling for years but never thought to substitute natural yoghurt for most of the mayo until now, and it worked really well. I reckon our toast party was a real success in that the preparation required was minimal (maybe 10 minutes for each person) yet the inspiration factor was high. I plan to be more adventurous with my future toasty toppings and sandwich fillings. So this book is great for someone like me, who prepares their lunch every day and needs new ideas, and maybe party planners looking for simple canapés with a wow factor.” – Jan Lockwood

Clockwise from top left: ‘Baked Brie & Apples’, ‘Pea Pesto & Feta’, ‘Turmeric Egg Salad Tartine’, ‘Grilled Zucchini & Haloumi’, ‘Apples and Cookie Butter’, ‘Roasted Broccolini with Spicy Jalapeño Hummus’.

“To my mind, the idea of pimping up what is basically little more than bread cooked twice with lovely toppings, (other than Vegemite) is the domain of the traditional Italian restaurant. Yet, in my personal kitchen, toast has had limited application outside of making eating poached eggs or beans easier to handle and a little more filling… until now.

Plate me up a slice with some ‘Pea Pesto with Burrata’, or ‘Grilled Zucchini with Haloumi’, and I’ll be happily satisfied. Everything was very tasty, though if I was forced to choose a single favourite from our spread, I would narrowly select the Turmeric Egg Salad Tartine – a modern twist on curried egg.

I may even consider preparing a selection of toast toppings as canapes for the next time I’m entertaining the neighbours. (I may also ask the guests if they could BYO toaster, to ensure efficiency in the kitchen, and get the eating happening much quicker.) And as a work lunch concept, toast makes perfect sense. It’s quick, easy, tasty finger food that doesn’t require a commercial kitchen or a chef to make it yummy. The only downside is that toast isn’t exactly the most productive working meal as eating so much bread at lunchtime calls for an afternoon nap to follow.” – Anthony Shaw

“Sometimes you need to shake things up in the kitchen, and this frivolous-sounding book can help you do exactly that. It seems absurd to have a cookbook devoted to toast, but think of On Toast as more of an inspirational guide to a range of delicious toppings. Plus, it’s easy!” – Chris Gordon

“Fine, I’ll admit it. This toast cookbook is filled with delicious recipes. I particularly enjoyed the jalapeño hummus, and I’m very impressed that my colleagues are so handy with a toaster press as to prepare grilled zucchini and brocollini!” – Bronte Coates