Laura Washburn was born in Los Angeles but studied at university in Paris. She went on to train at the prestigious Paris cooking school, Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne and work with Patricia Wells, best-selling author of A Food Lover's Guide to Paris. She is now based in London, where she works as a cookery teacher and food writer. For Ryland Peters & Small, she has written Cooking with Apples & Pears, The French Country Table, Home-cooked Comforts, Vegetarian Food for Kids and Tacos, Quesadillas & Burritos.