A team of amateur Jewish cooks whose community blog attracted the attention of celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal are looking to publish their first book.

Wimshul Cooks was set up one year ago by members of the Wimbledon and District Synagogue on Queensmere Road.

The synagogue’s "community cookbook project" began with the aim of creating a place where members could share their families’ Jewish recipes, food memories and traditions.

Its success snowballed, attracting thousands of hits as far flung locations as the Fiji Islands.

The Wimshul Cooks are now hoping to publish their recipes, which currently stand at 43, along with exclusive contributions from celebrity chefs Heston Blumenthal and Claudia Roden.

Wimbledon Times: TV chef Heston Blumenthal

Blumenthal, who owns The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in West Berkshire, has submitted his own spelt risotto recipe for the the book. 

Claudia Camhi, a former clinical psychologist turned baker, is one of ten WimShul Cooks.

She said: "We thought that our passion for cooking could be transformed into a book.

"We didn’t want contributions from only our community but from people outside the area, who are welcome to join in and chat."

She added: "We started talking about doing a book which is very important.

"A book comes to life when it’s published but also dies the day its published as you can’t change it and the conversation stops "Whereas a blog can be amended and continued and that was very attractive for us."

Judaism follows strict 'kosher' practices which say only animals that have "cloven hooves" and "chew the cud" can be eaten, such as cattle and game, but must be ritually slaughtered, while all dairy products must have come from kosher animals.

The book, when published, will be sold to raise funds for the synagogue and its chosen charities and will mark its 65th year. To see the blog visit wimshulcooks.wordpress.com/