Meet Amy Willcock, Cooking, Entertaining and Etiquette Authority, Writer, Hotelier, Creator of Award Winning Tablescapes, Etiquipedia Contributor and in our Contributor Spotlight for the Month of November 2025.
Amy Willcock is a successful writer of nine cookery and entertainment books. Born in Chicago, she moved to the UK in 1980. Specialising in country living and game recipes, Amy wrote a regular monthly column for The Shooting Gazette for over 19 years writing about food, country lifestyle and gundogs. During the Covid lockdown in Spring 2020, Amy started a new venture, KBO Cakes. The only way she could “send a slice of home” to her children serving in the forces and at university, was to send them a cake. “Nothing says ‘I’m thinking about you’ more than a homemade cake. Everyone needs a little morale booster every now and then.” says Amy.
Amy was previously in the hotel business - one of which, The George on the Isle of Wight, had a Michelin starred restaurant. Amy held Lifestyle, Cookery and Aga Workshops teaching people to cook, arrange flowers and set beautiful tables along with how to run a house. Her lifestyle and Aga workshops have been described as ‘finishing schools for people in their 30’s’ and Nigella Lawson wrote in Vogue, “Amy Willcock, hand holder to Aga owners everywhere.”
Amy is a founder member of Yarmouth Women’s Institute, the subject of a BBC 4 documentary, and is a WI Cookery and Preserves judge. Amy has appeared on Market Kitchen, Kirstie’s Homemade Home, Celebrity Masterchef, and judged the perfect Sunday Lunch with John Torode and Gregg Wallace on Masterchef and is a regular Food and Lifestyle contributor to local radio. Amy lives in Yorkshire where she manages Warter Priory Shoot office, trains her gun dogs, endlessly entertaining friends and family.
Below are links to a few of Amy Willcock’s articles on etiquette and articles on her table settings you’ll find on Etiquipedia:
What was the impetus or pathway for starting a career or lifestyle involving Etiquette?
About 35 years ago I started to run cookery and lifestyle workshops in our hotel in South Wales to show people how to create and cook a menu for a three coursedinner or lunch with hints, tips and ideas to make entertaining as easy as possible and always ended the workshop with a tablesetting, at that time no one in the UK was talking about tablesettings. My catering background was very different from most Home Economists who ran cooking dems. I gave really useful “get ahead” information learned from hotel kitchens.Throughout my dems I would drop in interesting bon mots about entertaining in the past and how things came down from history and found their way onto our dining tables. A few years later we moved to the Isle of Wight opening another hotel, the George in Yarmouth. We were doing a lot of work on our house and installing a new Aga, I contacted Aga to go to an Aga dem but there weren’t any in my area as they didn’t have anyone to do the dems. I offered them my services, I went toAga who trained me and hey presto I added Aga demos to my repertoire. Word went around and I was contacted by Ebury Press to write an Aga cookbook and one book eventually became nine.
What (or who) do you find the most enjoyable with regard to Etiquette and your work?
I am passionate about old silver and love to find new uses for things, such as old silver napkin rings, you can use them for napkins but they also make super little individual tea lights when put on an old mirror. I find it really rewarding helping people become confident hosts and hostesses. Etiquette was invented to make people feel comfortable, the difference between American and English table manners is as wide as the ocean that divides us! With good manners you can dine with duchesses and dustmen alike, and good manners puts everyone at their ease. As long as you are considerate to others you will be welcome whether you use the right fork or not! My favourite book and I have many, is a slim volume by Constance Spry called Hostess. Her advice is priceless and is as relevant now as it was when printed in the 1960’s.
What do you find the most rewarding aspect of your career regarding Etiquette?
The most rewarding aspect of not etiquette, but good manners to me, is that my children know what to do and how to behave and are fully confident where ever they go and with whomever they are with.
What age group do you enjoy working with most when it comes to etiquette? And why?
I enjoy teaching and helping anyone young or old to become confident cooks and I especially like helping people to feel confident in whatever situation they find themselves in. I must admit I don’t think “sugar tongs” manners are particularly relevant to anyone and look ridiculous, but good manners, especially table manners are vital to everyday living. Nothing sets my teeth on edge more than bad table manners.
Who are some of the older etiquette authors or authorities you enjoy reading most?
My favourite book is called Hostess by Constance Spry, I have a first edition from the 1960’s and I also have a first edition Amy Vanderbilt that was given to my father when he went off to college in the 1950’s.
What types of classes or training do you offer, if any? If you don’t offer classes or training, how do you share your expertise?
I am going to start doing dems again, I met a woman earlier this year who reminded me how much fun they were and how she learned so much so I am going to start doing them on line, a new adventure for me.
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| Her lifestyle and Aga workshops have been described as ‘finishing schools for people in their 30’s’ and Nigella Lawson wrote in Vogue, “Amy Willcock, hand holder to Aga owners everywhere”. |
- Cheese Course History
- Cheese Course Etiquette
- A Parody of Manners
- Georgian and Regency Era Dining
- An Interview with Amy Willcock – on her first award winning place setting
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| “Nothing says ‘I’m thinking about you’ more than a homemade cake. Everyone needs a little morale booster every now and then.” says Amy. |
About 35 years ago I started to run cookery and lifestyle workshops in our hotel in South Wales to show people how to create and cook a menu for a three coursedinner or lunch with hints, tips and ideas to make entertaining as easy as possible and always ended the workshop with a tablesetting, at that time no one in the UK was talking about tablesettings. My catering background was very different from most Home Economists who ran cooking dems. I gave really useful “get ahead” information learned from hotel kitchens.Throughout my dems I would drop in interesting bon mots about entertaining in the past and how things came down from history and found their way onto our dining tables. A few years later we moved to the Isle of Wight opening another hotel, the George in Yarmouth. We were doing a lot of work on our house and installing a new Aga, I contacted Aga to go to an Aga dem but there weren’t any in my area as they didn’t have anyone to do the dems. I offered them my services, I went toAga who trained me and hey presto I added Aga demos to my repertoire. Word went around and I was contacted by Ebury Press to write an Aga cookbook and one book eventually became nine.
 |
| I am passionate about old silver and love to find new uses for things, such as old silver napkin rings, you can use them for napkins but they also make super little individual tea lights when put on an old mirror. I find it really rewarding helping people become confident hosts and hostesses. |
I am passionate about old silver and love to find new uses for things, such as old silver napkin rings, you can use them for napkins but they also make super little individual tea lights when put on an old mirror. I find it really rewarding helping people become confident hosts and hostesses. Etiquette was invented to make people feel comfortable, the difference between American and English table manners is as wide as the ocean that divides us! With good manners you can dine with duchesses and dustmen alike, and good manners puts everyone at their ease. As long as you are considerate to others you will be welcome whether you use the right fork or not! My favourite book and I have many, is a slim volume by Constance Spry called Hostess. Her advice is priceless and is as relevant now as it was when printed in the 1960’s.
 |
| Amy was our Best in Show Winner for our Etiquipedia International Place Setting Competition in 2023 after having won in 2022! |
The most rewarding aspect of not etiquette, but good manners to me, is that my children know what to do and how to behave and are fully confident where ever they go and with whomever they are with.
What age group do you enjoy working with most when it comes to etiquette? And why?
I enjoy teaching and helping anyone young or old to become confident cooks and I especially like helping people to feel confident in whatever situation they find themselves in. I must admit I don’t think “sugar tongs” manners are particularly relevant to anyone and look ridiculous, but good manners, especially table manners are vital to everyday living. Nothing sets my teeth on edge more than bad table manners.
Who are some of the older etiquette authors or authorities you enjoy reading most?
My favourite book is called Hostess by Constance Spry, I have a first edition from the 1960’s and I also have a first edition Amy Vanderbilt that was given to my father when he went off to college in the 1950’s.
What types of classes or training do you offer, if any? If you don’t offer classes or training, how do you share your expertise?
I am going to start doing dems again, I met a woman earlier this year who reminded me how much fun they were and how she learned so much so I am going to start doing them on line, a new adventure for me.
To reach Amy, you can contact her at amy@kbocakes.co.uk or follow her on Instagram @Amy_Willcock
🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber of The RSVP Institute of Etiquette, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia
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