Literary Lunch with Jon Drori

Location: Christopher Wren Dining Room, Ye Olde Watling Pub, 29 Watling Road, London EC4M 9BR.

Join us for our next Literary Lunch at the historic Ye Olde Watling pub where we will hear from Court Assistant Jon Drori CBE.

Stationer Jon Drori is a Court Assistant of the Stationers' Company, and also a Trustee of the Eden Project, an Ambassador for the WWF and was for nine years a Trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Woodland Trust. He is on the Board of Cambridge University Botanic Garden, the Cambridge Science Centre and Raspberry Pi, which recently sold its 39 millionth computer. Until recently he was Chairman of Ravensbourne University London.

His work in many fields has been linked by a passion for the public understanding of science. He was a documentary director with the BBC, and as an executive producer he was responsible for more than 50 prime-time series, mostly on science and technology. His own TED talks on science misconceptions, pollen, and the beautiful tricks that flowers play, have been viewed millions of times and his bestselling book, Around the World in 80 Trees is now in 17 languages. In the follow up to this book, Around the World in 80 plants takes the reader on a botanical journey across the world, exploring the science, history and cultural significance of a fascinating range of plants. Jon was made CBE in 2006.

The Stuff That Stuff Is Made Of is Jon's first book for children. In this fascinating book, Jon blends plant science with human history and technology to tell thirty exciting and beautifully illustrated stories about a number of things we use every day that are made from natural materials. Did you know that there's seaweed in ice cream, cork in spacecraft and dandelion in truck tyres? Have you wondered how paper or thread are made, or why the mandrake is so mysterious?

Meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated, this book of wonder gives a  reader the knowledge of how the things we use every day are born from natural materials, and the surprising stories behind their creation. It will make a brilliant gift for Christmas. Signed copies of the book will be available on the day.

The cost of this lunchtime event, which starts at 1.00pm, is just £35 and includes a traditional two-course lunch, as well as the after-lunch interview with Jon Drori and Chris Roycroft-Davis. We are restricted to 35 attendees, so please book early to avoid disappointment.