Jason Goodwin fell under the spell of Istanbul while studying Byzantine history at Cambridge University. Fifteen years ago, following the success of The Gunpowder Gardens: Travels in China and India in search of tea, he made a six-month pilgrimage across eastern Europe to reach the city for the first time, a journey recounted in On Foot to the Golden Horn, which won the John Llewellyn Rhys/Mail on Sunday Prize 1993.
He has written two books with American themes, and innumerable articles for magazines like Conde Nast Traveler, and the New York Times.
He’s married to Kate, his companion on the walk to Istanbul; they live in rural Sussex with their four children. They are keen cooks, like Yashim himself; they also grow vegetables, keep hens and have two lurchers.