Ottolenghi is planning to ‘reframe how a book launch can behave in culture’ with a new campaign to support the launch of Simple Too. 

The brand has appointed Ace of Hearts to partner with Yotam Ottolenghi, the renowned chef, restaurateur, and bestselling cookbook author. 

The creative agency will kick off its partnership with Ottolenghi on the launch of Simple Too, the forthcoming book published by Ebury Publishing, part of Penguin Random House UK.

Ace of Hearts will collaborate closely with Ebury ahead of the book, which will be published in September 2026.

Simple Too is the modern-day companion and sequel to Simple. Eight years on, Ottolenghi’s new cookbook includes 135 recipes, each with simplicity at its core, either cooked in one pot or prepped ahead, continuing Yotam’s ethos that made the original such a defining cultural and commercial success.

Ace of Hearts will lead creative strategy and execution across a multi-phase launch, designed to build momentum ahead of publication and reframe how a book launch can behave in culture. The campaign is being created to stretch the Ottolenghi brand, maintaining its hallmark flavour and ‘nicheness’, while opening it up to a broader audience in a way that feels true to the brand. 

Rooted in London but with global touchpoints, the integrated campaign will unfold throughout 2026.

Shona Campbell, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer, Ottolenghi, explained: “Simple is the book people tell us they actually use, the one that lives on the kitchen counter. Simple Too builds on that legacy in a way that reflects how we live now. We’ve brought in Ace of Hearts to partner with us on bringing all this to life. Ace of Hearts immediately understood the cultural opportunity here, not just to launch a book, but to build something that earns attention through unexpected ways. Watch this space.”