Sales of David Beckham's favourite cookbook soar after Desert Island Discs plug
AN OBSCURE grilling cookbook has become a surprise best-seller after it was chosen to be taken on a desert island - by David Beckham.
Sales of Mallmann on Fire soared after David Beckham mentioned it on R4's Desert Island Discs
The former footballer included cookbook Mallmann On Fire, by Francis Mallmann, as one of his picks on the BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs on Sunday.
Francis Mallmann, labelled an "expert on cooking with fire", explores open-fire cooking in remote locations - perfect for Becks' remote getaway.
Becks said: "One of my passions, On Fire by Francis Mallmann.
David Beckham gets dangerously toasty in country BBQ
"It teaches you to cook anywhere, so if I was stuck on an island, I could rustle up something."
We expect to see a continued surge in sales due to the 'Beckham boost'
And now sales have shot through the roof, selling out on Amazon and leaving other retailers scrambling to restock - pushing it into the top 0.1 per cent of sales on the massive bookseller.
The book is currently 1,300th on the Amazon bestseller list - out of 1.5 million books.
Rob Richardson, spokesman for UK distributor Melia Publishing Services, said: "After the broadcast, we were contacted by Amazon to say that they had experienced high demand for the book, and we immediately went out of stock within a couple of days.
The book instructs readers how to cook on open fires anywhere on the planet
"Luckily, by chance - as we had obviously had no idea that this was going to happen - we had a reprint on its way to us, so the book will be back in stock next week.
"We expect to see a continued surge in sales due to the 'Beckham boost' as we are calling it."
Mallmann On Fire is a sequel to the Argentinian chef's 2013 book Seven Fires, which claims to 'maximise flavour with wood-fired cooking'.
Amazon reviewers praised the 'amazing' book, calling it a must-have for food lovers.
Jason Kavanagh said: "Great book, it's just as much about Francis as it is about the food.
"Makes you want to go to middle of nowhere, build a fire and cook."
The book leapt up to 1,300th place on the Amazon bestseller list
But not all readers were so enamoured, reviewer Wendy said: "This is a picture book, an ego-driven "lifestyle" book.
"There are South American landscapes, a double-page spread of sea-lions sunbathing, another of Mallmann stroking horses - and oh, sure, some recipes too."