In-depth cookery book reviews.
Food and drink books written by an American authors don’t always translate well for a UK audience but Wild Drinks & Cocktails by Emily Han is one of the exceptions; the recipes list ingredients in both Imperial and metric units, and the vast majority of ingredients are familiar and available across both sides of the ... Read more »
Most people have heard of Yotam Ottolenghi, the gently spoken Israeli of the big brown eyes and welcoming smile, wandering around the world in search of beautiful food. Many may not have heard of Scully. No, this is not a foray into X-Files alien food, this is a wonderful partnership – sometimes more of a tug ... Read more »
Lizzie Mabbott is a prodigious cook and a prodigious eater! I’ve been following her cooking and eating exploits on the web for many years, first on the now-defunct BBC food discussion boards and since 2008 on her well-known blog, Hollowlegs. If she isn’t eating she may well be cooking, if she isn’t cooking she might be ... Read more »
Although Homemade Memories is her first cookery book, many already know author Kate Doran in the guise of The Little Loaf, her popular food blog. Titled for an old family nickname given to toddler Kate ‘by a great aunt who noticed [her] appetite for bread was bigger than [she] was’, the blog was launched a ... Read more »
I am sometimes a little wary of cookery books focusing on a single ingredient, as some of them have a core of fabulous recipes padded out with a bunch of weak page-fillers. But Diana Henry’s A Bird In The Hand is a wonderful exception, chock – or should that be chook? – full of appealing recipes ... Read more »
Coming from three generations of Chinese chefs it’s no wonder that Jeremy Pang followed suit, albeit after a degree in biochemical engineering and a stint in marketing. The exciting flavours and techniques of Chinese home cooking were enthusiastically demonstrated by Jeremy’s father; his children watched in awe as “he skipped across the kitchen with cleaver, ... Read more »
Peruvian food is one of the world’s original fusion cuisines, weaving together ingredients and dishes indigenous to the region with techniques and produce brought to Peru by Spanish conquistadores, their African slaves and subsequent waves of immigration from China, Japan and Europe. Some foods that originated in Peru – potatoes, capsicum and corn – are ... Read more »
Mat Follas first grabbed the attention of the British public when he took part in the BBC’s Masterchef series in 2009. Winning the competition gave him the confidence, impetus and publicity to launch his own restaurant, making a permanent switch from a corporate IT career to one in food. Running The Wild Garlic for four ... Read more »
“Milkshakes just got drunk!” So says Victoria Glass as she tells us just why we should give the milkshakes of our childhood an adult makeover. Take a moment to visit your past. Hark back to glee-filled childhood memories of immense sundae glasses of thick, creamy milkshake served with bendy straws – perhaps even a cocktail ... Read more »
David Dale had a notion to call this book The Garden of Eden; studying a map as he and co-author Somer Sivrioğlu flew from Istanbul in the west to Gaziantep in the east, he excitedly identified the Euphrates and Tigris rivers (now Firat and Dicle), waxing lyrical about the region “where all the fruits and ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]