In-depth cookery book reviews.

Summer Holiday Reads

It’s no secret that I love reading. I’ve been an avid reader since I was small, when I could often be found with my nose so completely buried in a book that I was oblivious to everything around me, including exasperated calls from my parents! Indeed, learning to read at a young age meant I learned ... Read more »

Michel Roux’s Pea, Mushroom and Mint Flan from Pastry: Savoury and Sweet

I already own Eggs and Sauces, the first two titles in Michel Roux’s series of reference books on classic techniques and recipes. Pastry: Savoury and Sweet is the latest in this excellent series. There are chapters for shortcrust pastries, enriched sweet pastries, puff pastry, raised pie pastry, brioche dough, croissant dough, choux pastry, pizza dough, and ... Read more »

Diana Henry’s Roast Figs, Sugar Snow

Diana Henry is a cook and food writer with six books under her belt including Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons, Cook Simple and Food from Plenty. She also writes for the Telegraph and its magazine, Stella, presents food television programmes such as Market Kitchen and broadcasts on Radio 4. I’d read good feedback on her book ... Read more »

Garlic & Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

I can’t recall where I first read about Garlic & Sapphires but it must have been a positive review as I immediately added the book to my Amazon wishlist. Thanks to kind friends, it popped through my letterbox over Christmas and I tore through it during the first two days of the new year. The ... Read more »

A Review of The Whole Hog Cookbook

The Whole Hog Cookbook

It was the pull of the pig that drew me towards The Whole Hog Cookbook. Promising “chops, loin, shoulder, bacon and all that good stuff“, author Libbie Summers draws on childhood memories of her grandparents’ hog farm together with “modern sensibilities [that] lend new twists to beloved dishes“. As the front flap declares, “the best ... Read more »

Book Review: Bought, Borrowed & Stolen

Bought, Borrowed and Stolen by Allegra McEvedy's

When I read Allegra McEvedy’s book, Bought, Borrowed & Stolen: Recipes & Knives From A Travelling Chef, I immediately felt a kinship – a warmth that comes from the shared personality disorder of the collecting mindset! In her introduction, Allegra describes her knife buying as gathering, explaining that she hesitates to use the word ‘collect‘ ... Read more »

Stew! Lamb Shanks with Red Wine and Balsamic Vinegar

New cook books are great. New cookbooks I won by following the author on twitter are even better! I was delighted to win a copy of Stew! by Genevieve Taylor. I’m a huge fan of a good stew; hearty and comforting, full of warmth and good flavours and often made from inexpensive ingredients. Genevieve Taylor feels ... Read more »

Valentine Warner’s Carne Con Chile

Although I like Valentine Warner’s approach to food and cooking, I have mixed feelings about his telly programmes, mostly stemming from his incessant winking and innuendos (which might be charming in person but don’t translate to TV). I actually had to switch off when he referred to mini lavender meringues as “fairy tits”, though friends would ... Read more »