We love to learn new skills or find out more about the history and culture of a place. Read on for reviews of cookery classes, food and travel books, plus informative posts about the places we visit.

Crumb by Richard Bertinet

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Crumb by Richard Bertinet

Subtitled ‘Show The Dough Who’s Boss’, Crumb by Richard Bertinet is the distillation of over 30 years spent as a baker, pastry chef and expert consultant for restaurants and food businesses. Hailing from Breton in France, Bertinet now lives in Bath where he runs his cookery school, The Bertinet Kitchen. There he teaches hundreds of ... Read more »

The Whole Chicken by Carl Clarke

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The Whole Chicken by Carl Clarke

Even if I didn’t love eating chicken as much as I do, I’d find it hard to resist Carl Clarke’s A Whole Chicken with its vibrant green cover splashed with bright yellow and hot pink in the shape of a chicken’s face! The book’s cover promises “100 easy but innovative ways to cook from beak ... Read more »

Fäviken, 4015 Days, Beginning To End by Magnus Nilsson

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Fäviken by Magnus Nilsson

There are a few heavyweights in Scandi food whose restaurants pop up in conversation with restless frequency, breathless descriptions of experience and a powerful sense of place bubbling on the lips of critics and food-lovers. Noma, Ekstedt, Fäviken, Frantzén, Maaemo, Geranium. Names like Rene Redzepi and the author of this book, Magnus Nilsson, evoke a ... Read more »

Simply by Sabrina Ghayour

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Simply by Sabrina Ghayour

Sabrina Ghayour doesn’t really need much of an introduction as she is a driving force in the UK food industry. She is best known for her simple but flavourful Middle Eastern dishes and her work has featured in many popular publications such as the Guardian and BBC Good Food Magazine. Sabrina’s first cookbook Persiana was ... Read more »

Dumplings and Noodles by Pippa Middlehurst

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Dumplings And Noodles by Pippa Middlehurst

Recently released Dumplings and Noodles by Pippa Middlehurst has been the subject of some controversy since it was published, and I can’t give a comprehensive review without touching on reasons for that. At its heart, this remains a review of the cookery book from a reader, cook and greedy person’s perspective. Contents What’s the Controversy? ... Read more »

The Philosophy of Cheese by Patrick McGuigan

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The Philosophy of Cheese by Patrick McGuinan (cover)

I bought this delightful little yellow book on an impulse, drawn to it by the simple illustration of cheese on its cover, and its erudite title, The Philosophy of Cheese. After all, cheese is a serious business (as well as a personal addiction). In about 100 pages, McGuigan leads us through the history of cheese. ... Read more »