Love For Books

New Covent Garden and Co – Soup & Beyond

I picked up their recipe book for £1.99 from The Works, and have already made 6 of the recipes (in two weeks). They are easy to follow, written with a bit of flair and humour, and they have a good pinch of reasoning and background.

There are no pictures of the food (which would normally really turn me away from a cookbook) but, actually, I quite like not having to conform to a style.

Their other books are just soups, but this one covers falafel, risotto, crisp bakes, snacks and a whole heap of different breads. There are far more ideas than just soups and you can even turn some of their starters and sides into delicious main courses: like the Lemon and spinach chickpeas – with a little tofu, a few potatoes and some broccoli, it is a tasty, filling dish.

Angela Carter’s Fairy Tales with a difference

When I got this book, I wasn’t expected Cinderella, and snow white, and fairies, puppies, children, sweetness and light. Let’s face it, Angela Carter’s name is on the front cover. It’s going to be bizarre.

And she doesn’t disappoint at all. In a wonderful collection of tales from around the globe, from Innuits, Chinese, Mordvin, African American, English Gypsy… the list goes on. They are collated from everywhere. And they are as bizarre as you might hope.

Not for the faint hearted, Carter’s collection is full of old dirty tricks, black arts, abusive fathers, evil stepmothers and old crones. There are stories that are hilarious in their oddity, some that are horrifying, some with strong morals and others that seem to serve no purpose at all.

It is a great book to read from beginning to end or two did in and out of, as there are stories and tales of all lengths: from a paragraph to ten pages.

With titles like ‘ A Pottle O’ Brains’, ‘Aunt Kate’s Goomer-Dust’ and ‘Diirawic and her incestuous brother’ you know there’ll be enough to keep you entertained and enthralled.

Cookbook for girls by Denise Smart

This book is beautifully presented in hardback and full of lovely pictures that make you want to start cooking. The book is aimed at girls, a lot of the recipes, especially the deserts are quite pink and fluffy and girly!
There are over 50 different recipes in the book, all with pictures and very easy to follow instructions. At the back of the book there is also a section which shows you how to make your own initiations, napkins and place setting cards to go with the gorgeous meals that you will create.

The book has loads of recipes that are twists on old favourites, something to liven them up a bit! Some of my favourite recipes from the book are vegetable tempura, which is vegetables that are cooked in a light crisp batter and served with a delicious dipping sauce; you can choose any of your favourite veg to use in the recipe. There is also a beautiful recipe for a chocolate cake and marshmallow squares. In fact I think all of the recipes are my favourite!
I think the book is an excellent gift especially for younger girls who are just starting out cooking as it’s very easy to follow and fun to do

Willie’s Chocolate Factory Cookbook by Willie Harcourt-Cooze

Willie Harcourt-Cooze, who was the star of the Channel 4 hit TV series WILLIE’S WONKY CHOCOLATE FACTORY, shows us in his book how to use this luxury ingredient in a collection of over 60 wonderful recipes. Willie’s Chocolate Factory Cookbook is a book with two halves .The first half of the book is Willie telling us the amazing story behind his dream to make and produce the best chocolate in the world. He and his wife Tania sold everything they had, twelve years ago to purchase a cacao farm in the Cloud Mountains of Venezuela. They are very Passionate about growing, harvesting and processing their very own cacao beans. This dream of chocolate almost made the family bankrupt .Willie learnt how to be a cacao farmer in Venezuela; he now has a chocolate factory in Devon where he makes his 100% cacao bars. Most people think that chocolate is a confectionary, when really it is the most, versatile ingredient, whether you use it for sweet or savoury In the book Willie shares recipes with us from Tiramisu and Venezuelan Hot Chocolate to Chicken Mole and Porcini and Chocolate Risotto.

An excellent book, I really enjoyed the TV show so I had to buy the book and try the recipes.

How to be a domestic goddess by Nigela Lawson

This is a very valuable book which has been written with love and passion from a wonderful sensual person. It’s a book about baking but not being tied to the kitchen sink, you don’t need to be a professional cook to follow the recipes, and most ingredients and equipment can be found at home in your own kitchen. The book includes simple old fashioned recipes to exciting mouth-watering desserts. The instructions are very easy to follow and there is also a little story telling along the way.

Some of the recipes in the book include; Pizza, chocolate cakes, steamed syrup sponge, scones, gooseberry-cream crumble, bagels, brownies,   double apple pie, pistachio macaroons, muffins, cheesecakes. The recipes also include children’s cooking and Christmas baking and other festive family treats.

The editor of the book describes it as ‘This gorgeous, deliciously reassuring book is not about being a goddess, but about feeling like one. It taps straight into every woman’s cooking fantasy and demonstrates that it’s not pie-in-the-sky but a real mouth-watering cake in the oven.’

An excellent cookbook that I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to become a domestic goddess! Or just have a little fun cooking up some gorgeous treats.

Cookbook by James Martin

This book is based on the ‘Great British Village show’ it’s packed full of recipes using only British produce. James Martin is a well known Yorkshire chef who started cooking at an early age with his Dad who did all the catering for castle Howard in Yorkshire. James is now the presenter of BBC ones show ‘Saturday kitchen’. He has also appeared on ‘Ready Steady Cook’ and ‘strictly come dancing’.

James is passionate about local organic and fresh foods which he uses in all his recipes. He has worked in London and France where he was a pastry chef. He was then the head chef at the Hotel du Vin and Bistro which is in Winchester.

In his book James shows us how to cook with fresh ingredients which we can find locally. There are loads of fabulous recipes in the book, which are easy to follow and understand. There are also lots of beautiful photographs and tips.

One of my favourite recipes from the book is; pan fried fillet of beef with fat chips and slow roasted tomatoes, it tastes delicious and is very easy to re create.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cooking simple British recipes.

Cooking for Friends by Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay is one of TV’s most popular chefs. His latest cookbook is full of  simple, seasonal, modern British recipes for you to follow at home.
In the book Gordon shares with us the dishes that he loves cooking when he’s at home. Included in his book are  chapters covering Hot and Cold Soups; Pasta and Grains; Fish and Shellfish; Meat and Poultry; Pies and Tarts; Vegetables and Salads; Puddings and Ices and Coffee and Chocolate, The book is beautiful ,it was created by one of Britain’s top designers, together with an amazing photographer. Throughout the book are photos of Gordon and his family . Each recipe is introduced with an insight into why Gordon has chosen it and tips on how to copy the recipes yourself. The majority of the recipes in this book are short and easy to cook.

I am a huge fan of Gordon Ramsay; but always felt his recipes would be too hard for me to follow. The recipes in this book are delicious but most importantly, they are well written and easy to follow. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Gordon Ramsays cooking and would like to re-create his recipes at home.

Jamie’s Italy-Jamie Oliver

This cookbook by Jamie Oliver is filled with authentic easy to follow recipes which he learnt as he travelled all over Italy on a road trip.  The book is full of beautiful photographs by Chris Terry and David Loftus. The recipe instructions are simple to follow and easy to understand. The Chapters are headed by Jamie’s thoughts about how Italian cooks treat their ingredients.

 
Many of the recipes are quite familiar if you’re used to eating in Italian restaurants. Chicken Hunter Style, or Pollo alla Cacciatora red wine instead of white, Jamie guarantees, as always, to be better than the prepared stuff you can buy in the local supermarket.
The Italian name of each recipe is displayed on the page with the English translation directly underneath it.
Jamie’s Italy cookbook is full of recipes and ideas that you will love to cook and will enjoy eating.
If you’re a Jamie Oliver fan or if you simply love to cook you will love this Italian cookbook, it’s full of delicious recipes that all your family will enjoy. It’s a lovely cookbook that is beautifully illustrated and unlike a lot of cookbooks it is quite easy to follow ,I was amazed at the results I got , I never knew I could cook so well!