Archive For August 2008
This is one of the most charming books ever written about the South of France. A summer in Gascony – Discovering the Other South of France, to give it the full title, is all about south-west France, the opposite side of the country to the trendy and much more expensive Nice and the Cote d’Azur….
It’s just a short distance from the heart of Hammersmith. It’s even nearer to Ravenscourt Park Station, so this is a prime spot for a decent restaurant and Green Chilli is just that. It’s smart in muted colours with contemporary and classic Indian art adorning the light walls. Pine chairs and dark banquettes add to…
This is another of those smart chunky books from Haus Publishing who only present top-notch works, and Tasting Italy by Alice Vollenweider is amongst them. Italy has a reputation as a food paradise. Not only because there is an abundance of quality fresh produce but because the Italian housewife sets high standards in both market…
This gorgeous large volume deserves to be right alongside your encyclopaedia and atlas. Tea – A Journey in Time, Pioneering and Trials in the Jungle has a classic, almost Victorian, feel and it is a visual pleasure. The author is a gentleman by the name of John Weatherspoon and it’s only by the turn of…
The Complete Traditional Recipe Book is a hefty tome that will make you smile as soon as you flick through the pages. It’s a pure joy and Sarah Edington’s collection of over 300 recipes represents the best of British cooking. It’s from The National Trust and that always means a seriously good read. There is…
How does this woman do it? Monisha Bharadwaj presents us with the most gorgeous books, each one more sumptuous than the last. The photography of India by Jenner Zimmermann is stunning and the food photography by Will Heap is almost edible. India’s Vegetarian Cooking is a regional guide to some of the most traditional and…
Anyone who is at all concerned about the “Fast Life” and “Fast Food” will want to read this book. The Slow Food Story – Politics and Pleasure is an in-depth look at the growing call for the moderation of modern lifestyle. The Slow Food Movement was set up in Italy as a response to the…
What was this book about? To be honest the title didn’t tell me much – I Was a Potato Oligarch. Was it like being a Burger King? I knew what an Oligarch was…er, well, OK, looked it up and it’s one of a small number of individuals that run a state. So where does the…
This is the second Hugo Arnold Wagamama book that I have come across, the first being the gorgeous Wagamama – Ways with Noodles. I was impressed by that book and I have an equally good impression of this one. The photographs are almost edible and very stylish. Hugo is a self-confessed greedy man but he…
Ficus carica, known to us as the common fig, probably originated in Asia Minor, and has been highly regarded as a major contributor to the diets of many countries. Figs were one of the crops that were known in China during the Tang dynasty in the 700’s BC. The fig tree was mentioned often in…
OK Magazine has described Sophie Michell as ‘The Culinary Princess’ and she has indeed packed a lot into her career and she is still a youngster. Sophie’s love of cooking started at the age of three when she would play with her toy cooker; by ten she was baking her own cakes and by fourteen…
This has got to be a thoughtful gift for anyone who loves cooking, recipes and collecting. It might just be called a “Scrapbook” but this is a sumptuous volume that might even become an heirloom! There are sixteen wallets which are double-sided giving thirty-two different sections covering desserts, fruit, meat, pasta and any culinary heading…
This is another remarkable book from those nice people at Haus Publishing. This is truly quality food writing, travel writing, poetic writing, and thoroughly absorbing and charming. The author H M van den Brink isn’t famed for his food writing but he is nevertheless famed for writing. He published his first book in1993 but had…
“The famous book – in print for over 40 years”. This must be the cookbook equivalent of The Mousetrap (handy in the old-fashioned bedsit). Katharine Whitehorn has written this little gem which could be retitled “My First Cookbook”. My young or foreign (from outside the UK) readers might not even know what a bedsitter was….
You know, dear reader, that I spend lots of time looking for books that might inspire, amuse or educate you. My Mercedes is Not for Sale by Jeroen van Bergeijk is one of those books that I hope will do all of the above but will probably also have the dubious additions of filling you…
This is, without a doubt, the most beautiful cookbook I have ever reviewed. The floral cloth cover is a vision of cottagey charm, and the quality of the paper used inside that lovely binding sets this book apart. The artwork that recalls between-the-wars China is stunning and presents a more stylish impression than would the…
Ching-He Huang is a fresh and youthful face which might be new to those of you who have missed her cooking demonstrations on UKTV Food. She now enjoys a bit more well-earned exposure on BBC2 with a series called Chinese Food Made Easy. If you love the programmes (and who wouldn’t?) then you’ll want this…
This is a celebrity charity cookbook and supports the 2004 earthquake and tsunami victims. It has a whole host of “big names” but perhaps the names that you might not recognise are of the two women who deserve the most thanks and praise. Barbara Jayson lived for many years in South East Asia and whilst…
It’s fair to say that Kimiko Barber is the undisputed queen of Japanese cooking in the UK, and this book is just another illustration of why. Japanese Pure and Simple has over 100 health-giving recipes that are simple and flavourful and a feast for both the eyes and the palate. The photographs by Jan Baldwin…
This isn’t just about cooking food slowly although it is indeed that, it’s about using a slow cooker. It’s a great way to cook as it allows you to get the meal going and just leave it for a few hours. It uses very little power so it’s safe to leave switched on for a…