Archive For July 2009
So what is a Bibendum? It sounds like the Latin name for a baby’s nappy (diaper) but it is, in fact, the name of a rather special restaurant. You might not be familiar with it if you don’t either live, work or eat in London but be assured it’s a classic. Monsieur Bibendum was the…
Surely everyone would like a slice of cake. Many of us whenever we are allowed, and most of us at every opportunity. It’s naughty comfort food, a treat, a memory of childhood, and difficult to refuse on any grounds. Alisa Huntsman, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and her uncle Peter Wynne, author…
OK, so I confess that I have not seen Valentine Warner in his TV series of What to Eat Now. But that does rather give me an edge when it comes to reviewing the cookbook. No preconceptions, no prejudices, just an independent look. I wasn’t expecting much – there are, dear reader, those recipe books…
Most of us are lucky enough to eat every day. Many of us look forward to meal times and some of us live to eat, but it’s often difficult to please everyone for every meal. Bill Granger presents us with a selection of recipes that stand a good chance of appealing to all the family,…
This is the revised edition of the original Fork to Fork of a decade ago. A few things have changed on the home-growing front in those ten years. We are all a lot more mindful of food miles so a book that presents a real opportunity to pare those miles to yards is bound to be…
It’s summer and so we eat salad. Yes, we eat it but often without enthusiasm. Carnivores often consider salad as the green stuff left on the plate after the meal is finished, and those of us who eat everything get heartily sick of more lettuce, cucumber and tomato. This particular book is Scandinavian and therefore…
Am I endangering my street cred by even considering a book about Mince? Will I be asked to hand back my membership card to Foodies United? (Please don’t write in if such an organisation exists …on the other hand, do!). No. I am proud to say that I am an unashamed supporter of mince in…
Good Housekeeping produce some of the best real cooking books around. What exactly do I mean by real cooking books? Well, these are books that are both informative and accurate. It might come as a shocking revelation that some cookbooks have recipes that just don’t work. If you are an experienced cook some of these…
The author of The Cook’s Book of Everything, Lulu Grimes, has worked in both London and Sydney as a food editor for books and magazines. She regularly appears on the radio (including Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour) and has written for The Sydney Morning Herald. She is studying for a Masters in Gastronomy at Adelaide University,…
Mark Bittman is a much celebrated American food writer with more than a dozen cookbooks to his credit. He is a regular journalist with the New York Times and has oft graced the US TV screens on such programmes as The Today Show. How to Cook Everything is in fact Mark’s second shot at the…
The cynical might suppose that this is a pamphlet or at best a very small volume, being light on both pages and interest. You, my misguided reader, are in for a surprise. The full and rather grandiose title is Food in England – A complete guide to the food that makes us who we are….
I have reviewed Indian cookbooks written by Indians in India, by Indians living in England and those living in the USA. Ramola Parbhoo adds another thread to the Indian culinary diaspora. She is of Indian descent and was born and raised in South Africa. I was wondering what to expect. Perhaps an eclectic mix of…
I am not sure that I even appreciated that there was a global history for a hot dog but it’s true and we know because we see them wherever we travel. They are as American and ubiquitous as the other fast food staple, hamburgers, and have been around for a lot longer… to the tune…
This is a stunning volume of 100 or so recipes and a mix of colour photographs and evocative black and white shots of the city and its people. Cucina Napoletana isn’t out to impress you with recipes from restaurants with crisp white tablecloths, although they are touched upon. Instead, this book gives you an impression…
I review many and several books each week and pride myself on being able to spot a literary disaster at ten paces. They often fit this profile: small or nonexistent publisher, unknown author, subjects I know nothing about (there are, strangely, many of those), lots of writing and few pictures. But In and Out of…
Claude Wiatrowski has an evident passion for Colorado and another, equal in depth, for trains. He has three degrees in sensible technical and engineering subjects but he also plays drums for a brace of big bands, a gospel quartet and a polka band. A well-rounded character, I’d say. I had never considered a vacation in…