Here are the ones that never have time to gather dust on my shelves.
Leith's Cookery Bible - Prue Leith & Caroline Waldegrave
This truly lives up to it's name as a Cookery Bible. International Conversion Tables, How to Plan a Party and how to bone a chicken are amongst the hundreds of things this book can teach you. Over 1500 recipes from the simple Steak and Kidney Pie to the delicious Coffee Rum Tipsy Cake. Even though that may seem enormous, the book is extremely user friendly, clear and concise recipes and great index, all at the same time a great read. A must, must, must on any cook's shelf.
National Trust Complete Traditional Recipe Book - Sarah Edington
This one is nothing fancy, you won't find anything new and inventive, just what it says on the cover traditional recipes. Just nice and handy to have.
Mrs Beeton's Family Cookery
My version was published in 1923, so you can imagine how battered it is! It was written for the housewife and with Mrs Beeton's labour saving techniques before the electric whisk was invented, meant it was totally new and modern in it's time. It has no less than 3000 recipes and filled with adverts from the era, it's a heart warming step back in time.
A Celebration of Soup - Lindsey Bareham
I love soup and this little paperback is great for helping diverse on the simple vegetable or split pea. Again it is what it says on the cover, a celebration of one of the oldest dishes in the world.
English Food - Jane Grigson
Jane Grigson is a woman to my own heart as she grew up in the north east of England like myself. There is even a recipe for Pease Pudding, a favourite of us northerners. English food has a bad reputation the world over, Grigson's last revision of this book is full of optimism for the great English culinary comeback.
French Leave - John Burton Race
This is again a nice book to have on your shelf. French favourites with twists to adapt to the British palette. My favourite is the Daube de Beouf, I tried Burton's recipe and it was as succulently delicious as the picture promised.
Blue Plate Special, The American Diner Cookbook - Elizabeth McKeon & Linda Everett
Like us Brits our cousins over the pond also have a bad reputation for their food. This book shows American Diner food in all it's glory. Their simple baked meatloaf recipe is a favourite in my house. Their section on melts, well I'd much prefer one of those on a lunchtime instead of a boring ham sandwich!
The French Kitchen - Joanne Harris & Fran Warde
Joanne Harris is one of my all time favourite authors. In the years I spent dreaming of living in France, Harris's books only fueled my love of France. So when she coupled up with Fran Warde and wrote the The French Kitchen, I snapped it up immediately. Harris is ever present and the recipes are sublime. Another must for any food lover.
No comments:
Post a Comment