Updated 19th June 2010

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North African Cookery

The author Arto der Haroutunian was lost to us cookbook lovers far too soon. He died in 1987 at the age of 47. His books have always been sought after by a discerning and loyal following of those who prize authenticity and style.

There are surprisingly few books on North African cookery. Lebanese cookbooks are becoming more popular as Lebanese restaurants are more part of the contemporary culinary scene, but what of those countries that are truly North African? Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya are collectively known as The Meghrib (or Maghreb) which means “the land of sunset” in Arabic.

The food of these countries is subtle but easy to prepare. It’s widely available in France where so many immigrants from the southern side of the Mediterranean have settled. We in Britain have a cuisine which reflects our colonial heritage, so Indian food is popular. There are far fewer North African restaurants, although the ingredients for making those dishes have long been available. If you have the spices for Indian food then you will already have most of what you’ll need.

There are 300 or so recipes here and they are some of the most popular and classic of North African fare. They have relatively few ingredients and no complex cooking techniques. The success of the dishes relies on freshness of produce and the combination of a few well-chosen spices, and those spices are more of the aromatic sort rather than the melt-your-teeth variety. Think of warming Christmas spices with some fire supplied by harissa (a chili paste which is often used as a condiment as well as being added to cooking).

Breiks are Tunisian and a marvellously sophisticated little pie. It’s made from a very light pastry that can be found in specialist shops. It’s much thinner than philo pastry although you could use that if the breik sheets are unavailable. Arto has a number of versions in his book including the popular Breik bil Toune (breik with egg and tuna) but also meat and vegetable alternatives.

Lamb is the meat of choice in all North African countries and it’s no surprise to find a good selection of recipes here. If you want to try your hand at cooking a whole lamb then this book will serve you well. There are several methods of cooking offered as well as a marinade. A whole lamb is the ubiquitous centre-piece of any North African celebration and it’s striking, delicious and memorable.

Vegetarians are well served here. There are salads and vegetable dishes aplenty. Chalda Loubia Khadra (green beans with almonds) is a surprisingly western-seeming salad as it has a mayonnaise dressing. Chalda Bartogal wa Jazar (orange and carrot salad) is Moroccan and often found on restaurant menus as well as in homes.

North African Cookery is a classic of this so-far underestimated cuisine. The author, Arto der Haroutunian, shows us once again why he has never been surpassed as the authority on food of this region. This will be a worthwhile addition to any serious cookbook collection but I counsel using it rather than just reading it. You’ll add many recipes from this volume to your repertoire. Great value for money.

The Historic Shops and Restaurants of New York

I have spent long months in New York City and was very happy to do so. It’s one of my favourite spots, although I had not ever considered it to be overly historic. I am a Londoner and so tend to take history a bit for granted. I also have American friends who think that anything ancient enough to have the paint dry must be an antique. The Historic Shops and Restaurants of New York has introduced me to the older attractions of that city that I didn’t know existed.

There are a surprising number of enduring establishments which ooze charm and wood panels. These are real wood panels and not film props. What you see is no reconstruction but a glimpse of a bygone era before uniformity and the internet. These businesses have laughed in the face of modernity and lived to tell the tale.

Each chapter considers a different class of shop or restaurant, starting with Apothecaries and finishing with Steak and Chop Houses. I was amazed to find Saloons. I had thought that they would no longer exist and that they had only ever existed in the Wild West and in the minds of over-romantic movie directors. Here they are... although it should be noted that a New York saloon is called a bar or a tavern.

There are a few entries that even an overseas tourist might have heard of. Tiffany (don’t go for breakfast), Katz’s Delicatessen (do go for breakfast), Barnes and Noble, and Bloomingdales. But the majority of those listed will be a revelation and have names that are an historian’s dream.

The Algonquin, Brooklyn Women’s Exchange (sounds like a wife-swap shop), Hammacher Schlemmer, and Yonah Schimmel Knishery (a knish is a must try New York delicacy) all sound as though they should have a story to tell... and they all do. The Historic Shops and Restaurants of New York is, in fact, filled with family histories, stories of fortitude and success in a land where so many took refuge and sought a better life.

The Historic Shops and Restaurants of New York is one of the most fascinating books about the Big Apple. The authors Ellen Williams and Steve Radlauer are both New Yorkers and are evidently proud of their city. Their book explores a very real element of what made America the country it is today, diverse and full of character. This is a must for any tourist who wants to tread the road less travelled.

Preserved

I love bottling, jam-making, marmalade-making and the like and I have quite a few books on the subject but Preserved is a little different. It considers all preserved foods and doesn’t have a focus just on making tasty sweet things, although there are still plenty of those to be found within these covers.

Nick Sandler and Johnny Acton have written a witty and visually stunning book (thanks to photography by Peter Cassidy) with a foreword by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. There are recipes aplenty but also advice on making your own smoker and, truth to tell, I am rather tempted. There are also sections on salting, fermenting, infusing and preserving in alcohol.

The recipes are inspiring. Fruit Leather is a favourite with kids and a good way of getting them to eat something that’s good for them. The recipe for Fruits of the Forest Leather contains no added sugar nor E numbers but just a little honey to sweeten. This is pricey stuff to buy in health food stores but costs very little if you make fruit leather from, say, blackberries you have gathered yourself.

Flavoured oils have always been a stunning price. Yes, a lot has to do with packaging but it should be the goods inside the classy bottle that holds your interest. It’s simple to make at home and how cool would it be to enjoy your own Chilli Oil, Horseradish Oil, Lemon or Garlic Oil.

Black Bean Sauce is high on my list of must trys. If you don’t use the ready-fermented black beans then you are in for a wait of several years, so I would counsel a trip to your nearest Asian supermarket to buy them ready-prepared. Sweet Chilli Sauce is another that will soon fill my larder shelves, and Oriental Plum Sauce stays with the theme of exotic condiments.

Oranges in Brandy couldn’t be easier. They look stunning, make marvellous gifts and are the quickest, classiest dessert known to woman. These would rank as Christmas essentials, as would Pickled Roasted Peppers. Whilst it’s true that the job of peeling roasted peppers is best left to someone (anyone) else, it’s worth the effort.

Preserved is a book that I’ll use often but also one that I’ll give as a Christmas gift along with a basket of sweet and savoury eatables made with recipes from its pages. I am very impressed. It’s a thoroughly amusing read and great value for money.

Cool Waters

Sounds like the name of a town from an old Western. In truth Cool Waters is a book offering 50 thirst-quenching and non-alcoholic drinks made from fresh or dried ingredients. The water used might even come from your own tap (faucet) so be assured that this won’t be an expensive hobby.

We know we should all drink lots more water but it is, to be frank, boring. Give a party and see how many of your guests hover by the sink. Very few will be looking for a glass of water and fewer still doing your washing up. Ordinary water is tasteless, if you are lucky, or tainted if you are not.

Brian Preston-Campbell presents us with a selection of 50 or so recipes for classy and unique drinks that will add interest to your hot afternoons. Cool Waters has summer infused in every page. A book that was just made for tall drinks with no worries of getting behind the wheel of your car after. Drinks that are packed with adult flavour.

Brian has concocted drinks for every occasion and every taste. There are healthful ones, exotic mixes, sparkling temptations as well as long heatwave-busters. Even those who would normally be heading for the wine bottle or cola keg will find something to enjoy. When one considers the makeup of most commercial soda or pop then all of the beverages listed by Brian are healthfoods in comparison.

Pressed Watermelon with Basil Water is refreshing and sophisticated. It is a big step away from just watermelon juice. Yes, the hint of herb works well but there is an additional tang from a dash of vinegar and a pinch of sea salt.

Orange and Tamarind Elixir is ideal for very hot weather or to sip alongside spicy foods. It has a bite and a real taste of the East. Thai Red Plum Fizz is another that you’ll enjoy with a Thai or Indian curry. Star anise, Balinese long peppers and kaffir lime leaf make this a complex and memorable glassful.

Cool Waters is an inspiring little book with great ideas for non-alcoholic beverages. Your guests will not feel short-changed when you serve an attractive pitcher of any of these. Brian has included advice on food pairing so you’ll know what to make and when. Some drinks take a few hours to steep in the fridge but you’ll find the fore-planning well worthwhile. This book will spend most of its life out on your kitchen counter ready for your next batch of liquid sunshine.

Jewish Traditions Cookbook

Some folks might not like Chinese food; others don’t like the rich spicy flavour of Indian meals; there are those who say that Northern European food is bland; but it’s impossible to say that one doesn’t like Jewish food.

“What’s not to like?” my Jewish friends might demand. There is no seasoning that is Jewish and Jewish alone, no cooking method that is unique to those attending synagogue, no single ingredient that is kept only for those of this particular faith. No reason not to like Jewish food.

The cuisine sweeps away national boundaries. It embraces the cooking styles of every continent. The raw materials reflect the produce of the diverse countries that have become home to this displaced nation. Jewish cooking is World cooking.

Marlena Spieler knows just about all there is to know about the central place of food in Jewish traditions. Every occasion, be it joyous, sad or religious, has food associated with it. Marlena offers us 400 recipes (some of which have become standard in our home... and, no, I am not Jewish) that give a view of both modern and ancient dishes. Many will be familiar to my dear reader who might not even have considered these to be Jewish foods.

You might know that Cheesecake is Jewish and a bagel is the mainstay of any Jewish baker, but how’s about Moroccan Pigeon Pie, B’Stillah? It is one of Morocco’s most celebrated dishes but Marlena tells us that it originated in Andalucía in Spain and was brought to North Africa by the Jewish community. Moroccan Jews have carried the recipe with them to new homes around the globe.

Jews not only took their own dishes to far off countries but they were evidently open to new ideas. Stollen is what we think of as the archetypal German Christmas bread, but it has been adopted by those Jewish communities still remaining in Germany as a sweet treat to garnish the table at winter celebrations.

I have found several recipes here that have already become favourites. In particular Moist Orange and Almond Cake which is amazingly simple, a fat-free cake with a robust orange flavour from an orange that is first boiled and then liquidised. It takes an hour for the aforementioned fruit to reach soft perfection but you aren’t expected to stand and watch it. I confess that have even made this cake with less almonds than recommended (mental note: must write shopping list) and it was still a delight. Perhaps even better the next day if you can bring yourself to save it.

Jewish Traditions Cookbook is full of dishes that I personally enjoy eating. It’s good cooking for today’s living. There is plenty for both vegetarians and meat eaters, for those who love spice and others who crave delightful desserts. Yes, the book will be welcomed by the Jewish home cook who will appreciate these 400 or so kosher recipes as well as the history behind so many of them, but the dishes are just as good for non-Jews. “What’s not to like?”

Kitchen Knife Skills

I guess if you are reading this review you already have an interest in cooking. Perhaps you might be periodically called on to carve or dice something. Even if your culinary horizons only stretch as far as the delicate art of sandwich-making you could find slicing a handy skill. Surely no reader of mine would stoop so low as to buy pre-packaged cheese slices... unless you are under 8 years old in which case I give you permission to continue doing so.

The author of Kitchen Knife Skills is Marianne Lumb, herself a chef, and she has a wealth of experience working in the world’s most celebrated restaurants, as well as in private homes. She knows the value of a good knife, how to take care of it and most importantly how to use it. A well-kept knife will save time, effort and your fingers.

It’s not a myth that a blunt knife is dangerous. It might not kill you but it could still give you a bloody fright. A sharp knife will cut with ease and precision with less risk of the blade slipping and without the need to apply a great deal of pressure. Kitchen Knife Skills will introduce you to every common, and a few uncommon, knives as well as gadgets to sharpen them, and chopping boards which are also an essential part of any well-equipped kitchen, be it home or professional.

So you have purchased a small selection of knives and you’ll want to get wielding. Kitchen Knife Skills shows you the methods for cutting, boning, mincing and filleting every possible meat, fish or fowl, and has some baked goods for slicing, and fruit for peeling and coring for good measure. The step-by-step pictures are invaluable as is the advice about the appropriate knife for each technique.

Kitchen Knife Skills considers not only raw meat but also cooked roasts. A joint of any description is not cheap these days and you’ll want to make the best of it. Your beef will look delicious as you present it whole at the head of the table, but you don’t want to then serve the meat shredded and frilly when some nice thin slices would be far more appetizing.

Knife skills might take just a bit of practice but they are necessary for kitchen safety as well as for food preparation and presentation. Kitchen Knife Skills is a good solid aid to learning those skills for either the domestic cook or the novice chef. If you are a regular knife user then this is a must.

In and Out of Africa ...in search of Gérard Depardieu

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 Africa ...in search of Gérard Depardieu will be among this year’s top 10 Best Reads for me, and I don’t give that accolade lightly.

I know nothing of wine. I can recognise red, white and rose wine by their colour and that’s as far as my viticultural (yes, I looked it up) knowledge runs. How was I going to write a sensible review that wouldn’t upset the author, Francis Gimblett, nor make me look like one who had signed the pledge and had taste-buds removed for good measure?

This is, thank goodness, a book for anyone who enjoys a rollicking good read. No knowledge of the wine industry is necessary, although there is a Fact File of wines and producers at the end of the book which adds all the technical bits about slopes and grapes, etc. Francis has spent the last 25 years working in the wine industry, starting out at the tender age of 19 as the youngest head sommelier at the Grand Hotel in Brighton.

The outside cover suggested that this book was “laugh-out-loud” funny (well, it would, wouldn’t it) but it’s true. The inside cover gives the reason why I should not have been surprised. Our man set up the world’s first wine entertainment business, Taste of the Vine, in 1997. It’s a melange of wine and stand-up comedy and has been appreciated by more than 100,000 people to date. I hope to give you more information on that in the near future.

In and Out of Africa ...in search of Gérard Depardieu starts with an encounter with the French star on the Graham Norton chat show, which led to the seed of an idea to pay a visit to M. Depardieu’s Moroccan vineyard, and perhaps take in a few other North African countries along the way. The trip doesn’t start well. The map was left on the table in Haslemere! They encounter dubious campsites, discover that France is closed on Mondays, meet marvellous hospitality, and experience the complexities of filming and eating by the light of a burning NHS malaria fact sheet!

This is a gem of a book and I intend to persuade Francis Gimblett to take more trips just so I can read the fruits of his labours on return. (China has always held a fascination for me.) It’s a wine book, a travel book and a marvellous record of observation of mankind with all its quirks. In and Out of Africa ...in search of Gérard Depardieu deserves to be popular. It’s hilarious!

Cardamom and Lime

I honestly had no idea what to expect. Cardamom and Lime – Recipes from the Arabian Gulf was going to be a revelation and it turned out to be a stunning and fascinating one.

I feel sure that the majority of us have no notion of Arabian food. But when one takes the time to look at the history of the region and its social make up all the clues are there. It’s an area that includes Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. They are collectively known by the romantic sounding name of al-Khaleej.

The pre-oil era saw a population living mainly on dates and dairy products. Sounds like a meagre diet but one that is said to be healthy. Income was from either pearling (diving for the precious gems of the deep) or trade which bought a more varied choice of foods. The food of the Gulf is considered to be, these days, a combination of Indian, Persian and Turkish dishes. Those three cuisines are acknowledged to be amongst the world’s classics.

There are plenty of rice dishes but the one I find uniquely representative of Gulf cuisine is Date-Sweetened Rice, Muhammar. This is seriously sweet from date syrup (dibs - look in Middle Eastern food stores) but honey could be used as a substitute. It was traditionally eaten by pearl divers and served with fish but on special occasions roast lamb.

Bengali Potato “Chops” are a popular transplant. These are tempting balls of potato filled with seasoned minced lamb or beef. They are coated with breadcrumbs and fried to give a crunchy and delicious snack.

Breaded Chicken Kebabs, Kaba Diyay, could be served with tea, as tasty finger food or as a starter with salads. Minced chicken is seasoned with cumin and turmeric, onions and fresh coriander. The mix is then rolled into sausage shapes, coated with egg and breadcrumbs and fried.

Shordat ‘Adas or Shorbat al-dal is perhaps the most celebrated of Gulf soups. Although there are versions that are popular in India, this one has the local addition of the ubiquitous dried limes, lumi, to give a regional twist. It’s often served at Ramadhan where it is a welcome meal for those breaking the day’s fast.

Gaimat are crunchy balls of dough in a sweet saffron syrup. This decadent dessert is best avoided by those with an eye on an expanding waist-line ...OK, just have a few. These would go well with an glass of mint tea in the afternoon, or at any time. They are moreish and irresistible.

Cardamom and Lime is part cookbook and part travelogue. The photography by the author Sarah al-Hamad offers an invitation to the reader to enjoy fine regional fare and a culture which is both rich and romantic.

The Silver Spoon

I have been recommended to review The Silver Spoon by several food media professionals. If you know anything about these people you will appreciate that a consensus of even two is an achievement, even if those two might give three reasons why this book is remarkable.

It has great visual impact. There is no doubt about that. I have seen Italian cars that are smaller than this book. It’s a multi-tasking volume, taking the place of steps to reach high kitchen shelves, could block a reasonable-sized doorway, and can be used to balance against any food item of 2.7kg.

There are many books around that are noteworthy for their ample proportions alone. Any publisher could offer enormous volumes of The Collected Works of... But this is rather different. The Silver Spoon could be retitled The Collected Works of Many Generations of Italian Cooks. The spine is big enough to take it and the title would be appropriate.

First published in 1950 in Italian, Il Cucchiaio d’argento. This is the most popular Italian cookbook. Strangely the name is derived from the English phrase to denote wealth and plenty... to be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth. In this case it is used to note the rich culinary heritage described between the covers. There are over 2000 recipes here so nothing much has been forgotten.

Il Cucchiaio d’argento has been in print for over 50 years. It has been updated, improved and expanded upon and now we have the English language edition, which will introduce still more lovers of Italian food to this veritable bible of one of Europe’s best-loved cuisines.

It’s almost useless to get into my usual routine of describing particular recipes to my dear reader. If you can think of an Italian dish then it’s here. More remarkable are the dishes that you might not know by name but which you might have eaten in homes of Italian friends. Yes, there is a whole section devoted to menus by Italian celebrity chefs, but the book is prized by Italians for its traditional Italian food. There are also a few contemporary dishes included to reflect availability of new products and the impact of travel. Beef Wellington, Goulash, Kugelhopf and even Scones are all listed, which suggests that this is a cookbook of not only Italian food but food for Italians.

If you are looking for your favourite pasta sauce it’s here. Pizza in all its forms is offered. Desserts that have long graced the trolleys in Italian restaurants throughout the world are included. But you will be missing so much of what makes Italian food so celebrated if you stick to the standards. It’s the rustic and slow-cooked meats (Brasato alla Cipolle - Braised Beef with Onions), flavourful and stylish seafood dishes (Gamberi in Salsa Dolceforte - Prawns in Strong Sweet Sauce) and delicious desserts like Torta di Ricotta E Uvetta (Ricotta and Sultana tart) which are the unsung heroes.

The Silver Spoon is a masterwork and I can understand why those in the know wax so lyrical about it. The price is more of a shock than the size of the volume. It’s amazing at only £25 for 1200 pages and that does not include the lengthy index. This book is still given as a wedding present by Italians to Italians. It can have no finer recommendation than that.

The Bibendum Cookbook

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 original Michelin man. That white rounded fellow who looks a bit like an inflated mummy. He has appeared for more than a century on posters, maps and book covers and he is also immortalised (not sure that’s the right word in the circumstances) in fine fashion in stained glass in the Bibendum building, which houses the restaurant of the same name.

Why would I say the Bibendum is a classic? If the late Elizabeth David ate there and pronounced the lemon tart the best she had ever had, then this restaurant deserves the title. Throw in a good selection of royal, nearly royal, famous and trying-to-be guests then you have a restaurant that would be noteworthy even if it was housed in a bike shed... and the Bibendum most definitely isn’t.

The food at the Bibendum ranges from French traditional (steak au poivre), through British comforting (think some very classy fish and chips) to contemporary and stylish (consider Slow-cooked Pork Belly with Chorizo and Sherry). This book offers some of their best dishes and allows you to make them at home.

The Bibendum Cookbook is a stunner. Having said that I should say that it would be hard to go wrong when you have fabulous dishes and one of the most photogenic buildings in London. Lisa Linder has masterfully captured the style of architecture, food and even staff members. Terence Conran was the project co-ordinator so there is little doubt that the book would impress.

This is a treasure-house of Bibendum favourites. There are ten classic Bibendum dishes and then more seasonal suggestions from head chef Matthew Harris. If you are a frequenter of the restaurant you will pick those dishes that you have found the most memorable. There is nothing here that seems over-elaborate or cheffy. It's restaurant food at its finest but totally accessible to the home cook.

Of the Classic Bibendum I would choose Onion Tart. It’s a simple dish but marvellous when done well. Make a good shortcrust pastry and don’t be tempted to cut corners, and success is assured. Spring tempts me with Jambon Persillé with Sauce Gribiche. This traditional terrine is hard to beat when served with its sharp and flavourful accompaniment. Matthew serves his with toasted baguette but I’d go for crusty rustic bread.

Restaurant desserts are always tempting and the Bibendum has Roasted Peaches with Ricotta, Almonds and Port on their summer menu. Apricots can be substituted for the white peaches if you prefer. Just serve with some crème fraiche and perhaps a glass of Amaretto.

The Bibendum Cookbook is a gift-quality volume that is bound to be popular with lovers of the restaurant but also with those who love good sensible food. I am sure the amazing architecture adds to the experience but we can always settle for home, fine food and a French road map as a table runner.

Sky High – Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

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 and journalist, have produced a truly delightful book. It’s the nature of the subject that Sky High – Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes would need a photographer able to show off the sweet confections to best advantage. Tina Rupp is a New York-based food photographer who has done the book proud.

Europe has a marvellous collection of classic baked goods. We have rich fruit cakes, light and delicate petits fours, chocolate tarts, apple tarts, simnel cake, Christmas cake, but America has perfected layer cakes. Yes, there are layer cakes in Europe. One thinks of Victoria Sponge cake and perhaps even Battenberg cake might qualify as a layered cake, but America does it BIG.

Is it that we Europeans have suffered from culinary vertigo, do we think that it’s too ostentatious to have more, have we considered that too much of a good thing is just “not done”? Well, it seems that the reason for the difference in dessert concept has more to do with chemistry than culture. It’s just that the bakers, both home and commercial in the US, took to baking powder and baking soda with almost missionary zeal when it was first introduced in the 1800s. They are the ingredients that have elevated cakes to a higher form.

Layer cakes must be light and airy or the end result will resemble a stack of perfectly-formed but weighty cheeses. If you want to add that impressive third layer then it’s imperative to have a recipe that has a soft texture but that will take a filling, frosting or glaze, and slice without disintegrating. Sky High – Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes offers such recipes as well as those for the frostings and fillings.

This volume is stuffed with tempting three-layer extravaganzas of taste and visual impact. They are, for the most part, simple recipes. The key to success is combining flavoured cake with appropriate filling and a frosting or glaze to complement the whole. These combinations are imaginative and the results are striking. There are cakes for special occasions and those to just share with family and friends, but they all have a professional style with nothing over-decorated or gaudy.

The Tiramisu Wedding Cake will be welcomed by many who have a dislike for traditional British wedding cake (rich fruit cake, marzipan, and icing the like of which has kept dentists in business for decades). It has a Genoese cake as its base, an espresso-rum syrup to moisten and a topping of Zabaglione Cream and chocolate shavings. The authors provide all recipes and even advice on cutting the cake so that Auntie Winnie does not miss out.

Dulce de Leche Cake has become trendy in the US. It takes a bit of effort to make but that work isn’t difficult and the resulting cake is fabulous. It uses the same rum syrup as the Tiramisu cake and the Dulce de Leche Cream is used as both filling and frosting. It has the flavour of caramel that works well with the cinnamon-perfumed sponge.

Ginger Chiffon Cake with Key Lime Curd and Lime Buttercream has an adult taste for those who prefer a tang from their dessert. If you can’t get Key Lime Curd then use regular lime curd. The sponge is flavoured with a grating of fresh ginger for a bit of summery bite. A truly exotic cake.

Sky High – Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes is a winner. It has all the recipes and advice you need to produce memorable cakes. It’s a book full of innovation that will be welcomed by the confident baker, and support and tips for the novice.

The Good Pub Guide 2009

Many people don’t need a pub guide. They have a homing instinct that is often quite remarkable. But The Good Pub Guide has that little word “good” there in the title for a reason. It’s not just a list of pubs (afficionados are capable of compiling an extensive list for themselves), this is a guide to the best in the UK.

Pubs have changed over the years. There are fewer of the traditional ones that oft grace tourist films and holiday brochures. The thatched, half-timbered variety is iconic and even features on the front cover of this guide, but is sadly rare. More common is nasty vinyl and rude landlord. I once had the nerve to remark that my wine did not come up to the mark on the glass. The barman added an ice cube. Now that’s service!

We all look for different qualities in a pub. Our “local” might not be the best appointed nor boast the best prices but we visit because... well, it’s local. If we are away from home we might be looking for a place to eat good food at a reasonable price. Summer can put us in excursion mode so we hope to find a country pub, good parking, kid-friendly with the chance of a bowl of water for the Labradoodle.

The Good Pub Guide 2009 offers over 5,000 of the UK's top pubs. They might be ones that score highly for quaint atmosphere, or exceptional food, or a great wine list. It’s easy to find what you’re looking for as the book is divided by county and then alphabetically by pub name. Each entry has a selection of symbols to indicate its particular strengths, a map reference and directions, a few words of overview and then a comprehensive description.

A fairly weighty volume, this isn’t one just for the alcoholically-inclined. Some of the best and most traditional British food can still be found in pubs and at better prices than in restaurants. If you enjoy unique beers then you’ll find this guide interesting. If you need a bed for the night then there are some good opportunities to sleep in a room that will have a bit more character than the chain hotels and motels that we mostly frequent.

The Good Pub Guide 2009 is a book for both bookshelf and glove compartment. It’s well researched and will help you avoid disappointing evenings spent in the atmosphere of an underage disco where even the landlord’s Rotweiler has a tattoo and body piercings. Yes, there are many pubs in the UK to avoid and you’ll do that most successfully with this guide. Great value for money.

Fork to Fork

This is the revised edition of the original 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 welcome.

Monty Don has been a familiar face on BBC Gardeners World for 5 years or so. He is not only passionate about gardening in front of the camera but lives the life he preaches. He and his wife Sarah have an organic garden that feeds family and friends in fine style.

Fork to Fork is an apt title for a book that does indeed chart the progress of food from the ground up. Is it a gardening book with recipes or a cookbook with a spot of horticulture? Hard to say, but however you choose to describe it the book works. The volume looks the part with its distinctive jacket (well, more of a cummerbund, in the form of a band round the middle) and heavy-duty card cover; this is a book that will improve with age and use.

Fork to Fork will encourage many hardy sorts to go and find a vacant allotment (good luck, you’ll need it), and others to have a go at growing a few veggies in a small garden. You’ll obviously grow more in a bigger space, but how pleasing it is (not to mention much cheaper) to grow even your own herbs in a window box.

Each chapter considers a particular month. There is plenty of advice about planting and propagation and all written with the conversational style that was so enjoyed by viewers of Gardeners World. The recipes are a delight. The book is about growing and enjoying vegetables and fruit but the authors are not vegetarian and don’t assume you are. It’s a book about the best of cooking in all its forms.

The food is old-fashioned and comforting. Those dishes that were considered as passé a few years ago are enjoying something of a revival. We are now more concerned about quality and simplicity than extravagance and culinary bling. Puddings, crumbles, sausages are the order of the day but add in some contemporary twists and you have a recipe book that keeps the best of the past and marries it with new ideas, a dash of olive oil (thought in the past only to be good for ear-aches) and even some garlic!

I have several must-tries from Fork to Fork. Raised Chicken and Pork Pie is surprisingly easy to make but the result is stunning. Individual pies are made using a jam jar as a mould. The filling is seasoned with nutmeg, sage and cider brandy (but use a dash of calvados if you can’t find that). Damson Sorbet has full marks for colourful impact. It only has three ingredients and, being made ahead, will be a no-stress dinner party stunner.

Fork to Fork is a volume that will be appealing to both gardener and cook. Anyone starting a new vegetable patch will be glad of Monty’s advice, but this is a book also to be enjoyed by those who have no garden at all but would like to understand what is in season and when, and who want to cook with the ever-changing seasonal produce.

Every Day

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, and you won’t be spending too much time in the kitchen, either.

Lots of you will have seen Bill on TV in his series Bill’s Food. He is a charming chap with a quick smile and the most gorgeous kids. His food is innovative, accessible and child-friendly. He is not only a successful dad but he has three popular restaurants in Australia. Bill opened his first when he was only 22 years old. He comes from a family of butchers and bakers so unless he was going to become a candlestick maker chances are he would work in the food industry.

Every Day has seven chapters which reflect the days of the week, with each chapter offering a breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am sure you could get away with making Tuesday’s recipes on Wednesday – let’s not be silly about this. It’s a nice concept.

The food is superb. It’s not chefy and it doesn’t contrive to be elevated although there are plenty of smart dishes, but even those are not over-taxing for the home cook. Lots of fresh ingredients and a good dollop (a culinary term utilised extensively by the cognoscenti) of style.

It’s summer and a young person’s fancy might turn to burgers. Bill has a simple pork burger served with roasted red pepper and sweet potato fries (recipe for these is included). The meat is flavoured with a touch of fennel and some parsley, and is a cut above most beef-based burgers. Use meat with enough fat to give flavour and to bind.

Lime Paprika and Honey Glazed Chicken is a simple recipe but it will be popular with the whole family. The combination of ginger, garlic and honey is a match made in heaven and the chicken is succulent; a dish of rice and some unfussy veggies are all you need to complete a flavoursome meal.

Creamy Mushroom and Prosciutto Pasta is perhaps my pick of this book. It's comfort food at its finest. A good mid-week (Bill suggests Thursday) meal for the family but I’d be tempted to give this to guests on a Saturday night. Some good red and bread, and contentment will reign.

Every Day is an attractive book (photographs by Petrina Tinslay) with food that is practical and tempting. The recipes are well written and a gift to those of us who love to cook but don’t have much time to devote to it. Yes, it’s a pretty book but more important it’s a book that will be used.

Mince!

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 all its many and several guises.

The author, Mitzie Wilson, is not alone in her regard for humble mince. She has contributions from such culinary luminaries as Antony Worral Thompson, Rick Stein and Phil Vickery to name but a few. It’s no good pretending that we wouldn’t touch mince with a ten-foot spatula. There is a lot of mince sold every day and someone is buying it. I admit that it’s often me.

Perhaps mince will enjoy something of a revival. You might have heard that there is a credit crunch just now so many of us will be wanting to stretch the housekeeping money a bit. Whilst mince is still a cheap option I’d advise to buy the best you can afford. The meal will still be economic but taste better with none of that fatty residue that is so off-putting.

We can all think of lots of mince recipes ...OK, perhaps just two. There is spag bol and lasagne. You might include a burger but that’s about the sum total for most of us. This book contains a staggering 100, yes, 100 recipes for mince. They include minced chicken, pork, beef, venison and lamb, which is my favourite.

Mitzie has a good selection of traditional dishes like Cottage Pie, Shepherd’s Pie, Meat and Potato Pie and the Spaghetti Bolognese to which some are addicted. There are others that might not be quite so familiar like Deer Stalker’s Pie, and Mozzarella Meatballs and Spaghetti with a Pepper Sauce.

Mince is popular all over the world and there are some delicious examples of exotic mince dishes here. Keema Curry with minced lamb, Chinese Pork-Fried Rice, Golbaki (Polish stuffed cabbage) and even Ethiopia is represented by Berbere Sauce, a vibrant mix of spices and minced lamb.

Commercial burgers have got an iffy reputation but homemade ones can be delicious. Chilli Chicken Burger is a healthy alternative to Macwimpking and you can vary the seasoning and add exotic garnishes to produce truly gourmet burgers.

Mince is a good value book with recipes for quick evening meals as well as classy suggestions for dinner party dishes. Mince is a versatile and economic option and too often overlooked.

Best Salads Ever

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 has a slightly different approach to salad. Those from the northernmost part of Europe are famed for big spreads of magnificent salad. Perhaps it’s those long winter nights that encourage cravings for colour, fresh tastes and interesting textures. The Danish authors, Sonja Bock and Tina Scheftelowitz, provide salads for every season.

A quick flick through these pages and you’ll consider salad in a different light. There are ingredients here that I would never have considered as salad contenders. Sprouts for example. Not bean but Brussels! I am not a lover of the BS and I blame Christmas. Mum, always a good manager, would start boiling sprouts in a timely fashion (probably in early December) to have them cooked by Christmas. This has left me with the impression that Brussels sprouts are almost liquid and always beige. Best Salads Ever has them as key salad ingredients and suggests a quick boil of just 5 minutes is sufficient to give a crunchy and fresh-tasting vegetable. Brussels Sprouts with Red Salad Onion and Feta is a triumph of texture and tang. There is a dressing of Balsamic vinegar and olive oil which adds a richness to this simple dish.

Salads don’t have to be purely vegetarian. Chinese Duck Breast Salad has plenty of punchy spice but it’s tempered with crisp cucumber and sugar snap peas. Lots of black pepper and rice vinegar help to spike the flavour. This would make a very smart starter or part of an Asian meal.

The Dips and Salsas chapter offers quick fixes when you only have a few veggies and some bread, or want a sauce to go with fish or meat. Creative Creams and Brilliant Dressings suggests lots of flavoursome and sophisticated lubricants for your salads. Everything from Lovely summery Raspberry Vinaigrette to Chinese Sweet and Sour Dressing which will work equally well with noodles and fish.

Best Salads Ever has advice for individual meals but it’s unique in that it has menus for buffets. We are not talking curly ham sarnies nor bake-from-frozen nasty sausage rolls. This is smart and light food with enough variety to please even the fussiest of eaters. It’s the easiest of casual entertaining.

Arabic Buffet has meatballs with Middle Eastern-inspired vegetable salads and pita bread (there are recipes for every menu item in this book, including bread and dessert), His and Hers Buffets with either gutsy blokey meat and potato salads or light and fluffy salmon and goats cheese dishes because women have naturally more appreciative palates. There are Asian Buffets, Mediterranean Buffets, as well as one for each season. It’s so easy to throw a bash with food that is balanced, easy to make and stunning.

Best Salads Ever is a striking volume with food that is honestly delicious and different. The salads are easy to mix and match for your perfect combination and summer is the time to start practising. This isn’t just a cookbook it’s about stress-free entertaining at any time. I’d say this is one of the best salad books around.

A Passion for Potatoes

I have only ever met one person who doesn’t like potatoes. What is not to like! They have a mild taste, come in different colours, they change texture depending on cooking method and they are a marvellous vehicle for tangy flavours.

It’s not many years ago that most Northern Europeans and Americans would eat potatoes in some form or other every day and perhaps a couple of times a day. But it hasn’t had a long history, being only discovered at the same time as America (along with tomatoes, chillies and maize). They were hardly an instant success (but more instant than the tomato which was considered by many as poisonous till the 1800’s) and the French authorities used devious strategies to encourage the population to manger this new vegetable. It’s said they grew potatoes behind walls and fences and had patrol guards. This encouraged theft on a grand scale and so potatoes became prized and widespead, as all things illicit tend to be.

Paul Gayler is one of Britain’s most popular chefs. A familiar face on UK TV, he often appeared on such programmes as Good Food Live with Jeni Barnett where he demonstrated his skills as a chef but also as a natural and approachable chap without the ego of many celebs. His food is always innovative but accessible to the home cook.

A Passion for Potatoes has an amazing selection of recipes for everything from the humble boiled potato to the more elaborate Potato, Courgette and King Prawn Spiedini with Mustard-Smoked Paprika Mayo. Each recipe is clearly written and even those with a lengthy list of ingredients are not a challenge.

Mashed potatoes are a real comfort food. Paul admits that he still enjoys mash with salad cream, as he did in his childhood. Glad he mentioned that first, because it’s one of my personal favourites and a dish seldom presented in polite company and never (till now) mentioned in a cookbook. Please note, dear reader, that it must be salad cream and not mayonnaise. This chef has, however, considered those with more educated palates and offers ten versions which include the basic perfect mash (sans salad cream), Irish Champ (a delicious alternative) and Charred Onion and Bacon Mash which is going to be a regular at our table. This is one of those dishes that feeds only half the number of people you would imagine. Make double the recipe or you’ll spend the evening begrudging their every bite.

There is much more than mash, though. Dumplings, gratins, bakes, roasts, chips, main courses, and even a few sweet treats and breads. There is plenty to tempt fish lovers as well as vegetarians and meat eaters, but my favourite dish (at the moment) is Sausages with Caramelised Truffle Potatoes, Red Onions and Garlic. The potatoes are dark, could be mistaken for beetroot, and the balsamic and wine glaze gives a rich sweet taste.

Buying cookbooks is a bit like buying a CD. There are often only a few tracks that are worthwhile but you buy the thing anyway. A Passion for Potatoes is rare in that I could be quite content if forced to eat every dish. The basic ingredient is cheap, healthful (it's the other ingredients you have to watch) and easy to prepare, and it’s available all year round. There is everything here from kid-friendly jacket potatoes to posh nosh to impress friends. An attractive and practical book.

The Hairy Bikers Cookbook

Doubtless you would have watched these lads on UK TV. If you are a lover of good food you would have watched them; if you are a lover of nasty, noisy bikey things you would have watched them; and if you are an armchair traveller you would have followed their hilarious trips with thoughts of “Wish I could go” and “Glad it’s not me”. Dave Myers and Si King are a combination of Innocents Abroad, Meals on Wheels, and Armand and Michaela Denis (OK, that might be going too far back.)

These chunky chaps are not chefs by trade nor are they professional TV presenters. It’s extraordinary that they have such natural stage (boat, field, shed, and dune) presence. Their programmes have been witty, charming, fascinating, with mouth-watering food and funny hats. But who are they?

Dave Myers is a lad from Barrow-in-Furness in the North of England. His work history has been broad-based and surprising. He worked as a furnaceman in a steelworks (remember those?) to finance his masters degree in fine arts. He joined the BBC as a make-up artist (it's all make-up really, he is a 20-year old redhead) specialising in prosthetics (those bits you stick on). He has worked on TV series such as The Life and Loves of a She Devil as well as feature films.

Simon (Si) King is the blond one with a winning way with the folks they meet on the road. Hailing from Newcastle, he has earned his living as a first assistant director and locations manager for both TV and film, and recently worked on the Harry Potter films. These guys have known each other since working on a Catherine Cookson drama and have had many a biking trip together.

Food should be fun. If you are one of my regular readers you will already know that I have little time for over-earnest types in the food industry who take themselves too seriously. It’s a joy to find a book that is packed with great food but also offers a lot of laughs. The travel element of the book is an amazing ramble which has provided lots of comic situations. Part of the book reads like a bikers’ adventure but it’s no worse for that. It helps to put the cooking into context... and what cooking!

The Hairy Bikers Cookbook is a surprisingly good cookbook. The word Biker comes before Cook in the title because I guess The Hairy Cooks Bike Book doesn’t roll quite so well off the tongue, and conjures visions of a chef in whites tinkering with a soon-to-be-throbbing Harley. It is more about food than transport and the bike bits are more informative and amusing than technical. The food ranges from traditional (well, traditional for wherever the lads were) to innovative. You know that if a dish can be made in fairly basic and foreign conditions then it will be easy to make in the safety of your own home.

A diverse collection of countries is traversed in this volume, covering different cuisines and degrees of personal danger. The Isle of Man probably holds more risk for a biker than Portugal, Namibia, Transylvania, Turkey, Vietnam or Mexico. Lots of lovely traveloguey description for each location, and then a nice bit of cooking.

A good example of Hairy Biker style is Hunkar Begendi (Sultan’s Delight) with Turkeyshire Pudding and Piyaz Pilaf. The aforementioned pudding is in fact a Yorkshire pudding with the addition of cumin and allspice. That might not be one for the Northern purist, but it works well with the rich lamb dish, rice and aubergine sauce.

If you have a few friends over then you might consider Bobotie... for 20! This is a traditional Namibian and South African meatloaf with a curry-custard topping. This might sound strange but it is probably the most flavourful and moist meatloaf you will ever taste.

Chicken Paprikas (pronounced papricaaash) by the Hairy Bikers is one of the few recipes for this dish that seems authentic. So many will advise you to add a tablespoon of anonymous paprika. This recipe, however, says that a tablespoon of sweet paprika, a tablespoon of hot paprika and a tablespoon of smoked paprika should give a good result. This dish is a winner and takes little time and less skill to prepare to perfection.

The Hairy Bikers Cookbook is a joy and I look forward to reading more. Both Si and Dave are as warm and comforting as their cooking. Long may they ride the range... or camping stove.

The Cook’s Book of Everything

The author, 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, teaches a course on Food Writing at City University and is on the Guild of Food Writers’ committee.

You will know that I don't often mention the price of a book till the last paragraph. I guess I come from a generation where talking of politics, religion or money was considered rude and ill-mannered. I am going to be completely brazen and say from the outset that I consider The Cook’s Book of Everything to be one of the best-value books I have reviewed in many a month. This is at an amazing price of only £30.00. It’s a mammoth volume of 687 pages, but a book does not succeed by weight alone.

Big it might be but The Cook’s Book of Everything manages to have a light, airy and modern style that I find most appealing. There are photographs aplenty to add splashes of colour but the lines of this book are clean and uncluttered. The recipes are easy to follow and cover every cooking method and every skill level.

The Cook’s Book of Everything is the book you would save if the house burns down. It might even be your only cookbook. It lists plenty of dishes for the novice cook but also lots for the more experienced to get their teeth into. This is a book that will give support to the culinary scaredy cat on his first steps to becoming a kitchen wiz.

The recipes are a marvellous collection of traditional and contemporary dishes drawn from both Western and Asian heritage and covering every class of food from soup to dessert and including herbs, sauces, baking and preserving. The Poultry chapter, for example, has a full eleven recipes for roasts of everything from the common choock to the swanky quail with lots of other feathered fare as well.

The Cook’s Book of Everything reflects modern eating habits and ingredients but remains mindful of the fact that the old familiar family dishes still have a place at the table. This is truly a one-stop cookbook that would be an ideal gift for newlyweds or those setting up their first home; and for anyone who just wants a great cookbook, definitely consider this one. It’s a winner.

Pies Pies Pies

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 author blunders can be rectified but a novice can be alarmed.

Pies Pies Pies is another example of a book containing triple-tested recipes that are reliable. There are over 100 of them and many with step-by-step photographs. There is a good chapter of basic pastry recipes but also instruction on fruit preparation for tarts and on using chocolate. Then it’s on to the recipes both savoury and sweet, traditional and contemporary.

Anything with pastry has my name on it, so I am the worst reviewer to be limited to just a few recipes to consider. Wild Mushroom Pithiviers are a savoury version of the more common sweet Pithivier with an almond filling. This mushroom version works well with its creamy and rich centre. You could easily make one large pie instead of these small ones.

Game and Herb Pies are made in small brioche tins which make for a striking presentation. If you don’t have those then use muffin or Yorkshire pudding tins. The filling is decadent and delicious and this is a great recipe for stretching game to feed a crowd. This might be my choice for a New Year’s dinner.

Dessert is what many think of when the word Pie is mentioned. Plum and Cardamom Pie is a take on the classic Plum Tart. This is an easy freeform or rustic pie made directly on the baking sheet rather than in a pie dish. The cardamom gives an interesting and exotic flavour.

Banana and Chocolate Ice Cream Pie has a no-cook biscuit base and a topping of sliced mini Mars Bars - this is a good dessert to prepare in advance. But my favourite sweet pie from this book is undoubtedly Pinenut and Honey Tart. This will remind you of holidays in Greece and would be ideal served in the afternoon with a bowl of chilled Greek yoghurt alongside.

Pies Pies Pies is as good as all other Good Housekeeping books, and exceptional value for money at only £5.99.

Jamie at Home – Cook Your Way to the Good Life

I am not always too keen to review celeb cookbooks. Any that grace these pages will be there because I think these people are in some way a cut above the average TV chef.

I have been fighting shy of reviewing anything of Jamie Oliver’s just because he is so celebrated. He doesn’t need the publicity and I don’t need another book... so why bother? It’s simply that I like his food. I remember him when he was young(er) and Naked presenting food which was exactly what I wanted to eat. His infectious good humour made cooking accessible to a new generation (OK, that doesn’t include me) and helped to make food trendy. Anyone who encourages a nice bit of cooking and good food has got my attention.

I have watched Jamie at Home on TV and it’s evident that this lad does love his food. Yes, he is a chef but also a man who eats, and wants to provide the best for family and friends. The best doesn’t need to be complicated and fussy food with a raft of posh ingredients. We are talking simple and fresh with a dash of imagination.

Jamie at Home is a book about a cook and his cooker, and a guy with a garden. Don’t be put off if you only have a window-box on the 6th floor. The important element is seasonal freshness, so if you can’t grow your own, buy from your nearest market.

This book is divided by season and then by ingredient. For example Spring has asparagus, eggs and rhubarb; Autumn sees chillies and peppers, game – both feathered and furry, mushrooms, orchard fruit and pickles. There is plenty of advice on growing produce and suggestions for varieties of vegetables. The photography by David Loftus is striking and helps to make this volume a charming ramble through the gardening year.

The food has that Oliver touch of simplicity. It’s the sort of cooking that represents the way we eat today... or should eat. It has that wholesome feel but without being off-putting to those who have no interest in “Green” “Organic” “Earth-saving” “Yoghurt and sandals”. It’s sensible and tasty grub and not at all cheffy.

Jamie has a delightful recipe for Crispy Asparagus Soldiers with Soft-boiled Eggs which is a combination of comfort and joy. Eggs and soldiers (traditionally the “soldiers” are fingers of bread or toast - nothing to do with the military so you can quite happily offer this to pacifists) were always a favourite supper or breakfast for kids. The asparagus wrapped with thinly sliced pancetta or smoky bacon elevates this dish to swanky adult fare.

Potato Salad with Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Crème Fraiche looks lovely and would make a great summer lunch or starter for a smart evening meal. It’s simple to prepare and relies on the marriage of well-chosen ingredients to give impact.

What could be more traditional than Blackberry and Apple Pie! It’s my preferred fruit dessert and I didn’t think it could be improved upon. Jamie makes a delicious addition to the usual ingredients in the shape of stem ginger. This provides just a hint of warming spice without masking the flavour of the blackberries. If you are not a lover of pastry then make the pie filling and serve with vanilla ice cream or crème fraiche for a light and summery dessert.

Bubble and Squeak with Sausages and Onion Gravy is my pick of this book. It’s traditional British fare and originally made on Monday with Sunday’s leftovers. Jamie cooks the winter vegetables from scratch and serves with venison or beef sausages. The bubble and squeak (the name refers to the sound of frying veggies) is also delicious served with fried eggs.

Jamie at Home – Cook Your Way to the Good Life will be well received by Jamie Oliver’s legion of fans, and also appreciated by those who want to grow and eat their own produce, and those who just enjoy simple, appetising food.

2008-2009 Pudlo France

“Michelin has seen competitors come and go, but none have built the reputation of Gilles Pudlowski, whose guide has been published in English for the first time,” writes Florence Fabricant of the New York Times. This is the guide that many French use, written by a man many French consider the best of reviewers.

French food is adored the world over so it’s logical to put your trust in a guide written by a man who is trusted by the French. His opinions are shared in Le Point magazine and his guides grace the shelves of good bookshops all over France. He considers every sort of restaurant, and not just those with a galaxy of stars, awards and self-important waiters.

When reading the guide the word “charming” forms in one’s mind. It’s a book that is eminently readable as well as being informative. Each town has an indication of geographic location and web address where appropriate and then a short description. Noteworthy restaurants and hotels are listed, each with address, phone number, opening hours and prices, but the descriptions of these establishments are almost poetic. He reminisces about the fathers or brothers of many current chefs, and describes favourite desserts with almost Latin amour.

We might wax lyrical about the style of M. Pudlowski’s reviews but this is a guide to be used. The key to its success is... well, the key. Hotels and restaurants are awarded from 1 to 5 little building icons depending on facilities or quality. One building denotes Simple and five Very Luxurious. Very peaceful hotels are indicated, as is good value for money. It’s easy to flick through the pages and find either food or accommodation that suits you and your pocket.

Money is tighter than ever these days and we don’t want to waste either our time or cash on disappointing meals or an uncomfortable bed for the night. It’s a myth that all French food is fabulous and that all French hotels are rustically quaint. The worst of French food is easily as bad as the worst of British, and a nasty French hotel is something to be wondered at. (I speak from experience!) Pudlo France is reliable and has been good enough for the French for many a long year. They might not be too pleased that now you too will be able to find those little gastronomic gems and romantic retreats.

Food in England

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. Perhaps it’s truer to say that these were the foods that made us who we were in 1954, the year of this book’s first publication ...and it’s a big book.

Dorothy Hartley, the author, was born in Skipton, Yorkshire in 1892 and died in 1985. She lived for most of her life in Froncysyllte, near Llangollen in Wales, but she travelled extensively around Britain studying rural ways. She is also the author of a six-volume treatise about the Life and Work of the People of England, where she recorded information on trades and crafts that have now almost all gone. This book, however, is perhaps the one that has remained the most popular with the public and food professionals who will still refer to this volume to give historic context to recipes.

This is a weighty tome with a marvellous selection of line illustrations that portray everything from medieval tree pruning to how to construct an outside privy (consult the local authority and a psychiatrist before work commences). I should add that this is the final item in the book so we could consider it the last stop in the food chain.

Food in England is a serious work but written with humour. The language is more poetic than academic (and it’s no worse for that) and it is a book stuffed full of facts. Dorothy Hartley considers the minutiae of food and cooking, and presents the reader with many a revelation. I had not appreciated how much of a part the cooking fuel played in the evolution of recipes. An area where peat was abundant finds dishes that are slow cooked; regions with a good supply of wood have roasts, and although we are all now equipped with the latest gas and/or electric cookers (or Agas if you are a well-heeled cottager) the ancient recipes linger on.

We often hear of the impact of exotic spices and foreign produce on our culinary heritage. Only when America was discovered did we have access to chilli, potatoes, turkeys and MacDonalds, but it had not dawned upon me that food played a part in allowing those voyages in the first place. Food preservation was a huge issue for early mariners and it’s said that more deaths arose from food (or absence thereof) than ever there did from enemy cannon. As voyages became longer the cooks of the expanding empire looked to ancient recipes, potions and cure-alls to provide sailors with life’s necessities, in the shape of lime juice for scurvy and a nice bit of fat for sunburn.

Food in England contains many recipes that are still relevant in our modern times. They are written in a descriptive fashion rather than the list form that is more common in contemporary cookbooks. The recipe for bread by the celebrated cook Elizabeth (Elisa) Acton (17 April 1799 - 13 February 1859) is quite charming. Her method is somewhat different from the usual but I shall try it her way.

This book is almost addictive! I defy anyone to just flick through the pages for a few moments. It’s been a privilege to read and I can understand why Delia Smith has described it as “A must for any keen English cook”. It’s already a classic and it’s good to see this new edition.

How to Cook Everything

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 subject. No, dear reader, the teacher didn't say do it over again, it’s just that the culinary and social world has moved on from the launch of the original How to Cook Everything in 1994. Mark has added recipes and revised the content to reflect current trends for fresh produce with low food miles.

This tenth anniversary edition of How to Cook Everything boasts 2000 simple recipes for great food. By the size of the tome one can well believe it contains that many recipes. It is cover-to-cover food-related wisdom. There is not a raft of glossy colour photographs but there are plenty of detailed illustrations on, for example, preparing an artichoke, shaping dough for a baguette, and carving a leg of lamb.

The author has a conversational style which encourages the novice cook and this is indeed a book that would be a good investment for any would-be home chef. The advice is always straightforward and clear and downright sensible. I am so tired of hearing the worthy (not necessarily my opinion) of the food industry pontificating on such subjects as cooking risotto. "Daaaarling, one absolutely muuuust use oooonly that siiiiply diviiiine rice from thaaaat particular village." It is refreshing to read that Mark has successfully used cheap and cheerful short-grained rice. This costs a fraction of the price of the classic Arborio and the results are pretty good. I confess I have used the cost-busting alternative and it would fool everyone but an expert. Cookbooks should allow the audience a bit of freedom. We all need to know about the culinary classics but there are hoards of folk out there who equally need some credit-crunching tricks as well.

How to Cook Everything is a masterwork of huge proportions. Its size is striking and that alone would make it a handy book for propping open the kitchen door. But this is a culinary classic that could be renamed A Sensible Book for a Sensible Cook. Mark Bittman has his finger on the pulse of modern society. Even the most enthusiastic cook has less time available to spend in the kitchen, and when he is there he wants good solid recipes and advice. This volume will not disappoint.

Savoir Fare London – Stylish Dining for Under $25.00

I do love a good Myth-Busting book, and Savoir Fare London – Stylish Dining for Under $25.00 is a candidate for first prize in the culinary section. Every American tourist seems to have a tale of horror about the food in London. (Does anyone ask how many British tourists have been equally appalled by food in New York?) Whilst it’s true that London, and Britain in general, had a bad reputation for food, things have changed.

The secret of eating well is to know where to go. If you want predictable then London has a good selection of McDonalds and the burgers will taste just the same as they do in Dubuque, Iowa, but why not try some real British food that will have you proclaiming that London is the foodie capital of the world?

Elaine Louie is an American who has dedicated quite a bit of time to researching restaurants that will be appealing to Americans. Elaine works for The New York Times where she is a regular contributor to Home, Dining, and Sunday Styles sections. She was evidently charmed by what she found and probably a little surprised.

Savoir Fare London – Stylish Dining for Under $25.00 lists 50 or so restaurants that reflect the breadth of the new British restaurant scene. There are eateries that offer breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. They are found in every area of the capital and cover both traditional British and ethnic fare.

Do I have a favourite from this collection of restaurants? Yes, but it’s not a restaurant, it’s a pub, or more correctly a gastropub. It’s an establishment with the charm of an iconic pub but with more attention to food. It’s the Eagle Public House in Clerkenwell, East London and was one of the original gastropubs. There have been a few reviews of late that suggest that this gastropub might be getting by on reputation alone, but it’s still worth a look.

This chunky volume will be a riveting read to any American with an interest in food and a ticket to Heathrow. There are great suggestions here so steer clear of tourist traps and follow the locals, and you’ll not go hungry. A lovely gift for a traveller.

Hot Dog – A Global History

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 of 20,000 years in some form or other.

The love of the modern hot dog probably started with the influx of German immigrants in the 1800s. They brought with them their love of sausages and the skills to make them. Street vendors sold sausages in bread as one of the first fast foods. Fast it might have been but probably not too hygienic and there were always questions about the ingredients. (What breed of dog exactly?).

There are as many theories about the origins of the name Hot Dog as there are varieties of hot dog, and all of them sound unlikely. It’s probably a matter of mispronunciation rather than an indication of the class of puppy used. There were, however, plenty of rumours about what might possibly be the main constituent of the early hot dog. The manufacturers were considered to be the American equivalent of the English Sweeny Todd, the mad barber of Fleet Street who would cut the throats of clients and render them into meat pies with the aid of a friendly baker of his acquaintance. It makes the “variety meats” (poetic way to describe offal) said to be used in some hot dogs sound quite mouthwatering in comparison!

It’s not only the hot dog meat that differs between manufacturers but also the method of cooking. Some are roller-grilled, some flat-grilled and some heated in water. There are even regional garnishes, ranging from onions, chilli, fried peppers, cheese, to lettuce and salsa. The bread served with the sausage could be French baguette, soft buns, toasted buns or even pitta. Condiments are also wide-ranging, from the traditional ketchup and mustard to tangy barbecue sauce, piccalilli relish and mayonnaise.

I am not a lover of hot dogs but I can understand the appeal. They are iconic and cheap and they have a long and chequered history. Hot Dog – A Global History charts that story in a most amusing fashion. This book would be welcomed by any lover of food history or anyone who has happy memories of time spent at sports events eating this classic snack.

Historic Colorado

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 anything other than a city when visiting the USA. I am not, by nature, the woodsy sort who loves the outdoors, hiking, camping, getting too cold, getting too hot. I am not a lover of wildlife (the clue is in the name – “wild”) and each tree looks the same as the next, so why would I want to spend time in Colorado?

Well, I read James A. Michener’s Centennial and I was hooked. Historic Colorado adds some vibrant and exciting pictures and has turned that novel into a subliminal movie. I might not normally be a fanatic when it comes to long walks but a walk in such country would be a thrill and well worth getting a little overheated for.

The author has a marvellous collection of photographs. The contemporary ones show the scenery to great advantage, and the black and white pictures show faces and places of those who made this land part of the USA, or whose land was taken to become part of the USA. Colorado is a state with an ethnic diversity that has helped to give it a cultural richness.

Historic Colorado offers tours of regions within the state and all have associated maps so it’s easy to choose the area that best suits your travel needs and interests. Each has a number of suggested trips with detailed directions, photographs and information to put your surroundings into historic context.

Colorado has an amazing past. Indians, Spanish, gold miners, settlers from the East have all left their mark, and sometimes scars, on the face of this land. The USA might be a new(ish) country but Colorado has a past that reaches back thousands of years and reflects human struggle and initiative. You’ll find mysterious ancient pueblos, breathtaking mountains, abandoned mines, iconic railways and the echo of pioneers. This is the real America that so many tourists, even American ones, seek.

Historic Colorado is a must-have book for all those who are planning a visit. Take this along with Centennial and you will have a trip of a lifetime... if you can fit it all into just one vacation.

Gentleman’s Relish – A Compendium of English Culinary Oddities

This small chunky book is a treat. It lists and describes just about all of those quirky and well-loved foodstuffs that we hold dear. Yes, we consider them to be English but a remarkable number of them have either foreign origins or foreign originators.

Gentleman’s Relish is a mine of information that will charm any foodie. Gentleman’s Relish, the celebrated fish paste, is the first item and it’s a smart one from any view-point. It’s a strong and salty concoction much enjoyed by the English upper classes. First devised by John Osborn in 1828 it has anchovies as its key ingredient. It’s synonymous with the sadly missed Savoury Course at dinner parties, where it would be presented to those guests (mostly the men) who still had a chink of space after the preceding seven or so courses. Those were the days.

I didn’t know exactly the origin of Mars bars. I knew it was unlikely to be Mars and it is, in fact, the USA. They didn’t find their way across the pond till the 1930s. The English contribution to chocolate heaven might be Bendicks Bittermints, which are often taken home by tourists who appreciate the packaging as much as the candy. It says ‘Mayfair’!

The Full English Breakfast and HP Sauce could very easily have been combined into a single article. Yes, it’s true that many now eat the Full Monty with tomato ketchup; the purist will stick to HP sauce and English mustard. There are regional variations, with white pudding being added in Ireland, black pudding being included in the North, but all with fried bread, which is delicious but probably a killer if you indulge more than once a year.

The histories of so many dishes are surprising. Eaton Mess, Angostura Bitters, Bombay (not Mumbai) Duck and Worcestershire (if you are English you’ll just call it Worcester – pronounced wooster  - oo as in book) Sauce are all here, along with many others. Gentleman’s Relish – A Compendium of English Culinary Oddities is a most absorbing volume and a tasteful gift for any food lover. Delightful.

10 Minutes to Table

Well, that sounded a tall order! Was this going to be a lot of hastily-chopped salad? Perhaps a collection of toast recipes? Probably publicity for the world’s most expensive can-opener. No, these are very good recipes that will only take you (well, OK, a very practised you) 10 minutes or so. Admittedly we are not talking casseroles, slow braises or chunky roasts but very sensible food that will have even those who hate the inside of a kitchen signing up for a bit of cooking.

You might know the author, Xanthe Clay from the Telegraph where she writes for the weekend section and regularly contributes to the paper. She also has a weekly webcast on Telegraph TV. Xanthe had a Saturday Telegraph column, Readers Recipes, which ran for eight years and was the inspiration for her first book, It’s Raining Plums.

We all know what it’s like to be strapped for time. Life is a constant juggle with work, family or social activities and it’s often meals that suffer. It’s tempting to take the quick option of “instant” food. We all do it but how daft is it to buy fast food that actually takes longer to prepare than its fresh home-cooked original. We see frozen pasta with sauce that takes as long to cook as regular pasta, and you could use that time to make your own additive/E-number-free sauce.

Now, I love cooking but I am aware that there are many out there who do not. There is no shame in that but you can honestly have a meal on the table in less time than it would take you to shake a Martini and phone Wayne at the pizza shop. You’ll save a packet, and your body and your bank manager will thank you. These dishes are tempting, economic and fast.

There are 80 10-minute dishes here... well, actually there are also 30 dishes that take less than 5 minutes to make. The chapters are divided by food type and there is something here for everyone, with plenty of fish and vegetarian options.

I was expecting a lot of spaghetti but there is, in fact, only one recipe for pasta... and that is for home-made pasta. Yes, it can be done in a few minutes with the use of a food processor and a good pasta machine, but you might need to be a confident cook to tackle that one. The other recipes are surprising in their sophistication and good enough to serve to guests.

Rare Beef with Radish, Cress and Pea Salad is hearty and smart. As Xanthe points out, you could add some baby new potatoes if you can spare just a few minutes more. Fresh Sardines with Parsley, Spring Onions and Jersey Royals is light and delicious, and these little fish are some of the cheapest around.

The most stunning recipe is for Speedy Fish Soup. It isn’t too expensive to make as it uses salmon and pollack and just a few prawns and mussels. It looks amazing and would be a lovely dinner party dish. You’ll spend more time laying the table than cooking.

10 Minutes to Table is a book full of ideas for meals that are not a compromise. No more excuses for buying TV dinners, buy this book instead.

In the Mood for Entertaining

The first word that springs to mind is gorgeous. The photographs by Gareth Morgans are first rate but the illustrations by Cecilia Carlstedt help to elevate this book to gift quality. The author, Jo Pratt, looks as lovely as the food and the food is mouth-watering but never too cheffy.

Jo is a familiar face to UK Food TV viewers and this is her second book. She has a light and conversational style of writing which marries well with the modern and fuss-cutting concept of the book. There are little twists on classic recipes, and dishes that are new and fresh, but always with the time-strapped home cook in mind.

The cover says it’s Delicious Food for all Occasions and Jo has done a good job of selecting a wide range of dishes to suit those times when there are just two of you (best friend, partner, favourite auntie), when it’s a girls/boys night in, when you can’t wriggle out of giving a dinner party, and when you have to feed a crowd of hungry revellers. It’s all here and amazingly simple.

Sweet Potato Hash Browns with Sausages and Sweet Chilli Tomatoes, from the Breakfast and Brunch chapter, makes a nice change from the Full Monte when you want to gain Brownie points with your partner. (I’ll be leaving the book open at this page on Saturday night in the hopes that on Sunday morning... )

Mocha Toffee Sundaes are quick and won’t cost an arm and a leg. Anything with a hint of melted Mars Bar has got to be good. This is a dessert that you’ll make time and time again. It has a drop or two of Tia Maria or brandy to give an adult edge, but even without that addition I would say it’s too good for the kids.

If you are not into chocolate then Baked Portuguese Custard Tarts will probably fit the bill. They are lighter than the traditional British custard tart as this recipe uses filo pastry. You might feel that you can manage a couple at the end of a meal.

Although I feel myself drawn as if in a trance to the sweet dishes, my very favourite of recipes is probably that for Aromatic Monkfish Curry with Toasted Coconut. Monkfish is an ideal fish to use in this dish as it doesn’t disintegrate when cooked but remains meaty and makes for an attractive presentation. Jo suggests that tiger prawns would make a good alternative.

In the Mood for Entertaining is a delight and a feast for both eyes and taste buds. It’s thoughtful in both design and content and deserves to be popular.

Great Party Fondues

Peggy Fallon has done it again, with another edible offering of temptations both savoury and sweet. I have recently reviewed books by Peggy on ice cream and dips and they both have the same easy style which encourages the reader to believe that they too can produce stunning food.

Great Party Fondues is bound to be popular. Those who lack courage in the kitchen will warm to a fondue because some of the responsibility for the meal lies with the guests. Others with a bit more culinary savvy will enjoy the amazing variety of fondues collected here.

My fondue set dates back to the 1970s, shortly after cheese was invented. It has a ceramic bowl in blood red (I did mention that it was the 70s) for Swiss Fondue, and a metal pot for meat fondue. Well, having invited family and people I liked for meals I finally concluded that you could only present fondue once a year to each guest... so the fondue set has hardly seen the light of day in a couple of decades. But it seems that there are more than two kinds of fondue, and the abandoned wedding present is now back in full swing.

The book has chapters on Cheese Fondues, Savoury Fondues, Dessert Fondues and Dipping Sauces. There are 70 or so recipes so you’ll not be chained to the traditional classic Swiss, although I do love it and it’s a good start for a fondue virgin. Welsh Rarebit (no, it doesn’t contain rabbit) would be a winner for a cold evening. This has bite and tang and is based on the traditional recipe which is more often seen garnishing a slice of toast.

Tomato-Vodka Fondue is going to introduce much of the world to a sauce that is already popular on pasta and enjoyed throughout the USA. It’s not quite so well known worldwide and you’ll wonder why when you taste this. Use roast vegetables to dunk but also fried polenta cubes or meatballs for a real Italian feast. This couldn’t be easier to make and it’s a stunner.

For a smart dinner party try Tabletop Fish Fry. Shrimp, tuna, scallops and squid are marinated in an oriental sauce and then fried in peanut oil. This would be a convivial ice-breaker and very chic when served with a selection of dips, but my favourite savoury recipe is Creamy Bagna Cauda. This is a punchy fondue of garlic and anchovies which are, in this particular recipe, tamed by the addition of cream. This is a warm rather than hot fondue and would be an ideal addition to a buffet table.

The sweet Dessert Fondues are to die for. Peanut Butter Fondue with Chocolate Swirls is outstanding, and if you serve it with chunks of fruit you can call it a health food. Dulce de Leche Fondue has a hint of summer when served with pineapple and semi-frozen bananas, although a pound cake or Madeira cake would be my choice if I had to use anything other than a big spoon!

Great Party Fondues is an attractive book (pictures by Alexandra Grablewski) and full of innovation. This is cooking at its most simple but the results are impressive. Dust off your fondue set and have some retro fun. That’s what I’ll be doing.

Spices – A Global History

This is another in the celebrated Edible Series by Reaktion Books and I’ll heap as much praise on this volume as all the others in the collection.

What is so special about these books? Each has a different author (in this case Fred Czarra who is an International Education consultant and Adjunct Professor of World Geography at St. Mary’s College, Maryland) but the format is the same. Iconic images, well-researched text covering just one food item which is explored in depth. In this case it’s Spices and this truly is a Global History.

This isn’t a cookbook but rather, as the title implies, a history book. Don’t reach for the “Back” button! You’ll like this history book as its focus is on food not famous folks. There isn’t an exam at the end of your reading session so you can just relax and enjoy a thoroughly riveting read. Spices have literally shaped the modern world so the story that starts in the dim and distant past still has implications today.

There are five main spices that have had a worldwide impact and they are: cinnamon, cloves, chilli pepper, nutmeg and pepper. Their very existence has encouraged exploration, war and slavery, and they have been shrouded in mystery and legend.

No, this isn’t a recipe book although there is plenty of information about how spices have been used down the ages. This is a voyage of exotic discovery that will tempt all food lovers. You’ll be transported to paradise islands where monstrous birds made their nests from cinnamon branches. Cloves were said to come from a hidden valley and were sold by genies. In The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, Sinbad the Sailor told of his journey to the Spice Islands,s and the route that he describes had existed for over 3000 years!

Spices have changed the world more than any other food (Brussels sprouts are rarely mentioned in historic tomes) and Fred Czarra helps us understand why. The exploration for spices was the ancient world’s equivalent of sending a man to the moon, and Spices – A Global History is a riveting read.

The Farmer’s Wife Cookbook

No, dear reader, you don’t have to run off with a farmer to be able to enjoy this book. You won’t need to have furtive visits to your local library proclaiming in a loud voice that you truly are a farmer’s wife to be eligible for a peek between these covers. The farmers’ wives in question are truly the authors of this book, as they submitted their blue-ribbon family recipes to be shared.

The Farmer’s Wife was a monthly magazine which was published from 1893 to 1939. The Farmer’s Wife Cookbook is a product of the magazine and offers the modern cookbook collector a rare opportunity to learn more about the eating habits of rural communities in the USA. Seems they ate quite well if these recipes are anything to go by.

The Farmer’s Wife Cookbook has a wealth of recipes that are mostly valid for the modern cook. The ingredients are simple and inexpensive and that should be enough to entice any credit-crunched foodie to take a look at this volume. There are dishes here that will seem rather retro but that is the charm of this book. There will be things that you’ll remember from your grandmother’s kitchen (assuming your grandmother lived in America, that is), or will be totally new to you.

The Quick Breads chapter offers Biscuits. These are delicious but a minefield of intercontinental misunderstanding. A biscuit, in this case, is like a scone if you are English. A scone is like an American biscuit. A biscuit, for the English, is the same as an American cookie. A cookie is what the English assume is the ritual accompaniment to a glass of American milk. A glass of milk to the English is...a glass of milk.

The Chicken section of Meats has some classic delights that are seldom seen these days apart from gracing the tables of a traditional diner. Creamed Chicken is rich and sustaining and a great way to use up left-over poultry. The Ground (minced) Meat section has Swedish Meatballs and Swedish Kol Dolma and probably reflects the Scandinavian heritage of the magazine’s readers and contributors.

The Fish chapter isn’t huge but that’s not surprising when you consider that most farms in the US were/are a long way from the coast. Good use is therefore made of canned fish, so these recipes are excellent store-cupboard meals for the modern home cook. Salmon Loaf is simple to prepare and an economic way of spinning out a 418-gram tin of fish to feed 4-6 people.

There is a gem of a recipe here that I remember from holidays in Dubuque, Iowa. It’s a Moulded Salad and I had never come across such a thing. It’s a cold gelatine dish of cottage cheese and pineapple set in a lemon jelly. This might not sound appealing but it’s an unsophisticated winner.

The Farmer’s Wife Cookbook isn’t a glossy, picture-packed, celebrity-promoting extravaganza. This is simple home cooking that won’t break the bank. It’s both a memory archive and also a working recipe book that will be enjoyed by food historians and food enthusiasts.

Great Party Dips

Isn’t there something comforting about a dip? They are uniquely versatile, either being the focus of a solitary evening alone (you, the TV, a dip and dippers) or being classy dishes on a special buffet table (for dozens of well-dressed guests with differing tastes), and all events in between. There are few foods that can so successfully encompass the informal and the grand.

The author, Peggy Fallon, has eight or so cookbooks to her credit and has contributed to dozens more as a recipe developer and tester. She has taught at various cooking schools and has run her own catering company. Peggy’s books have always been practical and attractive, and Great Party Dips is no exception. The photography by Alexandra Grablewski is scrumptious.

There are 60 dips listed here that cover the whole of dipdom and indeed dipperdom. Cool Dips and Spreads, Salsas and Such, Warm Dips and Spreads, and Dependable Dunkers are the chapter titles and those chapters offer far more than mayo with curry and ketchup and a dry cracker.

Peggy has included some of the best classic dips like Potted Shrimp (OK, so I am British and bound to give this delight a plug), and Bagna Cauda (perhaps the most celebrated of Italian dips which always adds an air of sophistication to a gathering), but there is so much that is new and inventive.

Chicken Liver Pate with Marsala and Capers is a great improvement on shop-bought pate. If you could find one of this quality in a fine deli then its price would give you a fit. It’s an Italian-inspired recipe and has the addition of anchovy paste. It makes all the difference to the recipe but does not impart any kind of fishy taste. It’s there for the rich salty tang and is an essential ingredient.

Smoked salmon in any style is luxurious and Peggy has a Smoked Salmon Spread with Scotch Whisky. It couldn’t be easier to make, has few ingredients and you won’t have to buy the most expensive slices of salmon. A classy spread for a reasonable price.

It’s not often that I prefer a contemporary recipe over the original, but Great Party Dips has Brie en Croute which is quite marvellous in its form and simplicity. Traditional Brie en Croute has pastry as the housing for the cheese but Peggy’s version uses a small hollowed loaf of bread, which is more practical and less of a fiddle than sheets of floppy pastry. Her garnishes of apricot jam and Amaretto or Brandy (I would go for Amaretto as it marries so well with apricots) elevate this into a real centre-piece.

Great Party Dips is a book to buy and use. It has something for everyone and for every occasion. It’s a must for anyone who loves entertaining a crowd but needs to keep an eye on the pennies. The choice of dips and spreads runs from the rustic to the regal and from trendy to traditional. A real winner and great value for money.

World Vegetarian Classics

This is an amazing work of international, classic and delicious food and it happens to be vegetarian. There are 200 recipes in World Vegetarian Classics which have been tailored to the needs of the western home cook. It’s more than just a cookbook though. This is an archive of some of the best vegetarian food the world has to offer.

The author, Celia Brooks Brown, is a favourite face on food TV in Britain. She has an infectious enthusiasm for her subject and has done much to dispel the myth that vegetarian food is necessarily bland, beige and boring. Celia is an attractive American who has made her home in London and takes full advantage of the array of ethnic and fresh foods on offer. She also has a regular column in The Times which allows her to share her adventures of working an allotment.

This large-format volume has photography by Gus Filgate who must be one of the most respected food photographers around. The book is further enhanced by the contributions of some of the foremost authorities on specific cuisines. This reads like a Who’s Who of the wise and worthy of the food world. Marlena Spieler has over 50 cookbooks to her credit and many of them award winners. She kicks off the North American and Canada chapter with her view on regional food history and some charming memories. Sri Owen is the expert for Southeast Asian cuisine and she is probably the undisputed expert on the subject. Each region has its own culinary giant to add weight to this already notable cookbook.

Celia has chosen recipes that are authentically vegetarian. That is to say that they are not meatless versions of non-vegetarian dishes (a bacon sandwich without the bacon somehow just doesn’t work). These are recipes that started as vegetarian and have remained that way. Every region has its traditional specialities that might now be either internationally celebrated, like for instance Spanakopita (Greek spinach pie with feta cheese), or might remain culinary secrets such as Arshda Madnov (macaroni baked in yogurt with feta cheese and vegetables) from Armenia.

World Vegetarian Classics has many lovely dishes but my favourites would include Kai Look Koie (Son-in-Law Eggs) from Thailand which is so simple but stunning nonetheless, Khagina (Egg Torte) from Afghanistan which is a fresh take on Spanish Omelette, and Akara with Pilipili (Bean Cakes with Chilli Sauce) from Nigeria.

I am not a vegetarian although I choose to eat very little meat and almost no red meat. I do, on the other hand, eat and enjoy all vegetables apart from Brussels sprouts which I hope never to invite across my threshold. I find World Vegetarian Classics to have great appeal even for carnivores. You won’t be eating these dishes because they are good for you (although they are) but because they are always inspiring, often exotic, and all are thoroughly delicious.

Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook

I have wanted to review this book for ages. Good Housekeeping have a marvellous range of books and I’ll be reviewing more in future but the Step-by-Step cookbook is rather special. I already have the Good Housekeeping Cooking Compendium which was first published in 1952 with reprints till 1959. That book with its thousands of black and white photographs (with a few daring colour shots of iced cakes) held such fascination for me that it was my regular Sunday morning “reading” matter between the ages of three and ten when we finally bought a TV that worked.

Perhaps it was leafing through hundreds of recipes with their associated step-by-step photographic instructions that encouraged me to believe that I too could cook...when I was tall enough to reach the chopping block. None of us are born cooks so a good confidence-boosting recipe book is essential (unless you were fortunate enough to have a mum, auntie or gran to teach you the basics and a few family recipes).

Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook boasts 650 easy-to-follow techniques and 400 triple-tested recipes, and those recipes are contemporary and for modern living. The Good Housekeeping Institute was set up in 1924 and the world has changed since then. We have access to a broader spectrum of foods; we have kitchen gadgets unheard of by our great grandmothers who would probably consider themselves lazy if they sat down to peel potatoes. We expect to spend less time in the kitchen but we want to present healthy and delicious meals.

Each chapter covers a food topic, starting with Stocks and Soups and progressing through Fish, Meat, Vegetables to Cakes and Preserves and everything in between. There are sections on Herbs and Spices, Freezing and Drying, Microwaves and information about equipment which you might find interesting should you be setting up your first kitchen.

The Meat and Poultry chapters have some of the best butchery illustrations I have seen. The Fruit and Nuts chapter has everything from hulling strawberries to cracking coconuts. Sweet and Savoury Breads chapter offers advice on hand-made breads and also on using a bread machine. For the more adventurous and those with a sweet tooth there is comprehensive information on working with sugar, and the Chocolate pages are equally detailed.

So, we have discussed the 650 techniques and now we can enjoy the food! The recipes are broad-based and include some classics and some ethnic dishes. This isn’t a themed cookbook so its appeal will be universal but that’s not a hard status to achieve when there are 400 recipes to choose from.

I have quite a few favourites from this book and it has taken me as much time to reduce the list to manageable proportions as it did to select the dishes in the first place. Rabbit Casserole with Prunes (don’t pull that face, try it and you’ll love it), Chilli Onions with Goat’s Cheese (a lovely summer starter or light lunch), Easy Pear and Toffee Tarte Tatin (it's easy!), Garlic Cheese Pizza (home-made pizza is always a winner)... and I could go on!

Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook is an ideal wedding present, house-warming gift or subtle hint to leave home (they will be fine armed with this volume). I am just as impressed by the photographic instruction as I expected and perhaps more impressed by the recipes than I had anticipated. Amazing value for money.

Home Baked

Home Baked was originally published in 1956, and Home-Made Cakes and Biscuits in 1964. Here we have both books combined. Yes, they are a good few years old but read a few recipes and you’ll understand why the great Elizabeth David thought so highly of these books. The baked goods are international and traditional and will be as welcome today as they were 50 years ago.

George and Cecilia were not born bakers but were driven to bread baking. They found commercially produced loaves to be lacking in both taste and texture. Perhaps the quality of shop-bought bread has improved somewhat over the past half century but there is still nothing to beat your own bread. It’s a myth (probably promoted by bread manufacturers) that it takes hours of your time to make. Nonsense! A bit of mixing, 10 minutes of therapeutic kneading, 5 minutes of artistic shaping and half an hour of lustful longing as you wait for your masterpiece to cool. 20 minutes of your effort and you have something of which to be proud.

There is everything in the bread-making chapter that a novice baker might need. Oven temperatures, shaping and glazing are all covered. There are basic bread recipes and then an array of English Tea Breads. These are the bedrock of old-fashioned teatime along with Tea Cakes such as the celebrated Sally Lunn. My vote goes, however, to the Malt Bread. This is a truly exceptional and moist confection which lists black treacle and malt extract amongst its ingredients, and it keeps well...if you can resist eating the whole loaf in one sitting.

The Coffee Breads from Abroad collection offers amongst others, Croissants, Danish Pastry, Brioche, Streusel Cake, and Swedish Coffee Bread (contains no coffee, you eat it with a cup of coffee). German Apple Cake (Apfelkuchen) is well worth trying: you are unlikely to find this in shops unless you are lucky enough to live near a continental or Jewish bakery. This is a sweet cross between a bread and a cake.

But there is more! Next the Cakes and Biscuits section tempts us with more delights which would constitute a fine teatime spread. There are sponge cakes, fruit cakes, Christmas cakes and chocolate cakes, and an assortment of pastries. My choice for a traditional selection would be Walnut Cake and Gingerbread (sticky and delicious).

Biscuits (or cookies for my American readers) are also an essential at teatime...or anytime. Shortbread is so simple to make and the joy of paying a fraction of the price of shop-bought will add to the experience. Orange Jumbles are tangy little treats which have a taste of summer and I think they go wonderfully well with a glass of something sparkling.

Home Baked is simple delight and temptation. Takes me back to Sunday tea, Lyon’s Corner House and even cooking lessons with Mrs. Kenerly (who said I would never make a cook!). I’ll use these recipes often and you can pay no higher compliment to a cookbook.

Cook in Boots

Ravinder Bhogal has been described as the Fanny Craddock for the next generation by the controversial chef Gordon Ramsay. Mrs. Craddock was iconic, eccentric and often rude but Ravinder is rather attractive, humorous and could perhaps be described as a Nigela Lawson for the modern glutton. Ravinder does, in fact, consider herself a ‘greedy girl about town’. It’s evident from this, her first book, that good food is high up on this young lady’s agenda.

The author is a fashion and beauty journalist and Cook in Boots reflects elements of this other career. It’s a stunner, with striking photographs from Jason Lowe, although Ravinder can take some credit for the presentation as she was the food stylist for the project.

The dishes are amusing and designed to entice those of us who have differing fancies with every change of mood and circumstance. There is comfort food; I lost my man (or woman) food, PMT chocolate aid, night with the telly meals, as well as food for the end of the month when the piggy bank is empty. There is some standard fare here but lots more that is trendy and fresh.

There is a chapter entitled Hard-up Food: For when you’ve spent all your lolly on your Louboutins. A long name but catchy and would be even more so if I knew what a Louboutin was. This chapter offers some tasty dishes such as Chickpea and Potato Curry which uses time-saving tins of chickpeas (no over-night soaking). The Fork Me, Spoon Me: The food of love and rude food chapter has some sexy platefuls such as the classic Grilled Oysters with Garlic and Parsley Breadcrumbs (the archetypal aphrodisiac) and Fig Tarte Tatin which might well be this summer’s signature dish ...at least it will be chez nous.

There are lots of easy but classy dishes here and Pizza with Potatoes and Thyme is on that list as it has such simple sophistication. It’s part of the Bread, Pasta, Potatoes chapter but it could just as reasonably have been included in the aforementioned Hard-up Food section or even Hangover Food. But Oreo Cookie Cheesecake will be my choice from the Comfort Food chapter and probably from the whole book. It’s a flexible recipe that will work equally as well with other sandwich biscuits such as Bourbons and Custard Creams. Ravinder says that this is best eaten in bed with a spoon like a spade. A girl after my own heart.

Cook in Boots might be the winner in the Debut Cookbook category this year. It is, I don’t doubt, going to be on the Christmas list of any greedy girl (or boy) with a sense of dash and style. A fine selection of Mood Food.

Family Meals for a Fiver

I am an unashamed supporter of the Good Housekeeping Institute and their books. I have a fine collection of cookbooks, as you would expect a reviewer to have, but, with a few exceptions, I reach for a cookbook of this nature rather than that of a celebrity chef ... or celebrity-turned-chef.

Family Meals for a Fiver could not have been published at a better time. Our news is filled with tales of job loss, home repossession and MPs who are self-indulgent moat-digging, duck-housing, flat-flippers. More of us are watching the pennies but we want to eat well and this book could be a welcome aid to living the low-budget high-life.

There is a generation of people that have not enjoyed the benefit of cooking lessons at school (I hated mine with a will known to few but I can now cook) and might not even have had the advantage of a parent to encourage them in any kind of kitchen escapade. Family Meals for a Fiver will be most appealing to the culinarily bewildered as it offers over 250 tried and tested recipes that are simple.

The Basics chapter will be a great help to the novice cook but perhaps some of us more practised home chefs could consider some of this advice. A well-stocked store cupboard will provide you with almost instant and economic meals. A freezer stuffed with some well-chosen ingredients will add to your repertoire of fast home-made meals, rather than resorting to frozen ready meals; you can reserve those for absolute emergencies (the dog has just had puppies or the shed has burnt down).

You won’t be feeling noble, virtuous and self-denying if you use these recipes. They don’t have that cutting corners, budgety feel of cheap and nasty food. Family Meals for a Fiver offers sound advice for making the best of the foods that you might normally buy. Why throw away food when you can turn that food into tasty meals. Meat is expensive these days so stretching it for another day will save money. The dishes here are delicious and range from the exotic and trendy to the traditional and comforting.

Risotto Milanese is a classic and sophisticated enough for an informal dinner party. It’s easier to prepare than you might imagine and you can adapt this recipe by adding peas for a bit of colour or some left over ham or chicken for a change. Bacon and Garden Vegetable Risotto has...well, bacon and garden vegetables but these can be varied with the change of season.

Desserts and puds don’t have to be relegated to memory. There is a lovely selection here of well-known favourites as well as some contemporary dishes. Treacle Tart is always on my list of sweet indulgence but I’ll include Toffee Cheesecake in future. But for a sheer “why didn’t I think of that” moment there is Cheat’s Chocolate Pots which involves only chocolate and the crafty use of a carton of fresh custard.

Family Meals for a Fiver is a lovely cookbook with food that is appetising and surprisingly thrifty. There is a picture for almost every recipe and the cooking tips and ideas will be welcomed by both the novice and the experienced cook. I recommend this one.

The Mezze Cookbook

The author, Maria Khalifé, has been made a household name in the Middle East thanks to her Soufra Daimeh TV cooking show. Soufra Daimeh has a huge following with more than 2000 episodes being aired on major TV networks in Lebanon and Arab countries since it started in 1996. Maria also opened the first private cooking school in Lebanon. Who better to present a book of delicious mezze dishes!

Mezze, along with tapas and dim sum are some of the world’s finest small bites. There are few dining experiences more convivial than sitting with friends or family and sharing a selection of small dishes with each guest taking a little of this and a spoonful of that. You can tailor your mezze to the tastes of the assembled party, be they vegetarian or meat-loving. Traditionally mezze were served with a drink as a sort of Middle Eastern aperitif but mezze can equally be a meal in its own right ...and what a delightful meal that would be!

The Mezze Cookbook offers a broad array of dishes from Greece, Lebanon and Turkey. They have the flavours of the Mediterranean with the addition of a pinch of cinnamon here and there, the tang of feta and a sprinkle of paprika. Mezze are not alarmingly spicy but rather more aromatic and flavourful.

Lamb is the most popular meat throughout the Middle East so it’s no surprise to see so many examples of lamb-based mezze here. Sfiha bil Lahm are mini meat and pine nut pizzas. Sambousek bil Lahm is similar but the filling is totally encased in pastry. Lamb Kebbeh is my favourite meat mezze and home-made is always better than those found in all but the best Lebanese restaurants.

Vegetarians are well served in the Middle East. Fried Courgette Balls are vegetable croquettes, Batata bil Kouzbara are fried cubes of potatoes with garlic and coriander. Spanakopita are the celebrated Greek spinach pies that are so often a disappointment in overcrowded tourist resorts. This recipe will revive your enthusiasm for this flaky and delicious snack.

The hot stuffed vegetables of Greece, Gemista, are show-stoppers. Tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, peppers and potatoes are roasted with a filling of rice, onions, tomatoes and herbs, and are topped with feta cheese. They are a colourful bunch of vegetables and add impact to your display of mezze. Gemista are hearty enough to appeal to even non-vegetarians but they look delicate and appetising.

The Mezze Cookbook is an attractive large-format volume with around 90 recipes for Middle Eastern mezze and the photography by Stuart West is lovely. This is a lot of book for the price.

Fast

This is another in The Australian Women’s Weekly series of chunky books which explore fast but delicious food. There are 180 recipes that will only take you 35 minutes to cook ...no, not all at the same time, but one meal in just over half an hour is pretty good going.

Fast is a small-format, chubby book with photographs of every one of those 180 recipes. I don’t think pictures are essential for the more experienced of home cooks but they do give a bit of confidence to the culinarily challenged or to the novice. Having said that I should mention that any dish that only takes 35 minutes to cook is not going to be over-taxing.

It’s not just mid-week evenings that will find you short of time. Mornings are a scramble trying to get children and wife off to work, but you want to give them a healthy and sustaining breakfast before they go. It’s said to be the most important meal of the day. How about Cheesy Scrambled Eggs with Spinach? (Different sort of scramble.) Preparation time 5 minutes, cooking time 5 minutes, eating time 1.5 minutes, and serves four.

It’s lunchtime and it’s your turn to entertain. It’s possible in 35 minutes to present your guest with a sophisticated Mediterranean meal that will make you look like you have slaved for hours. Tomato, Pesto and Olive Tart takes 10 minutes to make (using bought puff pastry) and 20 minutes to cook. That leaves you enough time to clear up in the kitchen so your friends will also suppose you have a “lady that does” a couple of times each week. Thus you pass a no-stress lunchtime and your social status is elevated.

Dessert is often the first victim of rush. I tend to think of sweets as being more time-consuming than the main dish but Fast offers a good selection of quick and easy options. I am a lover of self-saucing puddings and there is a Lemon and Mixed Berry version that is a delight. These take 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook and they are foolproof.  Fast also tempts you with baked goods to satisfy your sugar craving. Berry Yogurt Muffins will be on the table in half an hour, or Hazelnut Tiramisu from the Weekend chapter is a lovely twist on the original and is super-fast, taking only 20 minutes.

Fast is a book for those of us who love good food but need to find ways of cutting down on kitchen time. There is no need to resort to costly takeaways or frozen ready meals. It’s easy to eat well with the minimum of time spent in preparation. This is a practical book filled with ideas for mouth-watering dishes that are sure to work. They have been triple-tested by those nice people at The Australian Women’s Weekly. Great value for money.

The World of Spice

Michael Bateman was a tremendously appealing food writer. His books and newspaper articles were written with a light and witty air which encouraged even non-foodies to settle down for a good read. The World of Spice is a typical example of Michael’s fine work.

This is a book of amazing photographs, traditional recipes from around the globe, and a Spice Directory. It’s a volume packed with detailed information about individual spices, and historic overviews of the spice heritage not only of the usual spice-producing countries but also of those nations that have had a warm relationship with imported spices.

There are a few countries in the cooler regions of the world that produce spices. The USA has the famed Tabasco, Spain and Hungary the vibrant paprika, and even England had a thriving saffron economy and still has a town, Saffron Waldon, to testify to that fact. Mustard has long been a popular condiment in Europe, and fortunes were said to be made from something that was largely left on the side of the plate. The more exotic spices might not have been grown in the northern hemisphere but they were nonetheless prized and many traditional recipes rely on spices for their distinctive savour.

The recipes are an eclectic bunch from every continent. There are the expected hot and tongue-tingling dishes of Asia alongside the subtle and aromatic offerings of Europe. Some of them are traditional and some are Michael’s take on the originals, but all give an insight into the evolution of these indispensible ingredients.

The French are not considered as great consumers of spicy food but they have Quatre Epices which is a melange (isn’t education a marvellous thing) of white pepper, nutmeg, ginger and cloves, although some commercial varieties omit the pepper... but the name remains “Four Spices”!

The New World has some unique recipes and Australia’s Anzac Biscuits demonstrate man’s fondness for elevating foods to promote national pride. These cookies are a crunchy confection of oats and ginger commemorating the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps of the First World War. Louisiana Jambalaya is a classic Creole dish using cayenne pepper and green chilli, and could be considered as one of the world’s first fusion dishes, combining both American and African flavours.

The Spice Directory gives colourful and fascinating information on many spices, illustrating not only culinary but medical uses. Nuts, fruits, flowers, berries, seeds, roots and leaves are all discussed. It’s a fairly comprehensive list but Michael’s conversational style prevents this from being a scientific paper.

The World of Spice is a delight for any lover of spices. It doesn’t focus on any particular cuisine nor just those spices that give heat to exotic dishes. Michael Bateman takes a broad view of everything that is considered Spice. This is an informative and attractive volume and will be sought by all who appreciated Michael’s talent as a food writer.

Italian Ice Cream

I have bought the ice cream maker and I am ready to churn. There are fine recipes in many books for ice cream but isn’t there something romantic, and very chic, about real Italian ice cream? One is wafted to a picturesque piazza where you’ll be served a stylish confection, the memory of which will last a lifetime. Well, OK, you can’t replicate the ambiance of an Italian city (sounds of scooters, horns, screeching of brakes, screams of tourists) but you can get a close approximation to an authentic Italian frozen dessert.

Carla Bardi is the author of this sumptuous tome. She has numerous other cookbooks to her credit including Flavours of Rome. She was raised in Tuscany where she learnt to cook surrounded by a big extended family. Those lessons have served her well because she now runs a restaurant on the shores of Lake Bolsena.

Italian Ice Cream is a large-format volume with almost edible photographs by Lorenzo Pasquinelli. The impression given is of an adult ice cream restaurant rather than a dolly-mixture ice cream parlour. These are sophisticated desserts although mostly simple to prepare. Presentation is everything and there are classy serving suggestions that will add so much to the impact.

Carla offers four styles of dessert starting with Gelato, classic Italian ice cream, then Sorbetto, tangy sorbets, Granita, which has a grainy texture as the name suggests, and Semifreddo, which is softer and less cold than ice cream and usually custard-based. The advantage with all of these is that they are obviously made in advance and are therefore prime candidates for dinner parties and smart entertaining.

The most classic but the simplest of Gelato is the Rich Egg-Cream Gelato. Few ingredients but the result is a creamy convection that is heavenly. This is ideal for the end of an elaborate meal when an unfussy but delicious dessert is in order. I’d serve this with perhaps some sweet biscuits and a shot of espresso.

If you’re looking for an alcoholic but refreshing ice then After Dinner Sorbet will hit the spot. This has both whisky and white port so be mindful of drivers and those doing the washing up. It looks innocent enough, like a damp snowball, but it packs a punch. This isn’t one for the kids.

Double Chocolate Gelato Cake is the pièce de resistance (or whatever that is in Italian). This is a magnificent presentation of Chocolate Sponge (recipe in this book), Chocolate Gelato and that aforementioned Egg-Cream Gelato. It’s stunning but, like all the recipes, easy to prepare.

Italian Ice Cream contains more than 110 recipes for truly elegant frozen desserts. You’ll not be confronted by lengthy lists of ingredients and these ices are not over-taxing to make. The success depends on a combination of flavour and texture. The book is as delightful as the desserts and great value for money.

Barbecue Road Trip

This is probably my favourite kind of book – that which combines travel and food. That’s not meals on wheels or in-flight refreshments – this is taking a trip and finding culinary gems along the way. Barbecue Road Trip is one of the most mouth-watering travel/food books around but it will delight and disappoint many of you.

“DISAPPOINT”?? I hear you cry (in capital letters because you are crying loudly). Yes, not actually with the book but with the revelation that you might not be able to replicate these barbecue dishes in your own back yard. This volume will delight you with fine photography, witty text and some of the best rub, sauce and slaw recipes around .Barbecue Road Trip has been masterfully penned by Michael Karl Witzel, who has written numerous books about iconic American dining, as well as contributing to The Food Network and History and Travel Channels.

Michael gives you the bad news up front. A home barbecue grills food with direct heat rather than allowing it a long slow process available only from indirect heat. The flavour of authentic barbecue comes from the meats themselves and the rubs or marinades. Yes, a slight smokiness is imparted but that’s not the object of the exercise. To make REAL old-fashioned barbecue you need enough space to settle the ribs, joints or sausages away from flames. This is not Fast Food! Tenderness and flavour come after hours of cooking ...but it’s worth waiting for.

Barbecue Road Trip is a barbecue bible. No, it’s not a “you can do this yourself, folks” type of book; it’s a “these are the most marvellous restaurants around” type of book. No marks out of ten are given and no style of preparation is preferred. Michael has toured and talked, and presents you with an incredible overview of the art in Texas, Kansas City, Memphis and North Carolina, each one a hub for barbecue aficionados.

Americans can be proud that they have introduced the world to the home barbecue. That’s an event we all enjoy but it’s not the same as savouring food from a barbecue pit with a tray of traditional side dishes. Those slaws and potatoes and sauces will differ with every establishment but all those restaurants have things in common: the food will be tempting, the clientele will be loyal and the decor will be rustic ...the recipe for the rub or marinade is also likely to be a secret.

Barbecue Road Trip isn’t just an attractive volume to be enjoyed by Americans. It’s also going to be appreciated by those tourists who have had the pleasure of dining at any of these eateries and anyone who plans to visit the US in the future. America has a reputation for fine chefs both imported and home-grown, but the thought of barbecue will bring a tear to the home-sick eye of many overseas-stranded Americans... and I can understand why. I’m just off to book my ticket to Memphis... or Lexington... or...