Archive For June 2008
Every year our village hosts a marching bands competition. These are not crisply uniformed semi-military, baton-swirling groups, these are “bandas”! The eight bandas performing this year came from all parts of France and also Belgium, and are made up of players of all ages. They play everything from 1960s pop to Spanish love songs to…
What’s a Galena and is it organic? I hear you ask. It’s not a food, it’s a place. In fact it’s a small town in Illinois and this book is a Lutheran Church community cookbook. Now, I am not even a Christian and this review has nothing to do with the church. This review has…
Now, I am not going to say very much about Anissa Helou just now because there will be an interview with her in a few months’ time, but suffice it to say she is quite fascinating. This is one of those rare books that will entice not only enthusiastic cooks (although you don’t have to…
Celia Brooks Brown was born in Colorado and seems to have been the typical all-American girl with a job as a Car Hop at Hungry Boy Drive-In, a local burger joint. I don’t know if that’s what persuaded Celia to become a vegetarian! It’s true that it’s unusual to find many Americans who would swap…
The Indian Kitchen by Monisha Bharadwaj is, for me at least, a must-have Indian cookbook. To call it just a “cookbook” somehow diminishes its value. It’s a lush, rich encyclopaedia of ingredients common to kitchens on the subcontinent. I am a fairly well practised preparer of Indian food but there were even a few surprises…
Founded in 1977 by Joel Dean, Giorgio DeLuca and Jack Ceglic with the opening of its flagship store in SoHo, New York, Dean & Deluca quickly grew into a retailer of gourmet and speciality foods, vintage wines and quality kitchenware, with outlets throughout the United States as well as Japan, Taiwan and Dubai. Dean &…
Le Panier had always been a rough part of the city. It’s the oldest part of town with a dense lattice of narrow streets with tall narrow houses. If the streets were not full of people making merry then it would feel dark and threatening. Its squalor was legendary but Napoleon, Casanova, the painter Puget…
There are more and more opportunities these days to enjoy Eastern European food, and it’s good to have easier access to Hungarian, Polish and Baltic ingredients. I spent many years as part of a Hungarian family and it was a fantastic introduction to food that was quite a bit different from the bland English fare…
Gorgeous Desserts is another winner from the Kyle Cathie stable! Annie Bell is without a doubt one of my favourite food writers and the photography of Chris Alack is superb. I knew I would love this one before I even turned a page. Annie has a style of writing that is both humorous and engaging…
Pure Vegetarian is, as it says, modern and stylish vegetarian cooking…and this lovely book is also modern and stylish. It’s a large format volume with the most amazing close-up shots of Paul’s dishes by Gus Filgate, a talented photographer. Paul Gayler has written a shelf-full of cookbooks, some more of which I’ll be reviewing over…
The Decadent Cookbook is by Medlar Lucan and Durian Gray – I kid you not! I am sure the authors are grateful to Alex Martin and Jerome Fletcher for their editorial assistance, though. Well, although it has recipes and tales of meals, it’s the weirdest food-related read around. It’s well written, funny and shocking. The…
Four Seasons Cookery Book is a classic and enjoying a revival, although, truth to tell, it has never been out of favour with lovers of food and a well-penned cookbook. Margaret Costa wrote Four Seasons Cookery Book in 1970 but the concept of eating seasonally is now more popular than ever, and this new edition…
Annie Bell has got to be one of the finest food writers around and Chris Alack, one of the best photographers. This was always going to be a winning partnership. Gorgeous Cakes is a stunner. Its large format allows for superb pictures which complement Annie’s lovely recipes. They are clear and easy to follow with…
What do we think of when people mention Austria? I guess it will be a wealth of folksy images ranging from overhanging roofs, wooden balconies, to skiing and snow. All of the above are accurate visions of this country but there is still more. Austria isn’t just a winter wonderland for hardy sporting types; it’s…
If you are about to go off to India then buy this book. Buy this book and read the first 80 or so pages before you pack, and then dip into relevant chapters by destination. You will be glad you did. Why read the first 80 pages first? Well, it’s not just because they are…
This is a sumptuous, large-format book. The pages are spacious and colourful with some of the best quality photographs around. There are more than 300 pictures that have added much to the lovely recipes by Bridget Jones. The book is, as it says, about seasonal cooking and so is divided into the four seasons, but…
This is a “must have” book for anyone who is serious about cooking. It isn’t just for wanabe chefs but for all of us who want to produce professional looking, well presented dishes, SAFELY. This is a well illustrated book and it needs to be. If you want to be a star in the kitchen…
Now, don’t just scroll to the next review! Have a read and understand that this isn’t a book for people with diabetes but a book for all of us. We are all at risk from diet-related illness but there is no need to deprive ourselves of good and flavourful food. Azmina Govindji is a registered…
This isn’t a cookbook but a very informative volume telling us about where we get honey and how we get honey. A substance that’s not manufactured by man but it still takes a lot of work to reach the breakfast table. Alison Benjamin writes on environmental issues for The Guardian and has produced a lovely…
The hidden gem of Euston. Chutneys Indian Vegetarian restaurant first opened its doors in 1987. A little more modest capacity than now with only 40 covers at that time. 1994 saw an increase to 80 and 2009 sees Chutneys with 120 seats. If they continue in this fashion they will be renaming Drummond Street “Chutney…