Flavors from the French Mediterranean by Gérald Passedat – review
It will soon be summer. We start to muse over al fresco dining and lighter fare. Ingredients with colour and freshness will take centre stage...
Sake: The History, Stories and Craft of Japan’s Artisanal Breweries – book review
I was told to expect a book. I was told to expect a big book. I was told to expect a coffee-table book. What I...
Umami: THE FIFTH TASTE – guidebook review
It’s a buzz-word these days: Umami. It’s a very familiar taste, flavour, sensation on the taste buds but we have only relatively recently put a...
Art Place Japan by Fram Kitagawa – review
Every three years hundreds of square miles of countryside in north western Japan are transformed into a sprawling and many-faceted art installation. More than 150...
Afternoon Tea at Home by Will Torrent – review
I was expecting a great book from this well-respected chef, Will Torrent. I wasn’t expecting the volume to have that overwhelming feel-good factor. That comes...
Food Sake Tokyo by Yukari Sakamoto – travel guide review
Tokyo is a vibrant modern city but tradition is still evident. We might be looking for the latest technology in Akihabara or fashion and pop...
Authentic Recipes from the Philippines by Reynaldo Alejandro – review
This is a unique book considering a cuisine little known in Europe. How frequently do we say “let’s go out for a Filipino”? Not often,...
Classic Recipes of the Philippines by Ghillie Basan – review
This rather smart little book looks at the unique traditional food and cooking of the Philippines. But many of us know little of these islands...
The Food and Cooking of Japan and Korea by Emi Kazuko – review
A few years ago our culinary ethnic horizons extended to a Friday night curry and perhaps the occasional Chinese dinner of sweet and sour pork....
The Chalet Cookbook – review
Yes, it’s that time of year again. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, etc. Our thoughts turn to cold-weather vacations and possibly (although not in...
Rajasthan – Lonely Planet – travel review
This might be your first big trip and the success of that adventure might well lay in preparation and planning. You’ll want to be informed...
The Hunt for Filipino Food: Kusina to Cuisine by St. Theresa’s College Manila Foundation – review
I am a cookbook reviewer, and it’s always exciting to leaf through pages that offer an insight into a new and vibrant cuisine. And I...
London for Foodies, Gourmets and Gluttons by David Hampshire – review
This thick, square tome is a veritable guide to all things delicious in the capital. We are truly spoilt for choice so it’s handy to...
Travels with Frank Lloyd Wright by Gwyn Lloyd Jones – review
This is a volume for any student of architecture who is interested in that phrase ‘form follows function’ with regard to the inspiring and revolutionary...
The Best of Jane Grigson – The Enjoyment of Food – review
Grub Street publishes cookbooks and all manner of food-related tomes but they have also taken on the mantle of preservers of our own culinary heritage...
Authentic Recipes from Vietnam by Trieu Thi Choi – review
There are a few more Vietnamese restaurants around these days. The UK had an influx of Vietnamese refugees a couple of decades ago but those...
Chocolate at Home by Will Torrent – review
I am biased, it’s true. This book was destined to have a good review on two counts. Firstly I adore the author, Will Torrent; and...
Singapore with Marco Polo – travel review
Not sure if Marco Polo, that celebrated explorer of the East, ever got to the area we now know as Singapore; however, he has given...
The Taste of Belgium by Ruth Van Waerebeek – review
It’s so near, but almost totally overlooked from the culinary perspective. Belgium is one of our closest neighbours but is overshadowed by the gastronomic giant...
Fresh Spice by Arul Kapil – review
We in northern Europe have had a long and delicious relationship with spice. We tend to think it’s just been this modern era of the...