Winter Cookbook Recommendations
Some fantastic new cookbooks have arrived on my desk in recent weeks and I’m so pleased to share a lovely selection with you.
I have been looking forward to this book, Cooking and The Crown by Tom Parker Bowles, for some time and I was thrilled when my signed copy arrived. It’s been one of those books that I just could not put down and I finished it really quickly. It’s a brilliant blend of history, personal observations and gastronomy. It not only offers interesting historical insight, but it contains a great number of recipes I was keen to try. I think this would be a particularly good book to give as a gift to anyone who'd find it of interest - it really is a great read, full of charm and insight.
Sue Lawrence is one of the best bakers and food writers around and so any new title from Sue is very exciting news. This is a fantastic book, full of traditional and modern recipes that will delight anyone you bake for. This is a comprehensive book which covers bread, biscuits, pancakes, oatcakes, traybake and savoury tarts, quiches and pies. There are some particularly interesting traditional recipes I’ve lined up to try, including Selkirk bannock and Ecclefechan tart - both of which I’ve wanted to try for years. This book covers so much more than the traditional recipes though and there are dozens of recipes I’ve earmarked to try. This is a book that would be ideally suited to bakers of all ages.
Sticking with the Scottish theme, I’m so pleased that the Contini Cookbook has now been published. The Contini family run a small number of excellent Italian restaurants in Edinburgh. The George Street restaurant is the one I first went to over a decade ago and now that I have family living in Edinburgh, I think this is an excellent and reliable place to eat in the city. I love the Contini family’s focus on excellence, as they are great supporters of quality producers. This is reflected on their menus. This is a beautifully produced recipe book with inspiring but achievable recipes. I’d recommend it for anyone wanting a fairly comprehensive Italian cookery book covering a wide range of dishes, including fish, pasta, sides, salads, soups, bread, drinks and puddings.
The Cordon Bleu Confectionery School is a beautifully produced book that takes the reader step-by-step thorough an extraordinary collection of beautiful professional sweet treats. I absolutely love the skill and precision of making confectionery, so this is really up my street in terms of offering really useful technical information and excellent recipes. The selection of recipes within is extremely comprehensive and there is tons of information on mastering the core techniques, such as tempering chocolate and cooking sugar (I can never remember the temperatures for each stage). I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this type of cooking. There are another three books in the Cordon Bleu range, including a Bakery School, a Pastry School and a Chocolate Bible. I am so impressed with this one, I shall look at acquiring the other three very soon. An exceptional book.
Looking at preserving now, Forest of Dean-based preserver Angharad Underwood has just produced a delightful new book: The Preservation Society’s Preserving Book of Brilliance. For over 15 years, Angharad has run The Preservation Society, making a beautiful range of preserves that have won a great number of awards over the years. Now, she has generously shared her amazing recipes (think candied jalapeños, her multi-award wining ‘Buttery, boozy mincemeat’ and plum and Cuban rum jelly) into one book, which she is selling to raise money for the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff. Angharad received treatment there and this book will continue her fundraising for the centre. This is such a gorgeous book, full of wonderful, vibrant recipes and all for a great cause. Please visit The Preservation Society website to order directly from Angharad.
Drinking, Eating, Loving Sherry is a beautiful new book focusing on sherry wine in gastronomy. This is a lovely book to add to any sherry-lover’s library. It’s a great read with a beautiful, illuminating collection of photos. In addition to some really useful information about sherry, there are some very enjoyable essays from Jancis Robinson MW, José Andrés, Heston Blumethal, Josep Roca and Sarah Jane Evans MW.
Vegan Pastry by Pierre Hermé is another really useful book to arrive recently. Whilst I am not vegan, I often find myself needing to make vegan food for others and this book contains some brilliant, inspired recipes to make something really special, but actually, without too much bother. Hermé was voted best pastry chef in the world in 2016 and so you’re in good hands with this book. This is really useful for any baker, anyone cooking for a vegan and anyone wanting a great new challenge in the kitchen.