When I was in Poundland the other day I saw this book, brand new and the companion to Gill's earlier book :-
I had the first book a few years ago but eventually got rid of it as I knew most of the recipes off by heart so thought it would be better off in a new home.
I hadn't seen the second book, so thought that for £1 it was worth taking a chance on. It contains an interesting mix of recipes from very frugal such as Rice and Lentils to full-blown dinner party menus.
The book starts with a whole section about how to make sure you have everything you need in your kitchen to be a good home cook, like herbs and spices and a basic list of equipment. It is then arranged into six main sections with the last one probably being the most useful as it is six weeks' worth of main dinner menus together with a shopping list for them. The other sections include basic recipes and ideas for leftovers as well recipes for puddings and children's favourites.
Overall I think the recipes are a bit fancier than the earlier book, for instance there are recipes for Calf's Liver in Sherry Sauce and Asparagus Quiche alongside the well-loved favourites of Vegetable Moussaka and Chicken Nuggets.
I'm not sure whether the book will pass my 'ten recipes' test so that I keep it long term but I've certainly got a few recipes earmarked to try, especially the Felafel made from dried chickpeas with no soaking. Overall, I think trying a few recipes from here will be a good way to shake myself out of a bit of a cooking rut and who knows, we may discover a few, new favourites !
Have you got a favourite new cooker book ?
I like Jack Monroe's 'A girl called Jack'. My other favourites tend to be quite old. The Good Housekeeping book of Vegetable cookery c1980 is much used
ReplyDeleteThanks for those 2 recommendations, the Good Housekeeping ones are always great !
DeleteI’m afraid i’m that woman who doesn’t collect cookbooks. I have bought a few over the years but usually end up copying recipes from magazines or getting them from family and friends. I had a huge purge many years ago. I have one called Forks over Knives but have only made two or three. Now, of course, I use the internet, more than I should, i’m sure.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Yes, I've been wondering whether cookery books are becoming a bit obsolete with all the recipes on the internet, but I lose all the ones I've printed off !
ReplyDelete