For the Love of British Food

I love to receive food and cookery books as Christmas presents. They deeply relieve the boredom of endless and trashy Christmas Special TV programmes and may even give me some ideas of what to do with the remainders of the festive feast. And they are a kind of literary sweetie or biscuit jar that I can dip into forever – and I do, I read cook books like other people read Mills and Boon fiction! 

In the last few days, I have been doing some browsing, online and in my local bookshops. Having browsed, perused and salivated, here is my wish list for Santa’s cooking elf to pack up to go on his sleigh for me. 

1. Bake – by Rachel Allen
   – Collins – rrp £20.00
   Home baking is a creative and satisfying hobby and the results are far more wholesome and tasty than anything you will ever buy in a shop. Many of the recipes in the book have been featured on Rachel’s TV series which runs in the
   UK on UKTV Food.  I can almost hear her soft Irish tones reading the recipes for me. Makes me feel warm inside just thinking about the smell of home baked cakes and bread. It isn’t hard and it doesn’t take hours! You will find main dishes in here, savoury pies as well as sweet, 

2. The River Cottage Diary 2009
   – Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall – publisher - rrp £13.00
   This isn’t a diary for your handbag. This is the one that lives in your kitchen and all the family or you and your significant other contribute to and pick up and read the recipe for the day or the week and enter all your appointments and reminders. Especially good for the cook who likes to ferret around farmers’ markets for local specialities and grow their own veg. not to mention hunting the hedgerows for wild’n’free food.  By the end of the year mine is likely to be stuffed with little sticky notes of recipes I have found, phone numbers, locations and websites for great food suppliers.
   

3. Tana Ramsay
   – Home Made –HarperCollins – rrp £20.00
   What I liked about this book when I first picked it up was easy-to-make versions of dishes that your family will love but will also impress your friends. Tana writes in a very different way to celeb. chef husband Gordon and won’t intimidate you. Expect delicious and well-explained recipes that you can find the ingredients for where you normally shop.
   

4. Delia’s How to Cheat at Cooking
    – Delia Smith – Ebury Press (hardcover) – rrp £20.00
   A lot of undeserved flak was flung in Delia’s direction when this book was published earlier in the year. Heaven knows why, we are all busy people who still like to eat well but often have limited time to make a meal. Plus she is helping the less confident cook to skip a few steps and still produce great results. Where she does use the ‘cheats’ they are the best of their kind so don’t feel you are cheating yourself or your family on quality. Great accompaniment to her TV series which is still running on BBC in the
   UK at the time of writing this post.
   

5. Anjum’s New Indian
   – Anjum Anand - Quadrille Publishing Ltd – rrp £20.00
   Another book based on a BBC TV series and nice to have it in the shops while the series is still running. You may never want to visit your local Indian takeaway again when you see how easy it is to cook authentically tasting dishes as described here. It is so easy to follow and if your local supermarket doesn’t have all the spices you need, try Seasoned Pioneers. 

For kitchen equipment, ask for a mini-chopper, the TV chefs use them all the time and it makes chopping and mincing onions, garlic and ginger so much easier and less messy.  You’ll be producing your own Indian massallas, Italian pesto and other delights before the New Year.  Home-Tek make one that can be used as a stick blender for liquidising soups etc as well. Mine is a Kenwood and I think they have updated and improved, so do some research and find out what best suits your needs.  

My last would-be Christmas present is kind of a cheat too – besides being a gorgeous celeb. chef and a great dancer (on Strictly Come Dancing in the
UK in 2007) James Martin loves cars and so do I.  This book would keep me happy when my Caterham Se7en is tucked up in the garage to keep her away from the salty and gritty roads.  James’ book is simply called ‘Driven’ and celebrates his life and career, some of the many cars he owns now, has owned in the past and would like, plus some of his driving adventures like competing in the classic Italian rally, the Mille Miglia – you may have to hide this one away from your significant other! (Collins, rrp £18.99) 

I’ve given the recommended retail price for all the books, but you will find them at considerable discounts at Amazon, plus other gifts for keen and trainee cooks. 

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