The image below, by the way, is our attempt at following one of the recipes in the book – the sharp tasting Lemon Trickle Cake.  After all, what better way to review a book than to test one of the recipes in practice?  More about that later…

Lemon Trickle Cake

For those of you who, like me, follow Hugh’s escapades with interest, this book is a logical progression for the River Cottage brand.  Gone are the days of the naive city boy trying to find, grow and rear his own food – River Cottage is now 10 years in, and this experience shows.  Hot on the tails of Nigella Express and How to Cheat at Cooking, this is Hugh’s take on good food made quickly and easily.

Perhaps the most successful part of the book is how despite jumping on the “easy food” bandwagon, the River Cottage trademarks of home grown, organic and seasonal food are still in effect.  So now, not only are we making cheap food, we’re making it ethically, too – and all the better for it.

Anyway, on to the recipe test.  I picked out the Lemon Trickle Cake for no reason other than a lady at work bakes and brings in her own delicious version (Lemon Drizzle Cake), and I’ve never tried baking it myself.  This, and it would be a great excuse to practise using my KitchenAid for cake mixing.

The version you see in the picture is the second attempt at baking this cake; one attempt was mine, and one was Gosia’s (my Wife’s) .  Better not to ask what happened to mine; it’s a sore subject, and the word “sink” comes into the explanation.  Still, both versions tasted delicious – even if one did look better than the other, and it after all it was a great excuse to fill myself with cake for a few days running!

I’m not going to go into detail on the recipe here (for fear of Hugh striking me down) – for that, buy the book.  Basically, you take 175g of butter and caster sugar, beat until pale, then add the zest of 3 lemons, 3 eggs and 175g of flour.  The eggs are added 1 at a time, each with a bit of flour.  This goes into a greased tin and into the oven at 170 degrees c until cooked.

The magic comes in when the cake is stabbed liberally with a skewer and drizzled with lemon icing (200g icing sugar with the juice of 2 lemons); the icing soaks through the cake creating an intense and sharp tasting cake which is so addictive.

I’ve also tried out the “Chocolate and Beetroot Brownies” recipe; if there’s any left by the time I take out my camera, I might post a few pictures of those, too.  Right now, the chances are looking slim…

The Tomato Book

I received my copy of “The Tomato Book” a few weeks ago now, in the midst of my tomato growing frenzy.  Despite only having 4 plants growing in my conservatory, I’ve become a bit of an obsessive and am already planning world tomato domination for next year.

You’ve already seen evidence of my tomato obsession this year through my recipes; “Pappa al Pomodoro“, “How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes“, and “Wild Tomato Salad“.  For the last one, change “Wild” to “Heirloom” – a bit of an example of my lack of experience helpfully pointed out by my friends on Facebook.

So, I’m a beginner in every sense of the word.  I’ve learned about pinching out sideshoots and such-like from the internet but didn’t know what to do when my leaves started going brown around the edges. Luckily, The Tomato Book features easy to follow “What’s wrong with my leaves?” and “What’s wrong with my tomatoes?” fault finding charts.

Helpful Tomato Tips

When I had my first flick through and saw the 60 (or so) page section just describing some of the varieties available out there I was amazed. What a sheltered tomato life I’ve lived. I also had no idea that it was possible to create my own variety through cross-pollination and grafting; a tip best left a couple of years, I think. I’ll never work my way through them all!

Plenty of other tips abound in this great little book; did you know that placing a banana next to green tomatoes encourages them to ripen? Neither did I.

The final section of the book is taken up by preserving tips and recipes; the tomato and marscarpone ice cream sounds particularly mouth watering.

All in all, a great little book which I’ll be coming back to year after year through my tomato growing adventures.

50 Great Appetizers

I’ve been away now for just over 1 month since my wife gave birth to our beautiful baby daughter, Mia (more photos of her soon, I promise), and I’ve been missing you all.

To make up for it and as a thank you to all those readers who’ve sent good wishes to us (and also to anyone else who happens across this post; greetings!), I’m giving away another great FREE COOKBOOK.

This time around the book is “50 great appetizers” by the great Pamela Sheldon Johns.  I’ve read it and can say that it’s a great little reference book that you’re going to be keeping in the kitchen for a long time to come.

All you have to do to win this free cookbook is leave a comment on this post (or send me an email) telling me why you should receive it.  I’ll pick a winner by around the second week in July…

R. Carradine, come on down and collect your prizes (Traditional Puddings and Desserts and Supper for Friends by Mary Berry)!

In case anyone wonders how I decided the winner, read on.  I took the total number of entrants (83) and used the wonders of technology (i.e. the internet) to pick a random number (66) within this limit.  This random number was then matched to the comment number of the winner in reverse chronological order.

That’s probably far more technical than it needed to be, but you know me…

All you have to do to win is submit a comment telling me that you want them, and one person will be picked at random later in the month.  It’s just like those competitions you used to find on the back of cereal boxes when you were younger (perhaps they still do them, I haven’t looked in a while!).

Free Cookbooks

The books in question are Traditional Puddings and Desserts and Supper for Friends by Mary Berry.  Mary has had over 9 TV series and 40 cookbooks so certainly knows what she’s talking about.

Leave me a comment now to stand a chance of winning these great books!

Rosemary has gone from strength to strength since then and it now seems she’s been on our boxes for ever.  Her almost head mistress like personality have made her perfect for her own cooking school’s transition to TV, and hugely entertaining on Ladette to Lady.

“School For Cooks” is her brand new book based on the TV series of the same name.  The official introduction states “Rosemary’s passion for cooking and teaching makes impressive dishes achievable for the everyday family cook” and certainly seems to be true, reflecting the modern haute cuisine for which she is famous in an educational, down to earth manner.

The photography is also second to none, featuring mouth wateringly over saturated images which are irresistable.  Certainly attention grabbing is the “Beetroot Consomme with Wild Mushroom Ravioli” which is so garishly purple and silky smooth looking that it just has to be tried!

Title:  School For Cooks

Author(s):  Rosemary Shrager

Published:  01 August 2008

Ever become stuck in a food rut? I know that personally I go through phases; right now I’m in my “stir fried veggies” phase; one that seems to come around every time I gain a few pounds and want to make myself feel healthy again. Still, there’s only so much mixed veg’ and noodles you can eat before you need some inspiration – and that’s why I’m glad this book has come along.

It’s been a while since I’ve been really inspired by a cookbook. Sure, Jamie Oliver’s latest “Jamie at Home” was pretty good, if unoriginal. Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s “Fish” was great too, but still didn’t bring really make me itch to get into the kitchen.

So what does “Asian Bites” do different? Well, what better than fresh, vibrant Asian food when the Spring weather starts to turn around? Couple that with a fresh, easy to read yet contemporary design and you’re on to a winner.

I’m becoming pretty bored with generic cookbooks and this one manages to break the mould. How about some of the more simple yet delicious recipes; Spring onion pancakes (Pa jeon), with just a handful of ingredients, or Chinese barbecue spare ribs (Paigu) – which has to be the easiest, tastiest version I’ve ever seen?

I’ll openly admit I’m no expert on Asian cuisine but this surely has to be right where its at, right now. A perfect example of how food should be done!

Title: Asian Bites

Author(s): Tom Kime

Published: 03 March 2008

I might just be the last person to get around to reviewing this cookbook, but there’s a lot to take in. Anyone who remembers Marcus Wareing’s last great book “How to Cook the Perfect…” will know that he is a perfectionist. Although his food may express contemporary simplicity, the processes in creating it are honed to perfection and leave little room for error.

So what about this book? Well, the idea is a simple one; take an ingredient and give us three different dishes to cook with it. The title says it all, really. As for the quality of the recipes, there’s no way I’m going to criticize the cooking of a 2 Michelin starred chef!

What is suprisingly refreshing (especially for a lazy cook like me) is the pure ease behind some of these recipes; pea and Broad Bean Salad with Manchego cheese, for example. How hard can it be? And how about that classic Baked Egg Custard, made from just sugar, cream and eggs?

One Perfect Ingredient… is almost there. The idea of a book that I can use much as an encyclopedia when I have an ingredient and I’m not sure what to do with it is appealing. Unfortunately at just 218 pages though, the book just isn’t long enough to do that. Perhaps organising it seasonally (i.e. this is in season; here’s how to cook it) might also have worked well – even if its not the most original of concepts.

In summary this is a great book with some really simple easy to follow recipes which are sure to impress. It’s unlikely to go down as a classic but is still a worthy addition to any aspiring chef’s collection.

Title:  One Perfect Ingredient:  Three Ways to Cook it

Author(s):  Marcus Wareing

Published:  11 March 2008

It’s quite important to note that this book isn’t actually written by Hugh, but instead by John Wright, who River Cottage fans such as myself will remember from the episode where he accompanied Hugh and a pig on a truffle hunt in a nearby forest. You can rest assured though, that none of the original charm has been lost.

My own mushroom hunting is a fairly haphazard affair, where I generally end up with nothing more special than a few “slippery jacks” or “parasols”. Perhaps I don’t know enough to find anything better, or the woods where I go just isn’t suitable for any of the great mushrooms to grow. Failing actually managing to find a friend with the same warped interests as myself, I need a good book to help me. This, I’m happy to say, is the book I was looking for.

Where to start? Well, here’s the first thing that grabbed me – the pictures. I already have a couple of mushroom books, one of which has drawings (pah, how’s that supposed to help an amateur?), the other has barely any photos at all. The River Cottage Mushoom Handbook, however, has full colour photographs of all the mushrooms in question, alongside photos of some of the “nasty” look-a-likes (invaluable. Who want to play Russian Roulette with their ’shrooms?).

It’s not the most concise mushroom identification book available by a long way, but probably the most practical one on the market. My version is hardback and small (not quite trouser pocket size, but perhaps a large jacket pocket would work), a comes with a printed sleeve – rather than one of those “slip over” sleeves which all hardbacks seem to come as nowadays. That means it’s perfect for taking along into the forest on those searching expeditions.

The book is also written in such a way as to entirely avoid those yawn inducing moments you might expect of mycology. Here’s an example, with reference to the well known “fly agaric” toadstool:

“One can look forward to feelings of floating, exaggerated movements, cramps, tremors and even muscle spasms. This all sounds rather to scary for me…”.

Oh dear! Looks like there’s one to avoid, then. Moving on, The final section of the book, some sixty pages or so, is happily dedicated to good old recipes, all simple enough so as to not lose that all important mushroom flavour. How does “mushroom pate” grab you?

All in all, this is a great little book and a great start to the River Cottage Handbook series. We can apparently look forward to several of these each year, one of which currently in progress is to be called “Edible Seashore“, also by John Wright. if so, I’ll be a happy man!

Oh, you can also look forward to the full sized River Cottage Fish Book by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, due in November. You can pre-order it by clicking here.

NOTE: Finally…I’d love to see anyone who loves seasonal food joining in with a little event we have going on later this month called “In The Bag”. Here’s the link for some more info!

Patriotism seems to be something of a theme lately amongst cookbooks; first was the Great British Menu Cookbook, and now there’s this – the Great British Village Show Cookbook. You’ll probably be glad to know that they’re nothing like each other.

I’ll admit that this is my first cookbook first cookbook by James Martin. Something inside me is making me lean away from “the book that accompanies the series”, unless the said book has something unique to set it aside from all the others out there. But what does this one have?

First up is the unique theme of the book – the humble Village Show. They are of course much in decline these days (where everyone heads off to Tesco for their shopping and skips the shows and farmers’ markets altogether), but there’s always a die-hard troop of allotment owners ever eager to show off their latest prize winning pumpkin.

Second is his unique style of food. Born and raised in Yorkshire (I’m a Northerner myself, as you’ll know), his contemporary cuisine always seems to remember its “roots” – whether a recipe handed down through generations, or a twist on a regional classic.

So on to the book. First recipe out of the bag is one from my region – Lincolnshire Poacher Scones. Lincolnshire Poacher is a local cheese with a soft texture, with a taste (when bought in the “mature variety” somewhere between cheddar and parmesan (or should I say parmigiana). It’s a favourite purchase of mine at local farmers’ markets so to see it in this book was a great surprise. The scones, incidentally, are so easy to make and delicious to boot.

The rest is suitably homely, too. From chutneys to cakes, pies to pickles, its all here interspersed with stories about village shows – such as prize winning leeks and the like.

The entire book has a similar feel to the River Cottage books from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall (and even comes with the now seemingly obligatory resource directory at the back), but that’s no bad thing. The more people that can take food back to its roots and away from mass production can only be for the better.

So what are you waiting for?