Recipe Books

I got very excited yesterday when I saw that Lisa Faulkner’s new cook book is half price on Amazon at the moment to pre-order!  I loved her on Masterchef and I always prefer people who aren’t necessarily trained chefs but cook because they love it.  Like Nigella, who I also hear has a new book/series in the pipeline! VERY exciting!

So if, like me, you have an addiction to buying recipe books, why not try this one?  

I also treated myself to another recipe book.  The Book People do brilliant discount books and include new releases.  I ordered the hardback of Mrs Beeton’s How to Cook – a modernised version of the Mrs Beeton classic. Released in October 2011 it is just £7.99 down from the rrp of £25.00.

Both Lorraine Pascale books are on there too for about £6.99.
Happy shopping!

Julia Child

Julia Child

On recommendation of BFF I have just watched the film Julie/Julia which is about two things I love, no – make that three.  Blogging, Cooking and Feisty Women.  I am resisting the urge to buy the cookbook now, having already hopped straight on to Amazon.  I have appeased myself by buying the kindle version of her life in France, but am quite keen to get ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ although I doubt I will cook from it as much I suppose.  I bought Elizabeth David’s ‘At Elizabeth David’s Table’ after seeing a docu-film on her and haven’t actually cooked from it although I do like to read it and think about her very interesting life (another feisty woman!).  I have a feeling Julia Child’s book may be too Americanised in its measures (I really don’t get ‘sticks’ of butter) and doubtless too meaty.  As a recent carnivore after 18 years of vegetarianism I still struggle to deal with meat that looks like it’s origin.  So I don’t think de-boning a duck is a likely occurrence in my kitchen!  However, I will put it on my birthday list – nobody ever knows what to get and it is something that I would really like to add to my cookbook collection.  Browsing through a cookbook with a pile of post-its and a cup of tea is always a good way to waste time.

A few days later……


Have decided not to be such a wuss and bloomin’ well cook a recipe!  Have spent more indulgent minutes browsing through Elizabeth David and reckon if I start off with something simple, I might even be able to work my way up the trickiness scale!As homage to Julia Child, I am making Beouf Bourguignon this weekend although, alas, not her recipe as I haven’t got the book!  Definitely laying large hints for my impending birthday……Lorraine Pascale it is (love her!)

Nigella and Me

As with all good ideas…somebody’s already thought of them, acted on them and blogged about them.  So I make no pretence to be original here – this is really an indulgence for myself.  I love cooking but am really not very good at it.  Don’t get me wrong, I am much better than when I tried to woo my husband and burnt the soup, but John Torode is definitely not head-hunting me.
So here I will blog about my cooking, which for most of you will be the ideal alternative to Nytol, but really this is a blog just for me and will stop me inflicting pictures of my cupcakes on my facebook friends.
I attribute my love of cooking to Nigella Lawson.  It was she (through her TV programmes and recipe books) who inspired me.  She, who is not a trained chef, writes with humour, personality and genuine love of food and is generally fabulous.  She also shares my love of kitsch! Whenever I have those moments of kitchen panic I think to myself…What would Nigella do?