Interact: Discussions: A thing of beauty...

...that's what struck me about that shelf - it looks like a bit of a shrine to the art of cuisine!

Lesley Brown

Currently reading: The Great Gatsby
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Location: Chelmsford
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oh thank you :) i agree it does look rather like a shrine doesnt it (though possibly to Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom?)
You should see the rest of my kitchen - hundreds of cookbooks everywhere, the reason the top of the fridge looks like this is because i am simply running out of room everywhere else for my cookbook addiction.

Sharon S

Currently reading: The Little Lady...
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I am so jealous. What a range! Have you found 'Silver Spoon' any good? If so it will go onto my wish list. I looked at it when it came out, but just thought I would never use it. I know it is a popular book, but useful?

Gavin Conn

Currently reading: Little Dorrit
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hi Gavin

I have a bit of a problem, a sort of cookbook addiction. I LOVE the Silver Spoon but hand on heart have to say i havent yet cooked anythign from it. I do intend to, but life with 2 small children means i dont always get round to cooking the things i want to try out. I do intend to try some recipes from it soon though as it is such a lovely book.

Sharon S

Currently reading: The Little Lady...
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Which is your favourite cook book of the lot then?- I get loads for birthdays and Christmases and would love a recommendation. Especially as we're just moving into our own place - my very own kitchen to cook/bake in :)

Lesley Brown

Currently reading: The Great Gatsby
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I have different favourites for different things ;)

My favourite for baking is probably Nigella Domestic Goddess http://www.bookrabbit.com/catalogue/detail/bookid/2847833/How-to-be-a-Domestic-Goddess-Baking-and-the-Art-of-Comfort-Cooking though some of the recipes you have to adjust cooking times for (my brownies, aka Nigella's brownies, are famous around here - i half the ingredients she suggests but still cook for 20-25mins)

My most used book for every day cooking is a small book i bought in tescos 'meat and poultry' which i use a lot of recipes from.

I also love http://www.bookrabbit.com/catalogue/detail/bookid/2752777

For every day cooking for my children then I love the Dinner Lady books and also Tana Ramsey

For reading/looking at stunning photography then the Tessa Kiros books are stunning http://www.bookrabbit.com/search/books?new_search=true&page=1&search_text=tessa+kiros&search_action=books&x=0&y=0 though i havent cooked much from them yet

I also like Nigel Slater for good, honest, no-fuss food and Jamie Oliver too

hope that helps?

Sharon S

Currently reading: The Little Lady...
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Thanks Sharon - think I'll be searching those out soon - have seen Tessa Kiros's books around quite a bit and they do look gorgeous. I've recently been going through Good Housekeeping's really comprehensive recipe book which I got for Christmas http://www.bookrabbit.com/catalogue/detail/bookid/3642631/qGood-Housekeepingq-New-Step-by-step-Cook-Book - it's quite amazing how much it covers from starters to baking and the photo index at the front makes for really good browsing. The recipe book shelf in my lovely new kitchen is growing apace...!

Lesley Brown

Currently reading: The Great Gatsby
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Location: Chelmsford
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Hi Sharon,

Gavin Conn

Currently reading: Little Dorrit
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Have you ever read Judith Moore's Fat Girl. It is anut-biography of her relationship with food and her family's relationship with food. It is sad in places, but such stunning prose. I have never read food described in such a way before. Not a 'nice' story, but a very beautifully told one all the same.

Gavin Conn

Currently reading: Little Dorrit
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I tend not to use cookery books these days - for a variety of reasons. When my dear wife was alive we entertained regularly. Day-to-day, I did most of the cooking but for the dinner parties, she took over and used a variety of books. For classic dishes she swore by...
http://www.bookrabbit.com/catalogue/detail/bookid/3648445/qGood-Housekeepingq-Cookery-Book-The-Cook-s-Classic-Companion     which, like the newer version that Lesley cites, contains [almost] everything you'll ever need to know about dealing with things in the kitchen. Her real favourite, however, was a homemade book which had been begun by her great grandmother and which contained [mostly Spanish, French and Itlaian] recipes that had been handed down through the family. Sadly I no longer have it because, as an heirloom, it went back to the family.

When I first took an interest in cooking - way back when the world was still a tiny baby - the book that inspired me to experiment was...
http://www.bookrabbit.com/catalogue/detail/bookid/681795/Tassajara-Cooking     which is as much about life as about food. There is a companion to it... http://www.bookrabbit.com/catalogue/detail/bookid/681789/Tassajara-Bread-Book   which may not suit today's 'faster' world too well. I certainly don't use the bread recipes anymore... I don't have the time!

If anyone is interested, I still experiment, occasionally and, on Saturday, I posted a 'rough' recipe on my blog [accessible via my profile page]. If anyone is adventurous enough to try it, feedback would be welcome.

Alan Slater

Currently reading: Black Swan Green
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Location: LONDON
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