

The first 46 pages before ...
"The introduction is the first and best chance to win the attention of people who otherwise would not care." Martin Lloyd-Jones Inspired...
Jun 7, 2024


First recipe impact - is it why we buy?
"without naming names, I find that many miss out on the opportunity to sell the casual reader by making your first recipe absolutely...
May 7, 2024


Variations - granola
"There is no real recipe for it, as it is made to the taste of the person preparing it." Family Spice Yes I know - this is not granola. ...
Apr 8, 2024


A is for Alexanders, Z is for Zander - A-Z
"Every culinary endeavour begins with ingredients." Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall What a slightly creepy conjunction of names - Alexanders...
Mar 16, 2024


Almost 50 years post Cuisine Minceur
"This was far and away the most influential cookery book of the latter half of the last century. It affected almost everything we eat...
Feb 17, 2024


Cuisine heureuse - two men and a first recipe
"Books are so much more than simply a collection of words. They are glimpses into an epoch and the author's soul." François de...
Jan 29, 2024


Changing the form, but retaining the spirit
“When I opened up my first restaurant it was never to cook Greek food the way most people had seen it.” Peter Conistis The dish at left...
Jan 17, 2024


A postscript on first recipes
As a self-taught cook, I learned through cookbooks and love them dearly. There's an evolution to learning to cook this way and choosing...
Oct 18, 2023


Hot sauce - or is it a bath?
"it is a dish which essentially needs the accompaniment of plenty of strong coarse red wine, such as the local Barbera. It is also...
Oct 17, 2023


Venice leeks and what's for dinner tonight?
"Perhaps no one ever gets to know Venice as much as they remember her, recall her from an episode in some other dream." Marlena de Blasi...
Oct 1, 2023


Cabbage, potatoes, Portugal, soup - basic
"I have written this book to introduce Portuguese dishes to cooks in this country, rather than to tell them what to eat in Portugal." ...
Sep 19, 2023


Classic - apple pie
"Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness." Jane Austen The first thing to say is that this is a first recipe...
Sep 10, 2023


Coconut rice - so many ways
"Truly fluffy coconut rice eluded me for years. I felt like I tried every variation possible, but when I lifted the lid, I’d stare at...
Jul 27, 2023


An oldie but a goodie
"There was this woman tossing French omelettes, splashing eggs about the place, brandishing big knives, panting heavily as she careened...
Jul 11, 2023


First
"Presentation of the first course is of especial importance; owing to its place in the menu it should give a favourable impression both...
Jun 12, 2023


Old things
"Whether we grow herbs, eat them, or take them as medicine, they carry us, if we stop to think about them, far back into history."...
May 26, 2023


Noodle politics
“The message I received along with my journey in my quest to discover the identity of the noodle was that no one culture ‘owns’ a...
May 17, 2023


Beginnings
“Meat is used. You prepare water. You add fine-grained salt, dried barley cakes, onion, Persian shallot, and milk. You crush and add leek...
Apr 27, 2023


Psarasoupa me avgolemono
"Avgolemono is just so important to Greeks. But maybe it's even more important to Greeks who've left Greece." Simon Gloftis I haven't...
Apr 2, 2023


German food - is it really that bad?
"During the last 50 years that nation has changed more than any other in Western Europe. Yet it has remained German, because everything...
Feb 27, 2023

