Sovay's Reviews
Cookbook Reviews
5 books reviewed. Showing 1 to 5Sort by: Rating | Title 
A Cook's Calendar: Seasonal Menus
By Frances Bissell
Chatto & Windus - 1985
I bought this book a few years ago but have never really warmed to it - largely, I suspect, because the author goes into a good deal of detail about exactly what wines she serves with the dishes and my mind immediately pegs her as "rich and pretentious". However this is probably unfair; there are plenty of recipes in the book which are neither rich nor pretentious, and I'm determined to give it a proper trial and amend this review according to the results.
Off the Beeton Track
By Peter Pirbright
Golden Gallery Press Ltd - 1946
This book was published in 1946 when food rationing in Britain was if anything more stringent than it had been during WW2 itself, but the author does his best to brighten up a limited range of ingredients with exotic additions such as yoghurt, paprika and caraway seed. It's probably more of a historical document than a working cookery book these days, though that doesn't mean the recipes aren't worth trying.
On Drink
By Kinsgley Amis
Harcourt - 1973
I'm not sure this is a cookbook within the meaning of the act, but it lives in the kitchen and there are recipes in it so I'm counting it as one for the purposes of my "No Book Un-used" mission.
Save with Jamie: Shop Smart, Cook Clever, Waste Less
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2013
Strangely old-fashioned in that quite a number of recipes are based on cooking a big roast dinner and then using up the leftovers over several days (which is is actually one of the reasons I bought the book). I suspect it leans towards child-friendly recipes - I can't see any other reason for the complete absence of any mention of liver or heart, though there is one recipe for kidneys.
Follows the modern trend for "frugal" cookbooks to cost an arm and a leg (£26! Would not have bought it full price ...)
The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook: From Lady Mary's Crab Canapés to Mrs. Patmore's Christmas Pudding - More Than 150 Recipes from Upstairs and Downstairs
By Emily Ansara Baines
Adams Media Corporation - 2012
A friend who knows I like both cookery and history gave me this for my birthday recently, which was a kind thought but unfortunately it annoys the hell out of me on a number of fronts:
1. Written by an author from the US but deals extensively with English social class; this almost invariably leads to a whole host of "What? No!" moments for the English reader, since it's a topic full of nuances that are very significant but largely incomprehensible to anyone not brought up to it.
2. Full of arch references to the series characters - unavoidable, I suppose, given the premise. I watched half the first series, quite enjoyed it but haven't seen an episode since, so these just pass me by on the whole.
3. I have serious doubts about the historical accuracy of the information - for example I'm pretty sure English people call blood sausage "black pudding" because it's black in colour, not because it was popular in the Black Country (which wasn't called the Black Country until well into the 19th century).
4. I have no confidence at all in the authenticity of the recipes. Case in point - Edwardian "Working Class Porridge" (specifically designated as such) full of raisins, bananas, cinnamon and vanilla? Really? My great grandmother was bringing up five children on very little money around the time that Downton Abbey is set, and handed down her recipe for working class porridge. It consists of oatmeal, water and a pinch of salt. Maybe a dash of milk on a good day. Incidentally, I suspect the author would be surprised to learn (see point 1 above) that Aristocratic Porridge was basically the same, though more likely to include the dash of milk. Most of the recipes seem to be heavily modernised and/or Americanised and whatever their merits in their own right, they certainly don't do what the recipes in a "historical" cookery book should do.
Given the author's willingness to fancy-up the plainer recipes I'm mildly intrigued to know how she handled the other work attributed to her in the About the Author section - "The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook". I can think of few literary works less suited to a tie-in cookery book!