As you know, I'm fairly traditional and I like most things to be straightforward. This is especially true when it comes to cookery books.
I'm not a flash person when it comes to cooking, if I see a recipe with millions of ingredients then I tend to run a mile (probably the only excercise I do), as it just puts me off.
I love cookery books but find it really hard to find a good 'un that suits me.
The HairyBikers are great and I have a Hamlyn Book that has pictures of every recipe and my Be-Ro home recipes booklet is looking a little dog-eared from the use it gets.
So as I was browsing round Sainsburys the other day, which is such a lovely thing to do without the kids as the books are situated right near the toy aisle (who was the bright spark who thought of that idea), I wandered by the books and spotted the cook books.
I looked at the ones that said 'traditional home cooking' and 'easy family meals' and to be honest they had a few meals that I would cook but then they seem to go off course and slip in some weird recipes that I've never heard of and probably could never pronounce - Family Meals???? who are they kidding! My kids would take one look and probably bleeuuurgh all over the place.
The Fay Ripley one looks nice but it didn't quite grab me and shout "BUY ME NOW!!", so I left it on the shelf. Maybe next time.
Then I spotted my book - as soon as I flipped through the pages, this book was straight in the trolley. The pictures are great, the recipes traditional and best of all not too complicated.
I think I'm going to give the Toad in the Hole another try using the recipe given here. My last attempt was really awful and I'm sure that it is one of the easiest things to do but somewhere along the line mine failed drastically (Mr Bucket can confirm this).
The book gives a starter page showing what's in season and a little 'patting themselves on the back' over how they buy/sell their food. But I suppose they can as it's their book. It then goes on to give a history of food from the past 500 years.
It follows that with classic British dishes, modern British dishes and then a food tour of Britain giving regional recipes i.e. Pan Haggerty from the North; Pork pie from the Midlands; Cawl from Wales and so on.
After all this there is a section on picnics, street parties and afternoon tea.
It is a lovely book and one I think that I'm going to be looking at and using for quite a while.
Sam xx
p.s. I know that it seems like it but I'm NOT plugging Sainsbury's and it's goods, I just like to shop there once in a while and I do use other shops/supermarkets - I'm not that fussy as long as I can get a bargain.
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