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Marcus Wareing: Nutmeg & Custard

Author: Marcus Wareing
Hardback: 256 pages
Publisher: Anchor Books (September 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0593062111

“I never expected to be remembered as the man who made custard tart”, says Marcus Waering. “But since I cooked it for the Queen — as you do — I can’t take it off my menu”. Marcus Wareing is one of the brightest stars in British cooking. His modern interpretation of classic French cuisine has won him national acclaim and he now runs a restaurant under his own name at The Berkeley Hotel in London. His famous custard tart with lavender is just one of 150 recipes in a book that is highly acclaimed as a definitive guide to the kind of cooking you will want to share time and time again with family and friends. With over 150 stunning recipes from home and abroad divided into themed chapters – from the Grill Room, the Orient and the Spice Route to Puddings, Popcorn and the Ice-Cream Parlour – there is something here for everyone who loves great food. Whether sweetcorn fritters, crumpets with burnt honey butter, beef burgers or fillet of salmon – the book  is filled with good ideas, things to learn and ways to make everyday dishes special. As to the custard tart: “It  is a tribute to my grandmother, because it is her recipe”, Waering adds. “My family has used it for three generations but the addition of lavender is mine”.

I KNOW HOW TO COOK

Author: Ginette Mathiot
Hardback: 1072 pages
Publisher: Phaidon Press (September 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0714848044

First published 1932, this book has been a bestseller for three generations (it has sold more than six million copies) and is a household must-have which Ginette Mathiot revised regularly until she died in 1998 at the age of 91. The title contains more than 1,400 traditional French recipes that have become part of the gastronomic formula, from lobster bisque and coq au vin to tarte tatin and crepe suzette. It appealed to family cooks – partly because of the author’s emphasis on nutrition but also because she showed how to keep food costs down while remaining true to the spirit of French cooking. The queen of domestic French cooking covered everything, from boiling a perfect egg  to how to cook a flawless quail with foie gras and truffle sauce. As a former home economics teacher, she was careful to lead through the basics. In one cake recipe, the instructions even finish with the helpful note: "turn off the oven".

For the English translation Ginette Mathiot’s recipes have been updated for the modern kitchen by the French food writer Clotilde Dusoulier, together with a team of international cookery experts.  It is one of those books you keep for ever.

The Silver Spoon for Children

Author: Amanda Graf and Harriet Russel
Hardback: 104 pages
Publisher: Phaidon Press (October 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0714857466

Nowadays children spend much more time in the kitchen. The great enthusiasm for food has penetrated their world and they love to participate. Since Italian classics such as  pizza and pasta with meatballs are such great favourites, The Silver Spoon for Children is the best way to start teaching your offspring to make their own Foccaccia, Pizza Margherita, Tomato Bruschetta, Tuscan Minestrone Soup, Chicken stuffed with Mascarpone or Ice Cream with Fruits of the Forest. Broken into "Lunches and Snacks," "Pasta and Pizza," "Main Courses" and "Desserts and Baking," the book contains 40 simple, authentic recipes that have been adapted just for children (aged 8 and beyond)) from  the 1950s Italian kitchen classic. The book is fully illustrated and features notes on seasonal variations, Italian culinary culture and basic (and safe) cooking techniques. It is well planned and fun.

dream gardens of England

Author: Barbara Baker
Hardback: 352 pages
Publisher: Merrell (October 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-1858945118

The British have been great gardeners since the Middle Ages, partly because of their desire to emulate the great gardens of Europe, but also because of their very gentle climate (influenced by the westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean) which allows to have gardens which last much longer, are also interesting to look at in winter and with the significance of herbs very much in evidence.

This volume is a beautifully designed sourcebook of 100 gardens of all styles in all parts of the country. It presents a wonderful variety of garden-design ideas, ranging from modern sophistication to lush romanticism, and from small minimalist city plots to large gardens in idyllic rural locations. Each garden is photographed to show all its key features and essential details; compact descriptions offer an  insight into the aims and achievements of some of today's leading gardeners. With captions identifying the plants depicted, this book is an invaluable source of information and inspiration.

Barbara Baker is a keen gardener and writer. She is the author of Why We Garden: Stories of a British Obsession (1998). Jerry Harpur and Marcus Harpur of Harpur Garden Images  are critically acclaimed photographers whose work appears in many books, magazines and newspapers.