Paperback 408 pages (September 6, 2001)
Publisher: BBC Books
ISBN: 0563534117

Best Cookbook I've Seen in 20 Years

Rated FIVE Stars *****

I recommend this excellent book for anyone who is interested in modern recipes for traditional British cuisine, or in the origins of the cooking traditions from today's English-speaking countries. That means not only American and British readers, but also Australians, South Africans, and New Zealanders, among others.

I am an American who owns over 300 cookbooks, and I consider myself a gourmet cook. On a recent trip to Britain, I scoured bookstores and chose this book over all the others. I'm glad I did. I have to say, this is absolutely the BEST cookbook I have come across in the past 20 years.

This book is not as comprehensive as The Joy of Cooking (known in America as the "bible" of American cooking), which tries to tell you how to cook absolutely everything under the sun. But this book IS inclusive of everything that's important in classic British Cooking (and in traditional American cooking, as well) - soups, sauces, cheeses and eggs, vegetables, fish, meat, poultry, picnics, puddings, cakes and baking, and preserves and pickles. In addition, it has chapters on The Great British Breakfast, Savories and Snacks, Sunday Lunch Roasts, A Festive Christmas, and Afternoon and High Tea.

Measurements for ALL recipes are given in BOTH metric, AND traditional measures (pounds, quarts, cups, teaspoons, etc.) So no matter how you are accustomed to measuring, the book is simple to use for all readers, internationally.

As an American, I learned SO much from this book. I learned about the ORIGIN of bacon and eggs for breakfasts, about the histories of many different vegetables (quite different information than is included in The Joy of Cooking), HOW and WHY British cuisine got a reputation for being bland (it wasn't always so), and many things about the history of eating which have just been plainly lost to us in America. For example, I did not know before that the origin of certain foods sometimes being served on a piece of toast was from the 'trenchers' used in medieval times--'trenchers' being big slabs of bread which were laid directly on the table, and food put on top. The reason for the use of trenchers was that plates were too expensive for ordinary people to use. Not only are so many interesting discussions about the origins of different foods and customs included in this book, but ALL the recipes are interesting and FANTASTIC!

British readers will enjoy the depth and style of this book, while American, Australian, and South African readers will really learn a lot about the origin of our own traditional cuisine. I will treasure this book for many years. I purchased the paperback edition for myself. But this book is so wonderful, and will be used for so many years, that I highly recommend other readers to spend the extra money and get a hardcover edition, if it is available. This book would also make a fantastic Christmas gift.

Reviewed by

Mary Mimouna

Marrakesh, Morocco

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