One of the themes of my book, Radwinter, which I’m writings as part of the National Novel Writing Month challenge, is food… not surprising since it’s a major theme of my life! I mention all sorts of different foods from millionaire’s shortbread to sushi, but, as I mentioned the other day, I spoke about the recipes from a real cookery book when some of my characters were cooking a meal for their relatives.
the book is ‘English With a Difference’ and it is by Steven Wheeler; it was published in 1988 and that is when I bought it. It is a beautiful book, irrespective f the recipes (which are wonderful and everyone I’ve cooked has worked!) The paper is a nice quality, which feels god to the touch, there are some superb photos (by Steven Wheeler, the author of the book) mainly of ingredients which are available at different times of the English year, because the subtitle of the book is ‘A Seasonal Cookery Book’. There also some very attractive line drawings by Lorraine Harrison, and just the way the pages are laid out on the page is good, drawing you in to read the recipes, and the comments that Steven makes about them.
From the title, you can guess that the recipes follow the seasonal pattern, and each chapter is about a different month, with a full-page introduction to what foods are available at the time of year, and sometimes a little history or mention of traditions surrounding the particular food item. This makes it a good book just to read, as well as to cook from! After the introduction there is a list of all the different fruit and nuts, imported as well as home-grown, vegetables and herbs, fish and shell-fish, poultry and game, meat and ‘also available’ items. The recipe section is divided into starters, main course, puddings, and then whatever is special to that month, pancakes for pancake day, an Easter dinner, a barbecue party, etc.
If anyone really these days has any doubts about the wonderful food available in this country, and the imaginative and splendid cooking that uses it, then this book really will change your mind!
Lois Elsden 