Food and Drink / Cookery 13


drawings bring out an unexpected beauty in different cuts of meat. 256pp, numerous colour illustrations. $24.95 NOW £7


69619 CONNOISSEUR’S GUIDE TO FISH AND


SEAFOOD by Wendy Sweetser Many people enjoy fish but are unsure how to negotiate the array on the fishmonger’s slab, and they may also have worries about sustainable sourcing. In fact even the fishmonger is becoming an endangered species as supermarkets put specialist retailers out of


business. The author starts with nutritional information and goes on to choosing fish, which should have bright, clear, bulging eyes and a clean smell. Filleting, skinning, gutting and the preparation of shellfish are covered, and you may need a fish scaler and heavy duty scissors for snipping off fins. The main part of the book is devoted to a gazetteer of Flat, Round, Inshore, Freshwater, Oily and even Unique Fish, including the Flying Fish, Triggerfish and the John Dory which is often found in restaurants and is an “ugly, almost prehistoric-looking fish which nevertheless has excellent flesh - firm, dense and flavoursome”. Each fish is described in terms of appearance, habitat, availability, the best way to cook it and possible substitutes. The seafood sections have similar details, and the final chapter entitled “Other Edible Marine Life” holds a few surprise entries, including the Sea Anemone and Sea Urchin as well as the more predictable Turtle, Samphire and Frog. The book concludes with 35 delicious recipes including Steamed Sea Bass with Scallions, Cilantro and Lime, Zarzuela de Pescado and the perennial Ocean Pie. A beautifully produced book with delightful ink and watercolour drawings on every page. 256pp. $24.95 NOW £7


69327 COOKING FOR BEGINNERS by John Burton


Race and Angela Hartnett With their extensive experience of training young chefs, the authors know exactly what the barriers are whether you are starting from scratch or simply want to improve your basic skills. Contrary to popular opinion, the egg is one of the


trickiest ingredients to cook, and that is where the authors begin. Boiled and scrambled eggs, omelettes and pancakes all need perfect timing, and if you can master that you are well on the way to becoming a good cook. Poached Eggs Florentine and Cinnamon and Apple French Toast are two eggy recipes which are fail- safe, delicious and will even impress your guests. Soups and Stocks are the next basic ingredient, from simple French Onion Soup to Lobster Bisque, with a section on how to make your own chicken or fish stock. Salads and Dressings, Poultry and Game, Fish and Shellfish, Meat, Pasta, Vegetables and Desserts are the other sections in the book, each starting with simple recipes such as Stir-fried Chicken or Beefburgers and going on to more sophisticated dishes including Venison with Braised Red Cabbage or Herb-crusted Rack of Lamb. Desserts start with Poached Plums and Ginger Cream and progress to a gooey Hot Chocolate and Coffee Fondant or Profiteroles. Each recipe comes with full step-by step instructions and most are illustrated with full-page colour photos. 255pp, softback. £14.99 NOW £5.50


69525 REAL ALE: Recipes,


History and Snippits by Bill Laws


In what is now modern Iraq and Syria, farmers learn to cut their crops and brew their beer. Although their scribes were the first to record the brewer’s craft for posterity, these were not the world’s first brewers. From Africa to Argentina, Mexico to


Murmansk, people have brewed and supped the ceremonial ale to mark special events - births, wakes, summer solstices and harvest home. They have ranged from John Milton’s favourite ‘spicy nut-brown ale’ to Thomas Hardy’s fictional Dorchester Ale. Beer was buried with the pharaohs in Egypt. In Norse mythology, a warrior who died in battle would go to Valhalla and be entitled to drink as much beer as he wanted. In medieval England beer was safer to drink than water and was seen as a healthy drink. Packed with surprising snippits and delicious recipes, 64 pages with line art. £6.99 NOW £3


69371 SUPER SALADS by Laura Herring


Using recipes from magazines such as “delicious.” and Sainsbury’s, these 125 tried and tested dishes feature a wide range of main course salads, though most of them could also be used as a side dish. Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Thai and British influences are represented, organised into chapters according to their main


ingredient. The All-Day Breakfast Salad must be one of the most substantial, featuring eggs, streaky bacon and a French stick together with a selection of mixed leaves. The Classic Caesar salad is an old favourite, and a separate section gives recipes for speciality dressings such as the Caesar. A colourful option like Goat’s Cheese and Beetroot Salad is good for entertaining. Tasty, highly flavoured dishes include Five Spice Duck Salad with Chicory and Pear, Vietnamese Minted Chicken Salad, Spiced Pigeon with Roast Butternut Squash, Sicilian Sausages with Lentils and Hot Thai Beef Salad. Dressings such as Aioli, classic Mayonnaise, Lemon Vinaigrette and Blue Cheese are grouped at the end of the book, and although they are not strictly speaking salads a small selection of mouthwatering desserts is included, with Spiced Cherries in Vodka, Tropical Fruit Crumble and Strawberries, and Liqueur and Mascarpone Cream lined up to round off a perfect meal. 288pp, softback, fully illus with colour photography. £8.99 NOW £4.50


21927 CULPEPER’S COMPLETE HERBAL by Nicholas Culpeper


The great book of natural remedies for ancient ills. From Amara Dulcis to Yarrow, All-Heal to Viper’s Bugloss, Culpeper’s Complete Herbal and English Physician Enlarged offers remedies for all ills known to seventeenth century society. Together with an


alphabetical section on herbs, their provenance and properties, there is The English Physician and Family Dispensary which provides an astrologo-physical discourse on the human virtues in the body of man. The Herbal remains a fascinating historical treatise and stands as a monument to botanical and medical science. 624pp. Paperback. ONLY £4


31456 WORDSWORTH DICTIONARY OF


CULINARY AND MENU TERMS by Rodney Dale


The Wordsworth Dictionary of Culinary & Menu Terms contains over 12,000 entries and will be invaluable to chefs and gourmands, fascinating to browsers and crossword enthusiasts, and a handy companion for hungry travellers or those wishing to avoid the potential pitfalls of self-catering and ordering meals in restaurants in foreign lands. In short, this book is essential reading for those who want to know the difference between chiorro, chiozzo, choko and chorizo, or who cannot tell a kaboucha from a kabanosi Paperback. ONLY £4


66740 QUESTIONS OF TASTE: The Philosophy


of Wine edited by Barry Smith Is enjoyment of wine all in the mind? The editor Barry Smith contributes to the discussion of whether tastes and tasting are purely subjective, and in “Wine and the Brain” Jamie Goode looks at biochemical and psychological phenomena. An essay on wine vocabulary which asks “Can wine be brawny?” is followed by “Wine as an Aesthetic Object”, different perceptions of the quality of wine depend in part on the fact that the wine itself changes in different conditions and over time. 222pp, paperback. £15.95 NOW £2.50


67240 BREWING by Jack Thompson With month-on-month advice ranging from spring and summer fruit wines using produce fresh from the hedgerow to classic winter warmers such as Spiced Honey Beer alongside more glamorous tipples, cocktails and liqueurs. Sloe Gin, Blackberry Brandy, Rosehip Wine, Potato Wine, Strawberry and Plum Wine, Raspberry Beer, Belgian Whit Beer, Nettle Wine, Turbo Cider, Dandelion Mead, Ginger Ale and many, many more. A step-by-step guide to making beer, wine and cider, the author draws on his knowledge of the countryside to outline when each berry, fruit or hop is in season and at its very best for picking. Plus equipment, cleaning and sanitising, ingredients. 144pp in softback. £6.99 NOW £3.50


68177 GREAT WINE


SWINDLE by Malcolm Gluck The Guardian, Superplonk and Oldie writer here pops the cork on wine snobbery in his cheeky little example of wine-upmanship. Malcolm Gluck finally lifts the lid on the nonsense that is peddled to make wine drinkers pay more than they should. Do you have any idea what goes into wine? Why wine writing is so impossibly florid? Whether


supermarkets are to be trusted. Why are you the best wine critic? Here Malcolm reveals for the first time all the secrets people in the wine industry would prefer you did not know. Opinionated and spot on, full of facts and figures. Very useful appendices list terms you may have come across. 288pp in paperback. £8.99 NOW £4


68247 QUICK AND EASY INDIAN: Chicken by Neeta Datta


Succulent Spicy Chicken Chunks, Bengali Chicken Curry, Mughlai Chicken, Coconut Chicken, Chicken with Coriander, Chicken with Potato Straws, Spicy Fries, Tandoori, Fenugreek, Skewered Chicken Kebabs and Drumsticks, Chicken Tikka with Cottage Cheese and Egg Coated Chicken Kebabs are among the starters and main courses in this delightful recipe book. Very simple layout and easy to follow with colour photos. 96 page softback. Import. ONLY £3


68248 QUICK AND EASY INDIAN: Simply Vegetarian by Neeta Datta


50 of the choicest vegetarian recipes from different parts of India, for example Spicy Green Tomatoes of Rajasthan, Potato with Poppy Seeds of Bengal, Lotus Stems Cooked in Yoghurt Gravy of Kashmir, Mixed Vegetables with Coconut of down South, Steamed Gram Flour Squares of Gujarat and more. Some of the recipes are for everyday cooking while some are for festivals, weddings and birthdays. There is also a section on tips for buying and storing vegetables and basic preparations that lay the foundations for most dishes. 96 page softback with colour photos. ONLY £3.50


68266 ROSE ELLIOT’S VEGETARIAN MEALS IN MINUTES by Rose Elliot


Cooking fast food does not have to mean cutting corners. This attractive volume shows you how to cook tasty, original meals in under half an hour. No matter how busy your day is, Rose has a recipe for every occasion, from a speedy snack to a quick lunch with friends or a last-minute impromptu supper. Packed with over 200 delicious recipes, this book is brimming with ideas for mouth-watering meals that will be ready in no time. Here are soups and top-of-the-stove dishes, gratins and grills, stir-fries, main course salads, hot and cold puddings and dozens of other goodies. We cannot wait for our No-Cook Cheese Feast, our Petit Pois and Mint Soufflé Omelette or our Individual Banana and Almond Crumbles. 244 large pages with dazzling colour photos, delightful paintings and section on the store cupboard.


£10.99 NOW £5.50 68437 CHOCOLATE UNWRAPPED: Taste and


Enjoy the World’s Finest Chocolate by Sarah Jane Evans


Throughout its 3,000 year history, chocolate has been celebrated as a precious health-giving drink. It was not until the late 19th century that sweetened confectionery began to replace the beverage. A new generation of artisan chocolatiers is seeking out top quality beans, and controlling the process right up to the finished bar. With tips on how to taste like an expert, there are addresses of the author’s favourite shops and online retailers, top blogs and details of museums and festivals. 240 pages, colour illus.


£16.99 NOW £5 Bibliophile Books Unit 5 Datapoint, 6 South Crescent, London E16 4TL TEL: 020 74 74 24 74


68441 DAD’S COOKBOOK by Jacqueline Bellefontaine


45 recipes which look like the province of Oliver and Ramsay but are, in fact, pretty easy. Divided into Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks, Dinner, Desserts and Special Occasions, each recipe is accompanied by a full- page colour photo of the desired end result and the entire culinary process is broken down into clear step-by-step stages. Recipes include BBQ Lamb Kebabs, Tarragon Chicken, Chicken Fajitas, Sticky Spare Ribs, Tuna Melt, Chicken Pot Pie and Fish Pie. Plus tip boxes with advice on smart shopping, time saving and presentation. 96pp softback.


£7.99 NOW £3 68724 NIGELLA CHRISTMAS: Food, Family,


Friends, Festivities by Nigella Lawson The buxom beauty tempts us to tuck into her festive feasts in this voluptuous volume. It is the perfect choice for cooks who would rather sip wine than labour over a hot Aga! From party canapés, cocktails and manageable mass-catering to scrumptious Christmas cakes and puddings, here are no-fuss brunches to quick and easy homemade presents like chutneys, preserves and other delectable standbys and even edible tree decorations. Try out her Peanut Brittle with Art and Soul, Honeyed Fig Vinegar, Sticky Gingerbread, Rum and Brandy Butters and traditional Christmas Cake, of course. 278 large pages with colour photos. £25 NOW £11


68887 STRANGEST PUBS IN BRITAIN: And


the Best Worldwide by Strangest Books With well over 60,000 to choose from, the number and diversity of pubs in Britain is truly superb. In this great little handbook packed with colour photos and on glossy paper we can read all about where you must leave your shoe as a deposit for a drink, the amazing Crooked House where your drink slides up the table, or the pub where you play skittles with a block of cheese. Find out where there is a pub made out of ice, the smallest, oldest and most remote pub and much more from these bizarre and eccentric hostelries. Try a pint and a prayer in Antwerp and look very squiffy at Pash’s Café Bar in Poland. 96 page paperback. £7.99 NOW £3


69249 AFTERNOON TEA by Antony Wild and Simona Hill


70 tried and tested recipes that are ideal for afternoon tea. Each recipe features step-by-step photos and instructions, and nutritional notes are provided for every one. As well as light refreshments including salmon mousse, leek and bacon tarts, a multitude of sandwiches, a wide


range of plain, spicy and oaty biscuits and cold drinks, there are suggestions for a more indulgent repast. The latter is represented by fat rascals, soul cakes, millionaire’s shortbread and scones with homemade jam and thick cream. 96 large softback pages, 270 brightly coloured close-up photos. ONLY £4.50


GARDENING


If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.


- Marcus Tullius Cicero


69339 GOOD GARDENS GUIDE edited by Peter King and Katherine Lambert Subtitled The Essential Independent Guide to the 1200 Best Gardens, Parks and Green Spaces in Britain, Ireland and the Channel Islands and described by critics as ‘the most consistently reliable guide there is’ and ‘by far the best of the available garden guides’, this classic yearly volume, published since 1990, is the ultimate reference book for all garden visitors and enthusiasts. It selects only gardens of real merit, vividly detailing their main characteristics and special qualities, with detailed info and coloured maps enabling outings to be planned easily and reliably. This 19th edition includes 1,260 gardens illustrating the amazing diversity of the nation’s open spaces ranging from the world-famous such as Sissinghurst Castle, Kent to the relatively unknown Townley Park, Lancashire and 45 gardens which appear in the guide for the first time. Curiosities and delights include the Historic Garden Grade II at Wallington, Morpeth, a handsome 18th century sloping garden, Painshill Park in Cobham and Croome Park in Severn Stoke by Capability Brown to botanic gardens and nurseries. A thick 565 paperback pages illustrated by over 240 colour photos, with notes on great gardeners, a guide to this guide, a glossary of garden terms, two- starred gardens, a comprehensive listing of nurseries with good gardens and a wealth of maps. £15.99 NOW £5


69314 101 IDEAS: GARDENS by Rob Cassy


Divided into three sections, these 101 creative ideas start with The Big Picture: take a long cool look at your garden to assess what needs to be done and what you personally can manage. Candid Camera


means asking family and friends for their honest opinion and checking out your neighbours and legal responsibilities. A garden may be under or over-exposed and either way there are plants and designs to deal with it. Balconies, roof gardens, sheds and washing lines are all options that could transform your life, and a designer secret is to mark the spot where you want to spend most time and organise your garden from there, whether you fancy an unruly cottage garden or a neat patio. Section Two is Getting Down to Detail and here we have advice for installing decking, drainage, grass substitutes, fences, seating, decorative lights and much else. Ideas for the scented garden include a list of all- time fragrant greats, while evergreens, topiary, hanging baskets, ponds and barbecues are also covered. The final section Keeping it Fresh deals with the mundane business of tools, pruning and storage. A practical guide including numerous lists and tips, this book is also gorgeous to look at with some eye-catching camerawork by Marianne Majerus. 120pp, colour photography. £14.99 NOW £5


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69372 RHS TREASURY OF FLOWERS: Writers and Artists in the Garden edited by Charles Elliott


“You either go to pieces over blue or you don’t, but most gardeners do.” The flower in question is the Plumbago. In this beautiful Royal Horticultural Society book, a stunning print or painting of a flower is matched on each double page spread by poetry or prose celebrating it. The result is an attractive book for dipping into which would make an ideal present. “The eye dwells on that ribbed pentagonal round” writes Ruth Pitter in her poem “Morning Glory”, while Thomas Hardy laments the fact that the chrysanthemum blooms too late to be appreciated, even though the summer sun “called to each frond and whirl”. Sunflowers are celebrated by Swinburne, “ranged in royal rank” and Betjeman admires the rhododendrons which grace the “Italianate mansion and turreted stable” in a suburb of Sheffield. Prose writers are equally eloquent, with Vita Sackville-West, herself no mean gardener, celebrating the Columbine: “Who could resist anything nicknamed Granny’s Bonnet or Doves- round-a-dish?” Gerard Manley Hopkins writes of bluebells “hanging in the air a foot above the grass”, and talking of tulips Joseph Addison “was very much pleased and astonished at the glorious show of these gay vegetables”. 144pp, over 60 extracts with illustrations.


£12.99 NOW £5 69492 JOY OF GARDENING:


An Inspirational Anthology by Eileen Campbell


Writings from famous gardeners past and present, selections from literature of all kinds, plays, poems, novels, letters and diaries; this lovely, seasonally arranged anthology includes the writings of philosophers, psychologists, mystics


and spiritual teachers. Gardening is not about our physical health but also our emotional, psychological and spiritual wellbeing and the editor wishes to convey the joy of gardening through the seasons. In working with the cycles of nature, gardeners develop an important relationship with the natural world and throughout history and civilisation plants have appeared in decorative motifs on buildings and pottery and for personal ornamentation long before records of garden layouts. A rich selection of quotations to dip into time and again whilst resting in the potting shed. 210pp in small paperback. £6.99 NOW £3


68749 THE ENGLISH GARDEN by Iona Baird et al


We were knocked out when we first saw the gorgeous illustrations in this volume. It is an inspiring guide and essential work of reference for the enthusiast and the practised gardener alike, to 100 gardens from the 1590 Sir Edward Phelips Montacute House design to the present day, and includes the best work of


horticulture’s pioneers and innovators, such as William Kent, Capability Brown and Vita Sackville-West. The selection ranges from the natural idylls of the 18th century English landscape movement such as Manyard Colchester’s Westbury Court garden (1705), Harewood House (1844) and the delicate herbaceous borders of the early 20th century to architectural Modernist gardens and contemporary masterpieces by today’s practitioners. All types of garden are featured including the formal parterre, the cottage garden, botanical gardens, rockeries and water gardens, the romantic gardens of Sissinghurst (1948) to the Arts and Crafts garden of Wightwick Manor (1887). Organised chronologically, each garden has been selected for its historical significance and unique contribution to the development of garden design. 112 very large pages in glorious colour with directory. £17.95 NOW £9


69358 NATURAL GARDENER: The Way We


all Want to Garden by Val Bourne The author’s organic cottage garden, occupying one third of an acre in the north Cotswolds, provides the stunning photos for this year-round commentary on how to achieve a beautiful natural garden on a shoestring. A garden is a living jigsaw which has to sustain and shelter wildlife. That means focusing on certain areas at different times of the year, so that the author’s snowdrops and hellebores flower under the Bramley apple tree in February and the year ends in October with a late-flowering border. In Winter a canopy of evergreen shrubs, for instance the fragrant Viburnum and Burkwoodii, provide a dry warm place for wildlife and shield the garden from the prevailing wind. In the Spring, swathes of grass must be prepared for summer wildlife, and they can be aesthetically pleasing if they are fenced off from a neat lawn. Flowers for long grass include Campion and Wild Orchids. A water feature is a good place for a “native only” patch such as Marsh Marigold and Loosestrife, while pond vegetation is important to encourage frogs and newts. Tulips and bluebells bridge the gap between Spring and Summer, and finally the cottage border with its riot of colour and texture is a glorious Summer sensation. Autumn is the time for the jewel- box effect and the mellow fruitfulness of berries, hips and haws. 168pp,


softback, colour photos on most pages.


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