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Cookery Reviews
SynopsisFeed Me Now is a bright joyful collection of simple, straightforward and nourishing recipes that answer the day-to-day food dilemma’s of modern families.
Nowadays families come in all shapes and sizes, with or without children, young and old, some related and some not. All have a requirement in their busy lives to be fed nourishing meals, usually in a hurry. Feed Me Now covers all aspects of providing satisfying and nutritious food quickly and easily.
Chapters include ideas for quick healthy breakfasts, fast lunches, nursery teas, cookahead ideas, after-work suppers and dinners with friends. A day in the Feed Me Now family might start with rhubarb and strawberry breakfast crisps, mid-day could fuel up with an open sandwich of mushrooms, hazelnuts and goat’s cheese, the afternoon might bring a treat such as Chocolate and pistachio biscotti while friends for dinner
might enjoy slow-cooked lamb leg with anchovies and orange.
Combining fresh flavours and ingredients Bill’s recipes produce divine results every time as well as answering the need for fast, healthy food for families and their friends.
Hot Brands Verdict
Bill Granger is one of our favourites here at Hot Brands, we loved the sentiment he expresses in the introduction, ‘ When I do get a meal on the table, everything does stop and we do talk and enjoy each other … and escape. A rainy Saturday, sitting down to a surprise pasta lunch, some seasonal greens, simply dressed, and an unusual daytime glass of wine, reminds me of what life is all about.’
There are recipes for every part of the day, we loved the healthy breakfasts, delicious banana bread, blueberry tea cake, mouth-watering weekday steak with mushroom sauce, as well as delicious meals on a shoestring, and meals for entertaining. There are meals that you can cook and freeze, and of course our favourites, gorgeous desserts !
This book is full of wonderful recipes which can be achieved, however busy, or rushed you are, but as Bill emphasises, less time in the kitchen, means more time sitting and enjoying the meal, and as he says ‘Enjoy the simple magic that a beautiful meal can bring.’
Buy Feed Me Now from Amazon.co.uk
 | In the month of love, who better to invite into your kitchen than Jean-Christophe Novelli, described by The New York Times as the 'World's sexiest chef and having the ability to make women swoon with the flick of a whisk’. Whilst we would love to invite him to personally cook for us in the Hot Brands kitchen, Everyday Novelli is the next best thing. It's a gorgeous collection of mouth-watering recipes, from weekday breakfasts to dreamy weekend brunches, romantic dinners and intimate late night suppers for two. With more than 100 recipes and sumptuous full colour photographs, this is a beautiful book to treasure and take to your heart. |
BALANCE & HARMONY ASIAN FOOD - NEIL PERRYSynopsis - In Balance & Harmony, Neil Perry revels in his love for Asian cooking: the great flavours, the contrasts in tastes and textures, and the way that just about anything can be cooked with a wok and a bamboo steamer. Balance & Harmony is set out in the style of a cooking school by the Rockpool masterchef, progressing from the easiest steamed, stir-fried, braised and deep-fried dishes, to more challenging and intricate plates as you gain confidence and knowledge. In addition to the wonderful individual recipes, there are a series of banquet ideas, ranging from the simplest to the most gloriously memorable.
This beautiful book creates a feeling of balance and harmony as soon as you pick it up, the beautiful cover, the ribbon bookmark and the wonderful photography, make this a very special book. As well as everyday recipes there is a section on banquets, with the most mouth-watering recipes and sumptuous images. Neil’s approach is very straightforward, encouraging experimentation, and sharing his passion for Asian food, ‘One of the things I love most about Asian food is that it’s often designed for the shared table, and that is how I love to eat. A bowl of rice, a few dishes, some friends and family and of course, a nice glass of wine. I can’t think of a better way to spend an evening, or a lazy weekend afternoon.’
This book is a perfect excuse to relax, and bring some balance and harmony into your own life!
>> www.amazon.co.uk
RIPAILLES- STÉPHANE REYNAUDSynopsis - Acclaimed Parisian chef Stéphane Reynaud writes beautiful recipes that combine his passion for traditional French cooking with his enthusiasm for modern cuisine. His range extends from simple home cooking to more complex, intricate dishes. In Ripailles, which loosely translates into English as 'feast', Stéphane presents the very best of the French kitchen and delves into the origins of French cuisine. With a unique and delicious array of recipes, this is the most comprehensive French cooking collection you will find.
This book is like a step into France, beautifully produced with wonderful photography characterising all things French, with quirky little asides like how to make a sock toy for Fido with little drawings, or the various ways of cooking eggs, again illustrated with little drawings alongside the descriptions.
The contents are laid out in the style of a French restaurant menu, inside the front and back covers with a red and white gingham bookmark.There are literally pages and pages of recipes, of every meal imaginable in traditional French cuisine. Perfect for all lovers of France and French food
This isn’t just a tour of French cooking it is a Tour de Force!
>> www.amazon.co.uk
In the Mood For Food -Jo PrattWe featured one of Jo’s recipes in our Something for the Weekend; this is a fabulous book, an absolutely delightful collection of the most deliciously mouth-watering recipes ever!!
Set to be the cookbook for Spring In the Mood For Food is exactly what it says, whatever your mood there is a recipe to tempt you, whether you are feeling lazy, naughty, extravagant, romantic, or healthy there are sophisticated, but easy to prepare dishes that look and taste wonderful.
We were spoilt for choice, as we tried to select our favourites, but we loved the Cinnamon Eggy Bread, Sticky Citrus Twists and the Little Coconut and Raspberry Cakes. We adored the Mini Cream Slices and the Lemon Cheesecake ’muffins’.
We can’t wait to have a dinner party to show off our Roast Sea Bass with White Wine Potatoes and Vine Tomatoes and to finish
the most gorgeous Pimms Trifle. In the mood to drink? Jo says you won’t need to, there is enough in the pudding!!
In the Mood for Food is like watching re-runs of Sex and the City, naughty, indulgent, glamorous and great fun.
Highly Recommended.
Available from: www.amazon.co.uk
Here at Hot Brands we can vouch for how easy it is, after a hard day in the office Louise has been competing with our Hot Cook for the oven and has been creating the most magical bread. Our breakfasts, lunches and dinners have been transformed, we now have bread baskets full of the most sumptuous treats; Bertinet’s signature baguettes, delicious puff balls with a salad peeking through, or the amazingly simple, but beautiful fougasse. We can’t wait to try the tomato, garlic and basil bread, or the apricot and almond tart. Packed with mouth watering recipes, and full of evocative beautiful photographs by Jean Cazals , the book is an art form in itself. 
What we love about this book is that it really does do what it says on the cover, after years of experimenting with making bread, the smile on Louise’s face says it all “I did it!” Buy it and you will never want to buy a supermarket loaf again!!
“Dough” by Richard Bertinet (Kyle Cathie, £15.99) with photography by Jean Cazals available from:
www.kylecathie.com
WATCH THIS SPACE
Louise is going on a Bertinet Bread Baking Course in June, she will put a review on the website and we will all be enjoying the delicious bread she will be making!
Synopsis : From Barra to Brora in 120 recipes
Sue Lawrence writes regularly and with a passion about Scotland, she is also an accomplished cook, winning Masterchef in 1991. This book combines her twin passions; Scotland and good food. A Cook’s Tour of Scotland, contains over 120 delicious recipes, but this is no ordinary cook book, woven around the recipes are wonderful descriptions and fascinating insights into the people and the local produce of Scotland.
Hot Brands Verdict
From Jim McFarlane’s Crab Sandwich to Meg McMillan’s shortbread this is a delightful book full of local character (and characters). Sue has travelled throughout Scotland, sampling the delights from different parts of the country.
The recipes range from the traditional “Proper Porridge” “Haggis and Clouties” to the wonderful “Brora Raspberry Jam” and “Shortbread Toffee Crumble Ice Cream Bars” which Sue describes as being “so good I can hardly bear to share it with you”
It’s a celebration of the best of Scottish produce that will make ex-pats homesick and surely boost the tourist trade with dedicated foodies wanting to explore Scotland’s culinary delights. Highly recommended for all lovers of Scotland and its food.
Available from: www.amazon.co.uk
Hot Brands Verdict :This is definitely a favourite here at Hot Brands, opening it is like stepping inside Gino’s home, it is welcoming, sexy and a lot of fun. It is less like a cookbook and more like an intimate conversation with a man who adores Italian food. As well as being packed full with wonderful mouth-watering recipes, there are Gino’s personal notes attached to every recipe. If you have watched him on television, you will have already been charmed, but this book really demonstrates his passion for food, he believes that there is a chef in all of us. The secret is buying good ingredients, keeping it simple and most importantly being in the mood. One of his rules, which we love is “If you are not in a good mood, don’t attempt to cook…get a take-away!” This fabulous collection includes traditional Italian dishes as well as modern dishes and his own recipes. We loved the Italian-style Spring Rolls, The Italian Shepherd’s Pie, and the Leek, Potato and Rocket Soup. For desserts he includes the delicious Fresh Blackberry and Prosecco Jelly, Strawberry, Pistachio and Ricotta Soufflé and our personal favourite Zabaglione, one of the sexiest Italian desserts.
He also shares his rules, tips and secrets including the importance of not including too many strong flavours in a dish, a man after our own heart. His final quote made us smile, “Italian food is like Italian men, minimum effort, maximum satisfaction. Fantastico!” Based on our experiences in Venice, we have to agree!
Available from:
>> www.amazon.co.uk
Be at the top of the queue for this great new book. Hot Brands Verdict
Maze is one of the most exciting and original restaurants to open in London in recent years and one of the reasons is the talented Head Chef, Jason Atherton. Focusing on quality ingredients, imaginative flavour combinations and simple presentation, the food is delivered in small portions, enabling the customer to savour a variety of dishes in a single meal. Maze, the cookbook gives everyone the opportunity to cook the Maze way, but it is much more than just a collection of the restaurant’s best recipes. Jason presents his favourite dishes as they would be served in a restaurant, then after each of these, he provides two more recipes based on the same core ingredients, or flavourings which can easily be cooked for everyday meals.
This is an ingenious cookbook, packed with mouthwatering meals and sumptuous photographs. The innovative recipes coupled with Jason’s personal notes allows everyone to experiment with the Maze approach to cooking. If you are a lover of fine food you will adore this book, but as well as the more exotic recipes there is also an original take on some more basic meals, such as a way of making perfect scrambled egg. His main dishes are exquisite, and we could easily spend a month working through his sublime sweet collection, which is out of this world. Add in a selection of cocktails and a guide to basics, and you have a cookbook to treasure and enjoy, for many years to come.
>> www.amazon.co.uk
Hot Brands Verdict
We've always been great fans of Jamie Oliver here at Hot Brands, but this book we think is one of his best. Tied in with the Channel 4 TV programme that we've been recommending, if you haven't caught up with the series, or the book, now is a perfect time to do so. Jamie at Home contains over 100 new recipes, broken down by ingredient and season. Given this week's theme of Spring and Gardens there are also some great simple gardening tips, and as Jamie says you don't have to have a garden to grow things he started out with a few pots of herbs on his window sill in London. What we also really like about this book is that it is so natural, with a sub-title of Cook Your Way to the Good Life, this is Jamie getting down and dirty and sharing his love affair with how he cooks and grows things in his garden. The book is like an ongoing conversation with him as he explains in really simple terms how to cook the most delicious meals and to grow different vegetables.
It is full of the most beautiful photographs, some taken at ground level, where you feel you are in the garden with him.
HIs recipes cover every season and range from easy breakfasts to filling dinner menus, but all wholesome and easy to achieve. His Tray baked meringue with pears, cream, toasted hazelnuts and chocolate sauce, is out of this world and one of the most inspired ways of cooking meringue we have ever seen and we loved his recipe for a delicious Superb Squash soup with the best Parmesan croutons.
At the back of the book there is some useful information about different varieties of vegetables and to complete the wholesomeness of this book, the paper used to make it comes from sustainable managed forests. Home is where the heart is, and we've taken this book to ours.
>> www.amazon.co.uk
Page 9 of 12
Spotlight on Homes & Gardens
 Primrose & PlumWe believe a home is put together with love. It’s not the walls that surround us but the people in it and the personal treasures we’ve collected along the way... |
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Spotlight on Pure Luxury
 In the Linen Cupboard“Treat yourself to pure luxury and indulgence” Jane took over the company three years ago and has changed the concept making it into a top quality online retail shop with extremely exclusive luxurious “beautifully British” linens. |
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