Christmas Gift Ideas - The Foodie

This is often a great way to go if you have to buy a present for a boy you don’t know that well or who doesn’t want much (brother-in-law’s spring to mind). Or as a house gift if you are going to stay with someone - I find booze is always a happily received house-gift. Thanks for the help Bree!

• Gin – If you know someone likes a gin and tonic then not only is this a great present for Christmas but it’s a very good house gift if you are going to stay with them. Blackwoods vintage dry gin or Twisted Nose Gin – from Winchester so I'm in favour of this one - are both firm favourites with my gin swilling husband.

• Ottolenghi - For the London based foodie these vouchers are great and can be used at any Ottolenghi branch (not NOPI) -

• Wine Tasting – Vinopolis is always a good bet. 

• Cheese Tasting or Making - for those other cheese fiends. Neals Yard Cheese does cheese making and whole lot of different cheese tasting courses worth looking into. 

• Butchery Course – the Ginger Pig is my one of choice

• Lemon/Lime Squeezer – takes up space for the non-foodie, is a vital piece of kitchen equipment for the keen cook

• Wine Thermometer Sleeve – for the man who has everything but only £5.99 so a great stocking filler

• Bacon Delivery - doesn't really need explaining. It's bacon. Delivered 

Spooning with Rosie

Those of you who venture to Brixton in South London may have been to Rosie's Deli Cafe in Brixton Market. It is not only full of yummy food and drinks but the atmosphere is so friendly, retro and relaxed I defy anyone not to love it and the owner, Rosie Lovell is at the forefront of up and coming new cookery writers and chefs. Move over Jamie there's a new gal in town.

But fear not, for those of you not able to trek to Brixton help is at hand - Rosie's written a book. Spooning with Rosie is filled with great recipes, cool photos and great cooking tips drawn and written by Rosie's own fair hand. From the snacks (Aubergine and Salami Stacks, Dom's Marital Potato Salad, Raf's Lettuce Soup) to hearty main courses (Pumpkin and Gorgonzola Lasagna, Roasted Salmon and Fennel pate and Puff Pastry Pie) and perfect puds (Rhubarb and Whiskey Fool, Baked Amaretti and Goat's Cheesecake) this cook book is fresh and new and has every eventuality covered.

What I love about this book is that it's punctuated with her own hand drawn tips - Munching Maps which show you what works well with something in particular i.e. Shellfish has cream, lemon and lime, garlic and fennel. There's also a list of store cupboard essentials and Rosie's own hot tips: where to find good, inexpensive china, how to get rid of fishy hands and tea stains and what the best soother for a streaming cold is.

This is the least intimidating cook book I've seen in years - so fun just to look at you can't help but want to try out some of the recipes - and it's so beautifully put together you'll want it on your shelf. Whether you want something light and yummy for a summer picnic or something warm and soothing for when the rain comes this has it covered and will inspire you to get back in the kitchen. It's a crime against your kitchen not to have this book xx

(Spooning with Rosie is published by 4th Estate)

The Best Macaroni Cheese

Now they wouldn't let me have a review copy of Nigella Christmas: Food, Family, Friends, Festivities (boo sucks to them) but the Mumma has it and I needed something veggie to cook for New Year's Eve that was easy and could be made non veggie if necessary. I decided on macaroni cheese with crispy bacon bits on the side, but which recipe? Mumma suggested Nigella's and I have to say it was not only the best macaroni cheese recipe I think I've ever tried (really cheesy) but it was also the simplest recipe I've ever followed. I haven't had a chance to properly look at the rest of the book and I have heard some complaints that 50% of the recipes in this book can be found in her others but I would definitely say it's worth a look just for this recipe alone. It may be simple but to get it a macaroni cheese recipe tasty and right it's worth knowing about. I can't wait to try out the other recipes xx

Leon

I know I always say this and maybe it’s just because I love cookbooks so much but the Leon: Ingredients and Recipes book written by Allegra McEvedy (award-winning chef and cookery writer) is really beautiful. Its lovely just to look at and feel and flick through but it also contains some useful foody information and delicious recipes. Leon has revolutionised fast food as we know it. Not only are the restaurants friendly and relaxing but the food combines the two fundamental Leon principles; tastes good and does you good.

It’s split into two halves; Ingredients and food info on the front teaching you about the basic building blocks of cooking, and the recipes in the back. But that’s not it in the middle there is a tear out Seasonality Chart telling you what’s in season when and some cool Leon stickers in the back. My only problem with this book is that the type and page layout can sometimes be a bit small, jumbled and off putting. I don’t think this will actually cause anyone any problems; it just seems a little daunting when you are flicking through. However, this is a cookbook that you really want to read. There is even a buying guide (what to look for) and a directory for where to get things in the back.

It’s really wonderful to see really original recipes not just the revamped standards which you can find filling an apparently new cookbook (not that I’m completely adverse to revamped old style recipes!). What I love is the simplicity of the recipes – there is no pretension here you feel that you can do this, that you are about to embark upon a recipe that a friend has passed on on a scrap of paper with the advice that it’s ‘really easy’. A great example of this is the Hummus recipe. How many of these have we seen? Hundreds and they are all slightly different. This one takes up a ¼ of a page and uses the standard ingredients. Nice and simple and enables you to go off on your own tangent if you are that way inclined. All too often now recipes have been fiddled about with so much you feel that you have to stick to exactly what’s on the page. For those of you who like a more structured adventurousness there is Roasted Garlic and Pumpkin Hummus just below!

One of the great and most useful sections at this time of year is the section on soups. We are all feeling the crunch and the cold and there is nothing better for your wallet, lurgy and soul than a nice home-made soup. You can make it on Sunday night and take it to work for lunch during the week and feel full and soothed as a result. They are divided into seasons so you know what’s available when although in this day and age you can get most things at just about any time of year its often more rewarding to be using the right ingredients for the season – it often leads to a surprisingly more adventurous life in the kitchen too. Their Tom (Really) Yum Soup (in the spring section) can be frozen so is a perfect lunch treat. The picture of it is mouth watering. But the soup that I’ll be making asap (I’m suffering with the work cold at the moment) is the Good Soup for a Bad Day which is basically a chicken, pearl barley, mushroom and tarragon soup – you almost start feeling better just looking at it!

Leon: Ingredients and Recipes is a riot of colour and pictures, put together by friends and family you feel like you being let in to an inner circle, and being shown the tricks and secrets they use in the kitchen. Whether you are making the Love Me Tender Ribs, Fred’s Millennium Octopus or simply a Chocolate Milkshake this book instills confidence and enthusiasm. A perfect present for any foody or fan of the shops, even if you are only going to treat yourself to one cookbook this year let it be this one xx
Leon: Ingredients and Recipes (£20) is published by Conran Octopus.

Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer

The Gentle Art of Domesticity is an incredibly original and beautiful book. Ideas like that are not two a penny so I kind of assumed that Jane Brocket had found her niche and would stay in that area. But I was wrong Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer: A Golden Treasury of Classic Treats is not only completely different but is such an original idea I wondered how it hadn't been done before. This is the perfect book for mothers with young children, young children themselves, or indeed anyone who loved Enid Blyton and long for life to be picnics with tartan blankets and lashings of Ginger Beer.

'A wonderfully nostalgic cookery book, it will take you straight back to your favourite children's books and show you how to cook the feel-good foods that feature so strongly in them. So you'll find recipes for Milly Molly Mandy's Treacle Tart, a Swallows and Amazons Boat Breakfast, the Famous Five Fruit Cake and St Clare's Eclairs amongst others'.

Not only is this a nostalgic treat for adults it will inspire children to read and take an interest in food and cooking. I'm desperate to try Mrs Persimmon's Crumpets, Jeremy and Jemima's More-Jam-Than-Puff Jam Puffs and the Gorgeous Ginger Beer. Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer is guaranteed to bring out the old school domestic goddess in you, and make you very popular with your friends!! xx

Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer: A Golden Treasury of Classic Treats is published by Hodder and Stoughton

The Kitchen Revolution

Right - it is finally here. The perfect cook book for everyone. Whether you are terrified of cooking or a cooking goddess who just have too much on to pore over hundreds of recipes The Kitchen Revolution: A Year of Time-and-money-saving Recipes by Rosie Sykes, Polly Russell and Zoe Heron is 'a foolproof way to get fabulous food on the table, save money and reduce waste'. It not only offers over 300 fantastic recipes but gives you a complete system for daily cooking with weekly menus, shopping lists, recipes for using leftovers and freezing things in advance and is based on feeding four people for £50-£60 a week.

Devised by three friends - Rosie Sykes the Guardian's Kitchen Doctor and has worked in the kitchens of some of the UK's greatest chefs she now runs the cooking at the Olde Bell Inn, Hurley. Polly Russell is taking a PhD research on food and the politics of identity, has cooked in restaurants and is currently working as a Content Specialist at the British Library. Zoe Heron is the muse for this book. An award-winning documentary producer, whose ineptitude in the kitchen inspired Rosie and Polly to create The Kitchen Revolution. She helped to develop the recipes and changed her culinary life. These three busy women have developed 'The System' a way to make every bit of cooking easier - from deciding what to cook, to actually doing the shopping, to making the most of your ingredients, fridge and freezer whilst minimising waste.

So what's The System? 'A way to plan the week's meals to allow for lazy days as well as cooking days, to cut down on the work in the kitchen and to make the most of seasonal food'. The best thing is that it's totally flexible - even though the monthly format can seem quite restrictive this in fact just helps you see what's available and in season. The meals are divided up so that every week you cook one 'big meal from scratch' the most labour intensive meal, two 'something from nothing' meals using up the leftovers in an appetising way, one 'seasonal supper' quick, simple and fresh, one 'larder feast' made primarily from store cupboard ingredients on those bare=fridge days, one 'two for one' comforting and dependable you eat half and freeze half and one 'lazy day supper' a 'defrosted two for one'. It's The System where Zoe comes into her own she is the one 'living the system' which she did for a year so that it's perfectly tweaked and adapted. She says its 'transformed her life in the kitchen'.

I could rave about the wonderful intricacies of this book for hours (their basics section sent me into a nesting frenzy) but The System just wouldn't work if you don't like the recipes. And these recipes are fabulous. Not only is there something for everyone but there are perfect balances of meals throughout the week. Having sat a dribbled my way through this entire book I've already picked out a few that I'm going to try asap. Hoisin Chicken Wraps with Noodle Salad (a Something for Nothing recipe from July's week 2), Vietnamese Beef Salad (another Something from Nothing) and Smoked Mussel Spaghetti (one of Octobers Larder Feasts). Even traditional dishes such as Roast Beef get a mouth watering twist to Roast Beef with a Pepper crust, Garlic New Potatoes and Green Bean and Red Onion Salad (July week 3's Big Meal from Scratch).

From the traditional to the exotic this is the most user friendly exciting cookbook I've seen for sometime. Everything about it is new and exciting and I challenge anyone to be disappointed. xx

The Kitchen Revolution: A Year of Time-and-money-saving Recipes is published by Ebury Press

Taking Action

Right. That's it! I've had enough of my unattractive muffin tops and spare tyre. It has got to go. So, on the advice of the wonderful Miss W personal trainer and general health wonder I'm taking two weeks off carbs. Two whole weeks with no pasta, bread, rice even fruit juice! It sounds like torture but apparently I will see the results and it will all be worth it. It better be. If I see anymore four year old photos of me looking thinner, blonde and fabulous I'll explode!

So what did I do this morning? I had a bagel for my breakfast. It's our anniversary on Friday and then we are spending the weekend with my parents. I can't see myself going carb free for anniversary supper or missing out of any of The Mumma's cooking so the diet starts Monday. So this morning I thought I would indulge myself (and my hang over) with one last breakfast treat (Oi Bagel is the bane of my life!). I'll keep you posted on how the torture is going xx

P.S I would like to point out that this is not a healthy diet. You do need carbs and by missing them out completely you do sacrifice a balanced diet. Fruit for instance is a no go on the no carbs diet, hence why I am only doing this for two weeks and will then be back on the health kick. xx

A Table in the Tarn

A Table in the Tarn: Living, Eating and Cooking in South-west France is not your normal cookbook. It reads like a cross between Grand Designs and A Year in Provence it is the story of Living, Eating and Cooking South-west France. From the first page you are longing to visit the beautiful Manoir in Raynauds if not find your own dilapidated farmhouse and do your own renovation. Written by Orlando Murin who packed in his job as editor of BBC Good Food to start his glorious B&B with his partner Peter Steggall, A Table in the Tarn is filled with beautiful photographs and the gorgeous recipes. Rather than throwing you straight into the recipes this book takes you through the whole process from finding the Manoir to renovating it and introduces you to the cast of characters featured throughout the book. Written with great humour and flair this is a book that you will want to sit down and read like a novel.

With fantastic recipes from herb omelette's stuffed with ricotta and mushroom and onion marmalade tartlets, to fillet of Dover sole in horseradish sauce and twice-baked garlic souffles. The main courses including crisp roast duck with olives, spiced pork belly with onion confit and saddle of lamb stuffed with Agen prunes and rosemary will really get your juices going. And to top it all off there's dark and deadly chocolate mousse, peach-almond crumble and apple-cinnamon crostata. This is the perfect present for any foodies and those who dream of escaping to sunnier climes xx

A Year in My Kitchen

A Year in my Kitchen by Skye Gyngell has just been published in paperback by Quadrille. The hardcover (which is what I have) was the winner of the 'Cookery Book of the Year' at the Guild of Food Writers Awards 2007. It really is beautiful, the photography by Jason Lowe is fantastic, but I'm not sure it will be that easy to cook from - it is so beautifully produced that I doubt you would want it anywhere near your kitchen for fear of grubbing it up. Maybe best to be extravagant and get the hardback for the coffee table and the paperback for the kitchen.

The best bit is the 'toolbox' at the beginning which Gyngell describes as 'the nuts and bolts' of her cooking and it's a really useful reference for everything from herbs and lemon zest to tea-smoking and roasted spice mix. This is great for referencing but also for those flash moments (and please tell me I'm not the only one) of stupidity in the kitchen when you just can't work out how something is supposed to be used.

Although I did a Cordon Bleu cookery course (at the Tante Marie school of Cookery) I am an incredibly fussy eater and this book is pretty taste specific. The emphasis throughout is on flavour and the best use of seasonal foods - which, like the fantastic The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen by Nigel Slater, means that if you are having a complete blank on what to cook you can dip in to the appropriate season and see what could be cooking in Gyngell's kitchen. Spring brings 'Broad beans with mint, ricotta and crisp Parma Ham', for summer 'tea smoked fillet of wild salmon with pickled cucumber salad, autumn has it's own coleslaw whilst winter holds 'pan fried scallops with horseradish cream and winter leaves'. Sound tasty? then this is the book for you. And whilst these may sound quite showy and complicated this is one of the calmest cookery books I've read (probably helped by the aforementioned fantastic photography).

This is the perfect present for any foody - an really great treat to yourself. xx

Congratulations

I would like to congratulate Mrs Y on the long awaited arrival of her baby. She had a beautiful boy born at home on Sunday afternoon.

Right back to the more usual business of the day. Cheryl Cole has been badmouthing nearly everyone in the music business. I have to say that I think both Amy Winehouse and Charlotte Church, her two most recent targets, can both out sing any of girls aloud. Amy may have her drunken moments (OK more than a few) but she is truly original compared to a lot of what's out there at the moment. Mrs Fielder-Civil has other things to worry about this week her (loser) husband has been arrested for trying to bribe the victim in his ongoing assault case. Amy has been described as 'distraught' and this just seems to be just one more thing that is detracting from her talent.

And just when you were thinking that Britney might have actually kept out of the papers for once she has been snapped running a red light whilst looking at her phone with her kids in the back. Presumably the child welfare person was in the passenger seat so god knows what she must have been thinking. However, having watched a programme on Thursday (annoyingly the name escapes me) I do feel incredibly sorry for her. She is constantly surrounded by photographers. All the time. And the paps excuse? She knows their names and knows who they are so that makes it OK. I have no doubt that they help her career and she acts up for them but that in no way means she should have her every single move followed. No wonder she is [allegedly] going loopy.

OK and now to nicer things. For those of you who want to be creative with your presents this year or for those who, like me, use Christmas as an excuse to eat as much as possible Mumma B's Pepparkakor are a great present... or a great treat for you! They are a Swedish Christmas biscuit which are yummy plain or decorated. This recipe makes hundreds but you can freeze the dough so you can make them as you need them.

• 250g butter
• 300g sugar
• 1tbsp syrup
• 1 dessert spoon ground ginger
• 1 desert spoon ground gloves
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 3 cardamon seeds ground
• 1 egg
• 500g plain flour
• 1tbsp bicarbonate of soda

Melt the butter into a saucepan. Add the sugar, syrup and spices. Let it cool - it can be luke-warm but you don't want it to cook the eggs. Then add the eggs, flour and bicarbonate of soda. Let the dough firm in the fridge, roll onto a floured surface and cut into thin shapes (I love using star cutters). Bake in an oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about ten minutes and then leave to cool.

If you want to decorate them then you can mix up some icing and use silver sugar balls as decoration. Red, green and white are great festive icing colours. For all those ginger biscuit fans out there, these are going to the next level. xx