Books for Christmas

When we were kids, we could always guarantee at least one book token from a relative at Christmas; easy to post, not much imagination required, no chocolate overdose guilt associations and the feel good factor that literary ambitions were being kindled.
On Christmas morning we were dutifully grateful but hardly thrilled - no instant gratification here!
But the joy of rifling through the shelves of the local book shop, choosing first one and then another, before settling on a final choice and handing over our token was worth the wait.

But if you, unlike a geographically distant relative, know the recipient well, then a carefully chosen book will light up their Christmas as much as the fairy lights and candles.

Food writing, as much as fiction, has a unique date stamp and continues to evolve.  The plethora of titles published annually is mind boggling and they range from the sublime to the ridiculous.  I am not going to single out any one book for nomination to the latter category, but I will not forgive anyone who gives me a book that promotes "wellness", weight loss or meals that take less than 15 minutes to prepare.

But I am prepared to share a selection of books that we not only admire, but actually use!

Disclaimer: several, but not all, of these have pictures of Netherton cookware between the covers.  That is because the authors own the cookware, the sole commercial transaction was the sale of the pan!

This list is not exhaustive, apologies to all the wonderful books that are not listed here, some of them are on my Dear Santa list.  If you have a favourite and would like us to publish your review, please send it over to us.

FROM THE OVEN TO THE TABLE

From the queen of food writing, Diana Henry, and yes, of course we are doubly biased, as not only are there photos of prospector and frying pans throughout the book, there is a 12" prospector pan on the beautifully photographed cover too.
But that aside, this is still a stunner  - making simple spectacular.  This is a collection of deeply flavourful recipes, all created as simple to make, "bung in the oven" dishes.  Our kind of cooking, especially at this busiest time of year.
Buy it here

THE BURGER BOOK and CHARRED

By DJ BBQ, aka Christian Stephenson and Genevieve Taylor respectively.

Warm yourselves with thoughts of bonfires and barbeques and settle down with a hot toddy and these two to plan your outdoor cooking adventures. The king and queen of fire cooking, this pair will have you reaching for the charcoal and itching to get outside and cooking with smoke and flames.
The Burger Book is available here
Charred can be bought here

  COCOA and SOUR

  

Two single word titles, that cover not only recipes but history, geography, politics, philosophy; quite simply engaging, informative and eloquently written
Sour, the magical element that will transform your cooking, by Mark Diacono
Cocoa by Sue Quinn, reviewed here by Nigella Lawson

We love these and, naturally, a combination of sweet and sour makes for a beautifully balanced culinary combination.  So we recommend that you head here and here and get both of them.

ZAIKA

A debut book from a talented chef, Romy Gill, sounding like it should be a minority interest book, but is, in fact, one for everyone. (Alright, I know that there are millions of vegans and vegetarians on the Indian sub continent, but I was thinking closer to home .  Ignore the fact that these are vegan recipes, although it will be a handy present for anyone heading into Veganuary after the festivities, Zaika is full of truly scrumptious dishes that just happen to have no animal products in them. Simply sublime.

SUPERPULSES

Jenny Chandler's pocket sized book for all things legume, is another handy book for those embracing a more plant based diet, although this is not exclusively a vegetarian book.  Sunshine bright dishes such as Smoked haddock, spinach and curried lentils goes a long way to dispel the lentil's reputation for boring. brown sludge.

Currently on offer at less than £7.00, this would make a great stocking filler or secret Santa gift.

GREENFEAST

Spring, Summer and Autumn, Winter

I am sure there is a law somewhere that says that Nigel Slater books should be on everyone's Christmas list and this year there are two to choose (I should say to choose from, but don't be selective;just ask Santa very nicely for both of them, after all they are a matching pair)  These two books, which encapsulate Nigel's increasingly plant focussed eating are an absolute treat.  Minimal ingredients, maximum flavour and in many case, no more than a mere modicum of effort to produce appetite satisfying and compliment inducing meals.
Spring Summer
Autumn Winter

NEW KITCHEN BASICS

In fact this is more like a New Kitchen Bible, reworking classic dishes for a new generation and for all of us with jaded palates and too ready a reliance on the same old, same old dishes we can knock out without thinking.

A re-setting of kitchen standards and ideal for everyone.

Nigella is also a fan of this book

Buy it, you won't regret it.

Here are some more ideas from food writer Nic Miller and of course, all the broadsheet papers and food magazines will have their own suggestions.
And Ed Smith throws his ideas into the ring here.

We have included links to places where you can buy these books, but would urge you first to head to your nearest, independent book shop and spend your money there and get that same tingle and frisson that we enjoyed spending our childhood book tokens.
Our favourite Shropshire book shops are Burway Books in beautiful Church Stretton, and Pengwern Books in the heart of historic Shrewsbury.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2019 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Chicken in gin and lemon

Inspiration for recipes can come from many places; travel, eating out, family recipes passed down and given a modern makeover.
Necessity can truly become the mother of invention and many a recipe is the happy result of a fridge forage or larder raid.
And of course, other people's recipes.  I am not talk plagiarism, just a mental nudge in a new direction.  
What stuck in my mind, when I went on a writing course with Diana Henry at Otter Farm earlier this year, was her telling us that to write well, you must read well.
And so I choose my recipe books with care. I do not simply want a compendium of recipes, I want to share the author's love of food, immerse myself in their writing, catch a glimpse of what makes them tick, savour their words as much as their food.
To me, food is about sharing.  It is, as Nigella Lawson says, more than just fuel and the best food writers want to share their passion as well as their recipes.
And it is back to Nigella that I come for the inspiration for this recipe.  To the astonishment of most of us and believed only through a leap of faith and trying it ourselves, her ham in cola is a wondrous thing.  My second inspiration is Valentine Warner and his friends at Hepple gin, a most glorious elixir from Northumberland.  If you get any opportunity to try this, seize it with both hands and savour it.
This recipe was created with Hepple in mind, although sadly I didn't have any to hand, so in this instance I have substituted Bols genever instead.  Believe me, any gin will do.

2 chicken breasts
200ml good quality, cloudy lemonade or bitter lemon
1tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp juniper berries, lightly crushed
1 tsp salt
1 large sprig hyssop or thyme
1 tot of gin
100g butter


Place everything except the butter in a prospector casserole or a frying pan with a lid.

Place on the hob and bring to the boil over a medium heat.  Turn down the heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
Carefully lift out the chicken and set aside.
Remove the twiggy herb stalks from the pan and add the butter. Bring it up to the boil and cook until glossy and sticky.

Slice the chicken and lay it on a bed of steamed shredded cabbage.
Pour over the sauce and serve.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2017 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk