If you are looking to bring a bit of a traditional country feel into your kitchen then The Essential Cook’s Kitchen can help. Covering topics such as curing, bottling, cheesemaking, cakes, breads, and pastry the author hopes to help you adapt country cooking to fit your lifestyle.

Using modern technology, and old-fashioned techniques, the author brings you country cooking joy. Simple, hearty, thrifty, honest food is how the author describes it. And that is exactly what you get.

The basic chapters covered are:

Baking
Dairy
Preserving
Bottling & Liqueurs
Curing & Potting

Each section includes detailed information regarding ingredients, equipment, techniques and other information you will need to proceed. The recipes for each chapter begin with the basics and work their way up from there.

Many of the basic recipes include step-by-step photos to help you along the way. The rest of the recipes include full color photos, most of them full page as well.

Perfect Encyclopedia Of Country Cooking

This is the kind of cookbook that you will refer to again and again. It has excellent references from which you can build a more extensive repertoire.

It covers a wide variety of recipes, from simple to complex, something for every occasion. There aren’t a lot of surprises in the recipes offered, the beauty is in the level of detail in helping you create them.

Taken in order, the recipes increase in difficulty, until you have the skills needed to complete the more complex creations. Start with jams, try some chutney, then move on to pickling!

I particularly liked how the author included bottling instructions after the preserves recipes. I have always been a little intimidated by the “canning“ process, and feel a little bit more confident now.

In all, this is an excellent resource and would make a terrific gift as well. Beautifully presented and full of information that even an experienced country cook would refer to often.

See the full review and the recipe for Basil Oil at The RecipesNow! Reviews And Recipes Magazine. This review is written in response to a complimentary hard copy of the book provided by the publisher in hopes of an honest review.

I was given an ebook copy to review from NetGalley.

I enjoyed reading this book and really like the take by the author of food more simple and to use things that you can grow or harvest.
The pictures are outstanding as well.
I like the categories the author broke the book into from bread to cheeses, to preserving.
It's a lovely book I would recommend whole heartedly.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this gorgeous arc. This was wonderful! The instructions are clear, the photography beautiful and clean, and the recipes delectable. I thought the bread and cheese making sections were particularly interesting and approachable, but then those are the types of home cooking I have most experience with personally. I am inspired to get some new jar tops and make my own chutney. I also loved the clear and concise instructions for making butter with a stand mixer. I had never considered doing it, and I think now I might try it this week! This is a great addition to any home cook’s library, but especially for cooks like me who are largely self-taught but appreciative of classic homey cooking of the past and/or rural life. All measurements are in imperial and metric, though some ingredients might be tougher to source (or go by alternate names) in the US,

A comprehensive guide to basic cooking techniques including baking bread and cakes, curing meats, making yogurt, cheese & ice cream, bottling liqueurs & cordials, preserving jams and pickling. The recipes are simple and straight forward, there are lots of helpful techniques and there is detailed information on ingredients and equipment.

One thing to note, the book is aimed at a British audience so American cooks will need to familiarize themselves with the measurements and terminology. As someone obsessed with the Great British Baking Show, this book is perfect for learning more about their food and methods!

Thank you Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Jacqui Small for an advanced copy of this book.

This is a fabulous cookbook for someone who likes to really delve into making everything from scratch. Things like cream, butter, cheese and preserving and curing. The directions are precise and the pictures are beautiful. The recipes to use the finished products in are fairly simple and again the pictures make you want to make them and eat them.

This is a basic book,with basic recipes. There are great tips on how to do basic stuff. If you are starting out in cooking or want to know the basics, this is the book you have to buy. I got a lot of new tips from this. The recipes are so amazing as well. Would certainly recommend this one. Something needed for every food lover.

Very I formative and essential for everything cook out there. There are a few items that I didn't knew about, and some I knew but had no idea for what they are used. I'm thanking the publisher for the free copy and the change to read this useful book.

What a delight this book turned out to be! When I first glanced through it my initial impression was that there were too many chapters of very varied kitchen skills. However, on a more careful reading of the book, I was thrilled by the range and depth of information provided. This was “real food” at it’s best, with traditional skills at the forefront. I wish there were more books like it!

The chapters cover baking, dairy, preserving, bottling, curing and potting. Within those chapters are recipes for making bread, cakes and pastry, sweets, making butter and soft cheeses, jams jellies and chutneys, to name a few.

I really appreciated the format of each chapter – with beautiful photographs and very clear instructions which would be useful for both novice and confident cooks. The introductions with information on ingredients, equipment and specific skills/ methods were excellent. For example, the section on Pastry includes basic recipes for shortcrust, suet, flaky and hot water crust pastry. Good photographs showing the various steps for making the pastry are included. They are followed by one or two recipes using each of the pastries.

I’ve bookmarked so many recipes to try that there are too many to mention here – that for me is the mark of a book that I would certainly want to have on my bookshelf in the kitchen.

A great book for new cooks who are looking for information or experienced cooks looking for new ideas. It would make an excellent wedding gift. I have tried a few of the recipes and tagged many more to try. Excellent results have convinced my family that this book is a keeper!

This is a fab gift for anyone who wants to get into cooking. It lays out in simple but not patronising detail all you need to know about starting cooking from the different types of pastry and how to make them to how to make all the basic recipes you need to know. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned so much from it. It is wonderfully illustrated and easy to understand and follow.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Jacqui Small LLP for my unbiased opinion of the book. I loved this hearty cookbook with its rustic organic old-world recipes. I loved everything I tried, and I cannot wait to bake, cook, pot, and terrine my way through this book. You will love the Cheese and Cayenne Breadsticks, Steak and Mushroom Pudding, and Vanilla and Raspberry Swiss Roll. This book does not disappoint and will become one of my go-to cookbooks from now on!

Invaluable book describing culinary techniques in an understandable way. A must for every kitchen shelf. Recommended.

This book is great and has wonderful pictures. It has five sections which are Baking; Dairy; Preserving; Bottling& liqueurs and Curing and potting. Contains many incredibly helpful tips and techniques for both cooking and kitchen, that every cook or baker would benefit from as well as a collection of both basic and creative recipes.

Wonderful! This is a fantastic book. There are many things to learn and great photos. It has everything for sure that is essential for the cook's kitchen. I recommend it for all kitchens. A fantastic variety of information and recipes are included -- all the things you need are right here!

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THE ESSENTIAL COOK’s KITCHEN offers instruction in a gorgeously photographed book on a number of key culinary skills — from breadmaking and dairy to preserving and curing. Also covers cooking technique, ingredients, and equipment, as well as delicious recipes. Highly recommended for any cook!

Grateful to the Quarto Publishing Group - Jacqui Small and NetGalley for the early copy, in exchange for my true review.

#TheEssentialCook'sKitchen #NetGalley

The Essential Cooks Kitchen is a great book full of country cooking ideas from baking breads and cakes to preserving and pickling. There is plenty to glean from this book, so if you like to bake from scratch, want to make your own butter or clotted cream, find out how to make marmalade or have a crack at making your own sausages, then this book covers it all.

The book starts with a small introduction and is then split into five main chapters: Baking, Dairy, Preserving, Bottling & Liqueurs and Curing & Potting. Each chapter is then split down further and contains an explanation at the start of a section with hints and tips on techniques and equipment required.

The Baking chapter is split into bread, pastry, cakes and sweets. It explains how to make basics before giving recipes that use it. Dairy explains how to make your own Butter, Cream & Yoghurt, Soft Cheeses and Ice Cream & Sorbets. Preserving explains how to use your glut of fruit and vegetables turning them into different Marmalades, Jams & Jellies, Chutney and Pickling.

Bottling & Liqueurs is reviving the age old methods of bottling, which is different to preserving fruit (which is mostly set) whereas bottling is more keeping the fruit in its original state whilst preserving it. Liqueurs and Cordials provides details on how to turn delicious fruit into drinks, either for your pantry or to be given as a gift. Curing & Potting finally explains the methods of Salting, Cold Smoking, Making Sausages and Terrains & Pâtés.

The whole book is full of colour photography and each recipe and method is easy to follow. I've picked up quite a few tips from this book and would certainly recommend it. I always thought making clotted cream would be difficult, but after reading this I see its not and now have a way to ensure my homemade ice cream is smoother when I make it by hand.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

Delicious, warm, and deceptively simple, like a good English scone. Lots of full-color photos and detailed instructions for each recipe. American cooks, be forewarned: this cookbook is British, so weights and measures are listed in grams, but most have equivalent ounces, and the temperatures are listed in C/F.

Well, toss this onto my list of books I need in print form for my kitchen! Clear recipes, beautiful photos (seriously this book is loaded with photos) and a way of explaining pastry dough that actually made sense to me is a definite win. Plus the recipes are delicious looking (especially the Lavender and Lemon Madeira cake, holy moly! Plus it has instructions on how to make clotted cream, something that in the states is obnoxiously hard to find and you pretty much have to go to a specialty store...boo! This book is delightful and I am so glad I read it!!

Anyone that has serious interested in food and cooking should have this book. This is not about food on the table in 5 mins, this is about slow cooking.
It is the love for your ingredients, the gentle act of producing food and the pride of sharing a meal made with tenderness to the ones you love - knowing it is the best that you can provide.
This book starts off with Baking in the form of bread, pies, cakes and sweets. Next is Dairy with butter, cream, yogurt, soft cheeses, and ice cream. It moves onto Preserves with chutney, marmalade, jams, jellies, pickling, liqueurs and cordials. And finally Curing and Potting with salting, smoking, sausages and salami and terrines.
The book is magic - beautifully presented, wonderful photos and plainly written a wonderful gastronomic experience and a fine example of the slow food movement.

For anyone wanting to try out traditional recipes this book is perfect. It has five sections which are Baking; Dairy; Preserving; Bottling& liqueurs and Curing and potting. Each section has an introductory page with advice about ingredients, equipment and technique. There are recipes for a range of breads, cakes, pastries and sweets in the 'Baking' section. The 'Dairy' section invites you to try making your own yogurt, clotted cream, cheeses and ice creams. 'Preserving' covers jams, jellies, chutneys and pickling. 'Bottling & liqueurs' includes vinegars, ketchups, cordials and liqueurs. The final section explains methods of salting, cold smoking, making sausages and pates. There are plenty of recipes to choose from, beautifully illustrated. Some of these tasty recipes are very straightforward, others need more equipment(e.g. cold smoking) and are a little more challenging. Personally I'm looking forward to trying out the sloe brandy recipe!