The Essential Cook's Kitchen

A beautiful presentation and a great addition to any cook's kitchen. Recipes in 5 groups with a wide range of options from food basics to fine dining. Index provided.
- Baking (breads, pastry, cake and sweets)
- Dairy (Butter, cream yogurt, soft cheeses, ice cream and sorbets)
- Preserving (Marmalade, jams and jellies, chutney, pickling)
- Bottling & Liqueurs (Bottling, liqueurs and cordials)
- Curing and Potting (Salting, cold smoking, making sausages, terrines and pates)

Note: Written for those interesting in British-style of cooking. This American reviewer would need to study a bit more to translate some of the terms used but this book is definitely worth the effort.

Alison wants to take the reader back to a simpler time, when people grew their own ingredients and used old-fashioned tools to make their food, instrad of buying ready-made food that you do not have to integrate the ingredients together.
The first section of the book deals with Baking, where accurate weighing, measuring and cooking temperatures are vital.
The author discusses what flour does and what the best types of flour are; she does the same thing with salt, yeast and butter. You will learn how to make good bread, what kind of equipment you will need, and how to knead the bread properly so that it rises and turns out well.
You are given specific, easy to follow directions, so that your bread is easy to make and consistently good. The photos give you an idea what your bread do should look like as it is mixed, kneaded and left to rise, which is a big help!
You will also learn how to make baguettes, cheese and cayenne sticks, rye bread and crumpets.
You will also learn how to make pastry, yogurt, cheese, jams, marmalades, pickles and many other foods by using ingredients, tools, and techniques that have been used and proved for many years.
Enjoy cooking homemade meals that your family will love for many years!

The picky eater that I am, when I see a book such as this - that makes me want to eat everything on the page - they have surely outdone themselves! This is one of those books that seeing in eBook format makes me NEED to see and touch it. Images throughout this book are truly incredible - clean, fresh and beyond appealing. Love the simple, clean country look. 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! Steps are wonderfully detailed and illustrated - truly a work of art!

This is an amazing and informative recipe book. The recipes are brilliant and the photos that accompany them are perfect.

Loved it! I love to cook, but still prefer to stick to 'basic' recipes (I can screw those up pretty easily). Despite having seen similar recipes before, I'm always on the search for more simple versions. Just seeing the baguette recipe in here, broken down into 6 numbered steps, I was relieved :D. It's a beautifully designed book, with great photos, and most important (for me) - numbered steps for the recipe. I'd never come across 'crumpet molds', never heard of a 'vinegar cake' (what?!), barely sugar, and more - all in this book. I'm super excited to be able to work on these recipes that 1) my family would enjoy, 2) have ingredients that are simple to find, 3) are easy to follow, and 4) are tasty.

THE ESSENTIAL COOK’S KITCHEN BY ALISON WALKER

Alison Walker’s book The Essential Cook’s Kitchen is a perfect cook book in which the traditional method of cooking is advised and applied. This is her third book, earlier two being, Handmade gifts from the kitchen in 2014, one more in2017 with the same title. She works as an editor of food &drink in”’ ÇOUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE”” and loves cooking with seasonal ingredients.
‘’Secrets, especially with cooking, are best shared so that the cuisine lives on.”” Bo Songvisava
Author is up to this quote and shared with readers the many nuances of handling equipment, kneading, baking, preserving and bottling, curing methods, recipes, tips, and information on traditional cooking and country cooks.
The book carries a whole lot of details about baking, dairy, preserving, bottling &liqueurs, curing &potting in individual chapters. Every concept has got a clean format in the form of ingredients, equipment, & a bit of technique. The photographs in the book were highly appealing and help to understand the procedure faster.
The book THE ESSENTIAL COOK’S KITCHEN is loaded with numerous features and hand overs to readers the minute cautions that needs to be taken so that the end products comes out to the level of expectation.
A pinch of salt is essential to heighten flavour is the idea that the author mentions it thoroughly in every chapter as a reminder with much patience.
I quote from page 43, about cakes, “”Even if it sinks in the middle in your first go or looks slightly overdone, a swirl of lightly whipped cream and a scattering of fresh fruit will hide any mistakes – call it a pudding and no one will be any the wiser.”” A nice suggestion to manage a tough situation. It’s a point to be noted by students studying food technology.
In the dairy section, “”Rennet”” is clearly explained and vinegar or lemon juice will do for the vegetarian’s is stated without missing. This shows the author’s attention on people in various walks of life.
‘’Without ice creams, there would be darkness and chaos.”” – Don Kardong. Not to create any chaos, the author has taken amply care in illustrating ice creams and sorbets. The intro to this section itself is amazing.
Highly appreciable and noteworthy feature of the author is she never demands to use a particular brand or product or ingredient or equipment rather she recommends adequate substitute without fail. It’s a pleasurable and convenient option for the readers. With the same flow she also advices about when to eat &how to eat.
When dealing with the preserving works, the author emphasises on labelling the product which helps to identify and use the product at a right time. Derivation of the name MARMALADE is also discussed in the book.
‘’How sad the world would be without the smell of jam!” George Duhamel. Surely, that’s why, the author has worked upon preparing wide variety of jams, explains the readers about the pectin levels , liquid pectin and how to make own jelly bag?
The need to understand the ingredients and the way they react with one another is smoothly narrated by insisting to use the equipment that does not react with acetic acid of vinegar, while preparing chutneys. Different types of vinegar- malt, wine, cider, distilled, but to use only that which has at least 5% of acetic acid for best pickling. More over the author primarily warns to use whole spices as ground versions cloud the vinegar.

Regarding sterilisation the author strictly writes the required temperature to complete the process their by following hygiene when reusing the bottles and jars. Bottling jars and bottles should be thicker than normal jam jars to withstand the heating process. Even in using nylon sieve, she holds the specification to avoid adverse reactions.
In page 137, the author has given a chart stating the bottling times and testing for a seal before storing, is an excellent quality check procedure to ensure the product to last longer.
In the last chapter of curing and potting, the necessity to preserve, how pig & fish, are preserved in olden days before refrigeration, is a subject to make aware of traditional methods. An all purpose wet cure (Brine) is the highlight in the columns of bit of technique.
I quote from page 171 “ without sufficient fat, sausages are dry and dull, so fat phobics should read no further and turn its talents to making yogurt or bread.”” The author humorously puts forth the fat requirement for the sausages.
In the vegetable terrines, bain marie is employed and they are best to be served on the same day. The author successfully completes the book with some address to get the general kitchen equipment, bread making ingredients &equipment, antique kitchen &many more along with due acknowledgements.
“Anybody can make you enjoy the first bite of a dish, but only a real chef can make you enjoy the last” – Francois minot.
Both the book &recipes are enjoyable till the last.

I loved this book - so many great ideas for good home cooking & baking - vicoria sponge, scones and ginger cake - good food that my mum and nana made and I ate after coming home from school - this book is beautifully illustrated and took me right back to my childhood - thank you for the advance review copy - I have now purchased a hard copy - as I just want to browse over it and look at all the beautiful picture.

This is a very useful and unique cookbook, with beautiful photography. It covers everything from baking bread to curing meat. The sections include: Baking (breads, crumpets, pastries) Dairy (butter, yogurt, cream, soft cheeses, ice cream), Preserving (marmalades, jams and jellies, chutney, pickling), Bottling and Liqueurs (bottled, or cannned, here in the US fruits, ginger beer and various flavored liqueurs) and Curing and Potting (sausage making, salting, cold smoking and pâtés), Each section starts with an overview of the types of ingredients and equipment you’ll need along with a “bit of technique.” The book is very thorough and makes me feel like I could accomplish and of the recipes. The raspberry ripple parfait looks amazing!
I receive an advance reader copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

A comprehensive and relatable guide to cooking techniques. The featured recipes are crowd pleasers and lushly illustrated. Although the book features European measurements there is clear information on American measures if you have a simple kitchen scale.

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!

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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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

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!

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.

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

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,

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.

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.

This is not at all a typical cookbook. It's purpose is to pass down traditional techniques and basic recipes for what were once essential items to make, and which now we largely buy pre-made from supermarkets.

There are some very interesting and unusual recipes in this book, along with some classics. I particularly enjoyed the bread section and the jellies. What makes the book stand out from others is that the actual techniques needed to make these things are set out quite simply, making it seem easily achievable for anyone to make their own cheese or even a duck terrine. There are a few recipes, but the main focus is on how to make a basic version, and then to go out and expand on this to suit your own ingredients and tastes.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover, in one sitting. This is most unusual for a cookbook, I'm sure you will agree. The pictures are delightful and the short introductions to each section take you away to an old country kitchen where a cheerful (but expert) cook is baking bread or pies, and a pot of jam is simmering away on the range cooker. Even in this day and age, I think most people would enjoy cooking these recipes and be proud of their achievements; simple as it seems after reading this book, it is very impressive to be able to serve homemade butter or ice-cream.

This cookbook showcases some old fashioned cooking techniques and recipes. The recipes are clearly written and the photography showcases the food. This book is not for beginners or quick cooking. These recipes are best when you are planning to spend time in the kitchen perfecting the recipes. Enjoy

Thank you Quatro Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

This is a book that you need to buy and enjoy referring to often, it has great techniques, recipes and illustrations,. A valuable inclusion for every kitchen.

With trends gravitating toward simplifying our lives and back to basics, comes this excellent cookbook teaching modern cooks to do just that. The Essential Cook's Kitchen: Traditional culinary skills, from breadmaking and dairy to preserving and curing is an excellent book that teaches forgotten kitchen skills and includes mouthwatering recipes that almost everyone will want to make.

Although many use auto bread machines and mixers to make bread, this book teaches us to make bread anywhere by hand. It includes step-by-step instructions, so even beginning cooks can master this skill. The bread recipes included are excellent, and most importantly, the finished product turns out picture perfect.

The Essential Cook's Kitchen: Traditional culinary skills, from breadmaking and dairy to preserving and curing is a British cookbook, and so has dozens of traditional British recipes, such as marmalades, puddings, potted meats, pâtés and terrines, scones and crumpets, cordials, cakes, and sweets. There are also ice creams and sorbets flavored with lavender, honey, and other unexpected ingredients. Who knew that fresh cheeses such as ricotta and soft goat cheese, as well as clotted cream can be made in the home kitchen, and the taste is fabulous.

All told, this excellent cookbook is one that is perfect for anyone who loves to cook and wants to go back to basics. It will teach forgotten skills that are becoming trendy as food tastes go from chemical-laden convenience foods to organic and fresh, as well as healthy and delicious. The Essential Cook's Kitchen: Traditional culinary skills, from breadmaking and dairy to preserving and curing makes an excellent gift for a new bride or young person getting a taste of the joy of cooking from scratch. Highly recommended, this cookbook will hold a special place on any cookbook shelf.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I needed a tutorial of doing the 'Essential' or what some might consider basic in cooking! This book gives you a foundation of what every cook should have in the kitchen. I now feel more confident in my cooking skills with the fundamentals that I garnered from this book!

I really liked this book. It is an essential book, the basics for cooking and baking. It covers most foods and is fabulous! It is a real motivator to cooking by scratch, rather than fast food or easy things. The book is easy to read, although it is more British but not hard to figure out. You also learn how to make pickles and cheese, along with a few other things that I have never learned how to make. The recipes are not hard to follow at all. The pictures are helpful as well. I also think this book would be a great gift for any cook - an experienced one or a newbie. This book is excellent and I highly recommend it!

Ein bisschen Country Feeling für ihr zuhause:

Ansprechende Fotos und tolle Umsetzung rund um die country kitchen - da steckt viel Liebe drin, was man auf jeder Seite merkt. Basics und mehr für jederman.

Ich habe das Buch über NetGalley erhalten. Lesen und bewerten erfolgte vollkommen freiwillig.

Many cookbooks these days advertise themselves as “Back to Basics”, but this cookbook goes back to the basics as they were done in my grandmother’s day. The preserves, cordials, jams, salted meats, pies and sausages delightfully hark back to a more seasonal kitchen when food was harvested then prepared or “put up” for later use. Some of these recipes are familiar to me; preserved lemons, pickles, seasonal fruit jams, fruit cakes and pies. Plenty others have been flagged for further investigation, including a section on fresh cheeses, candied peel and a delicious looking raspberry ripple parfait.

Some of the ingredients will be challenging for the American kitchen, but with a cooperative grocery store, Amazon, and a bit of translation/substitution aided by the web, the recipes are quite doable.

All in all, this is a cook’s cookbook, with plenty of inspiration for weekend projects.

#TheEssentialCook'sKitchen #NetGalley

This is an encyclopedia of traditional recipes. A sublime collection of bread, sausages from scratch and more delicious recipes. The book contains colorful and easy to follow instructions.

This book is everything anyone needs if they want to cook complex things from scratch but have them explained in an easy way! There are no dinners or lunch recipes here, because the main focus of this book is not cooking, but working on some kitchen skills like breadmaking (which I absolutely loved), dairy making (amazing, right?), making jam and more...

Of course there are going to be chapters that some of the readers might not care for (I know I'd never smoke meat...), but even so it's good to have the knowledge of how things are done. And I am pretty sure there is going to be a category for everyone in this book. My favourite are the bread, cake and ice-cream. I truly enjoyed reading about jams and jellys but the truth is I am way too comfortable to be bothered to make myself... but maybe I will at one point, right?

Anyway, this is a great book when it comes to skills and techniques!

I loved this book! It’s like a cooking crash course. All the recipes are pictured (if you follow me, you know that’s something I need and don’t find that often in cookbooks). Each chapter has an introduction that I summarized to my boyfriend. I loved the information that was in the “A bit of technique” section: I learned a lot.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing for the e-copy of this cookbook through NetGalley.

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Essential Cook's Kitchen is a cookbook that encourages the reader to go back to the basics. Bread-making, curing meat, making preserves -- according to Alison Walker, these are all key abilities for a cook.

The chapters devoted to making bread and to baking cakes / making sweets are, in particular, truly superb. I would love to have a whole book of just them (and more recipes of similar kind -- kitchen classics that serve as great dessert). This section of the book just made me want to run to my kitchen and start baking one cake after another. On the other hand, while home-maide dairy looks delicious (and not that difficult to prepare), I doubt I will ever have at hand milk of good enough quality to make cheese out of it. Nonetheless, the book contains enough doable and interesting recipes that it would be a great one to put on one's shelf. Additionally, it is beautifully photographed and designed. Absolutely worth checking out.

This book is a great resource, but you have to be a very serious DIY-er to embark on many of these tasks. If you are and if you like to tackle projects, it is a great book. In some cases, it is also good if you currently have more time than money to spend on food (like me). Somethings, however, are cheaper to buy than to make. Still, if you're looking for a fun project or trying to save some money on food, or you have trouble accessing certain artisan products in your neck of the woods, this is a handy book.

Picture a Picnic:
The first thing I pictured in my mind when looking through the book, was a picnic in the great outdoors with friends, a bottle of red wine and a basket full of food made from Alison Walker's recipes. Her recipes are simple, yet elegant. They all have in common that they can be prepared with basic cooking equipment and a small number of kitchen staples, easy to find ingredients, and valuable tips. The book starts out with rustic breads, followed by either hearty or sweet pastries that can serve as a meal on their own. Then come cakes and sweets that can casually be served with a coffee or tea at the kitchen table or put into the picnic basket. This is followed by a very informative chapter of how to make your own milk products, like butter, basic cheeses, and yogurt. Also included are recipes for ice cream and sorbets, marmalade, jams, jellies, chutneys, condiments, canned fruit, and various beverages. The book ends with cured and canned meats. I really like the simplicity of this book. Here are some of my recipe highlights: Walnut and Raisin Bread, Sausage and Apple Plait, Lavender and Lemon Madeira Cake, Sticky Gingerbread Loaf, Candied peel, Fresh Ricotta, Soft Goat's Cheese, Raspberry Ripple Parfait, Lemon and Honey Marmalade, Pickled Shallots, Cherries in Brandy, Elder-flower Cordial, Gravadlax, and Creamy Chicken Liver Pate. The only recipes that I probably will not try from this book are the cold smoking recipes because they involve investment in smoking equipment. But I think of the smoking chapter as a nice add-on for anyone interested in smoking meats. This book is a good investment. Just picking one or only a few recipes at a time will add a little extra to simple meals and entertaining.