Martha Day

Everyone has favourite cookbooks, but even the best cooks rarely have only one. This British cookbook is on my list of the five top contenders* for inclusion in any cook's library.

There are two recipes arranged vertically on each page, with an enticing color photo of the finished dish at the top, inspiration in itself for the jaded cook. Ingredients are listed metrically, by weight, and by the American system. The directions are uniformly clear and in logical order. While some recipes are more elaborate than others, none is so demanding that the average cook, and I rate myself as definitely sub-average, would give up in despair. The language is occasionally a bit disconcerting (I do not normally buy joints of beef at the supermarket, think of flapjacks as something baked in the oven, zucchini as courgettes, or packets as sachets), no matter; it just adds to the fun and is not really a handicap.

But of course the truly important thing about any cookbook is the quality of the recipes; Day's book is a winner. All of the recipes I have tried are well worth eating. Some are downright marvelous. I normally consider vegetables as residing at some lower level of existence--not so when they are cooked with recipes from this cookbook. Even cauliflower can here be something to look forward to. Better still for those of us who are picky, with only a small amount of experimentation, substitutions in the ingredients do not present a problem. And the desserts, the biscuits (sorry, cookies)! the roast beef with Yorkshire puddings!

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* My top five are, in no order of preference or precedence: The New York Times Cookbook, Rodale's Basic Natural Foods Cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, Goldbeck's American Wholefoods Cuisine, American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low Cholesterol Cookbook, Jewish Low-Cholesterol Cookbook, The James Beard Cookbook, The Frugal Gourmet on our Immigrant Ancestors, this book--opps, looks like it's the top 10!… (mais)