Polish the silverware, dust off your best china and send the servants home. You won’t need to ring for them anytime soon, thanks to the captivating history and edible pleasures revealed in this simply marvellous cookbook. If you’ve seen any of the six seasons of Downton Abbey, you’ll be swept up by its pages, intrigued by the period insights and delighted by the recipes that…
I read recipe books like most people read novels. I adore them. They stretch my imagination in a million directions and the gorgeous pictures give me ideas on presentation, table settings and décor. Having said that, I don’t think that I’ve ever made a dish exactly to the printed recipe (with the exception of baking), as there’s always some ingredient or spice or herb that I think would be…
The aroma of different spices instantly evoke so many different memories, don’t they? A faint whiff of cinnamon and suddenly you’re back around the family table in December, pouring custard on the Christmas cake that’s just come out the oven. Or suddenly craving toasted hot cross buns with a thick layer of butter soaking into its pores. Sometimes, spices carry you away to distant…