Showing posts with label Book Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Reviews. Show all posts
I have never been much of a flower arranger, just cut and drop, but I have always wanted to know the secrets and how to's of making beautiful arrangements. When I worked at the Manor down South, the Lady of the Manor always did all of her own flower arrangements for the dinner parties and luncheons. Money was really no object, and she created really stunning arrangements every time. She whetted in me an appetite for and a desire to know more. I was recently afforded the opportunity to review a book on the subject of flower arranging entitled . . . My Soulful Home, a year in flowers, by blogger Kelly Wilkness. I was really excited about this as I have been a fan of her beautiful blog for a few years now.
Kelly writes a lovely blog about her Soulful Home, a beautiful Victorian she and her
husband are renovating now. You really need to check it out. It is a feast for the eyes, as is this gorgeous book!!
If you are a novice flower arranger, or a well seasoned one this book holds something for every range of experience and aptitude. It takes you through all the back ground information that you might need to know from the basic principles and rules of flower arranging to the whats, wheres and hows of purchasing flowers for your arrangements. . . plus a whole lot more! "Key" concepts that can be applied whenever you want to add a little beauty to your day and your home!
A wealth of knowledge, it also includes 12 complete tutorials for beautiful arrangements to take you through every month of the year . . . complete with pictures and with step by step instructions which I think even I could handle. This book is for you if you are a novice flower arranger, if you love
flowers, if you love stories woven in about gardening and flowers, if you love filling your life with beauty, and if you have a desire to make arrangements easily
and inexpensively.
The photography in the book is simply breathtaking. No surprise that Kelly took all of her own photographs of the book, and, I believe . . . grows most if not all of the flowers herself! All I can say is WOW!
There is a wealth of ideas and information in the book for so many styles, types, and colors of flowers, whether you buy them at the grocery store or if, like Kelly, you grow your own.
This book covers all aspects of cut flowers, such as when and how to cut, what to grow, where to buy, how to handle, etc. along with her fool proof formula
for design, as well as her step by step tutorials. I can't wait for the coming growing season to see if I can't do something beautiful with what I already have in my own garden. It is somewhat limited, but I feel very confident I can do something with what is there with maybe only the purchase of a few others to make up the difference.
With tons of inspiration, beautiful photos and excellent tutorials, this book would make an excellent gift for any flower lover. Mother's Day is only a week or so away here in the UK, and a few months away in North America and I highly recommend this book as a gift for your flower loving mum/daughter/friend, perhaps with an arrangement you have put together yourself! What a lovely gift that would be!
In addition to writing this book, Kelly authors the blog My Soulful Home, is the creator of the app bHome & produces/co-hosts the popular podcast Decorating Tips & Tricks.
MY SOULFUL HOME, a year in flowers
by Kelly Wilkniss
Published by Passageway Press, 2017
ISBN 978-1-223-99908-6
Available via Amazon worldwide, and by order through your favourite book shops.
Good food good drink, good company. Its an easy recipe for a good time. This lovely book, published by Frances Lincoln, entitles GOOD TOGETHER Drink & Feast with Mr Lyan and Friends, by Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr Lyan) call on his many friends from the world's best restaurants to share dishes they love to make for friends and family, served along side of his stellar cocktails, providing the perfect stellar social gather, be it large or small, raucous or intimate, night or day with the people you love.
Ryan says: "In my first book, Good Things to Drink, I talked about the worlds of food and drink being one and the same, and that they should be treated that way. And also, how the right food and drink can help shape the mood of an occasion. I wanted to expand on that here, so for Good Together, I called on some of my favourite friends from the world of food, and some of the best chefs in the world. This isn't about trying to reproduce dishes from their (Excellent!) restaurants and this isn't about pairings! I've not included drinks from my bars - its much smarter to have something that is exciting and delicious but straightforward to make."
"The recipes are here to inspire, and the chefs offer brilliant advice and ideas. This is a guide to drinks and dishes that fit a particular mood or occasion, be it a cosy night in or a summer BBQ, and also work well together; an experience of co-creating food and drinks so they fit the whole experience - practicality, weight and flavours - and help elevate a gathering to something memorable and excellent. Its all very adaptable and easily ownable. For example, where I've suggested a gin, you can substitute vodka. Likewise, if you don't like any of the herbs and spices adjust the recipes to your own tastes. Experimentation, trial and error is all part of the fun. Hopefully Good Together will enthuse you to create some really special moments."
From an enormous summer BBQ to an intimate romantic dinner, this book covers an impressive range of occasions and holidays, showing how a great feast and delicious cocktails can easily be part of everyone’s lives and social gatherings. A menu of world-class cocktails are crafted to suit recipes contributed by a variety of chefs including - Nuno Mendes (Chiltern Firehouse), James Lowe (Lyle’s), Nieves Barragán Mohacho (Barrafina), Roca (El Celler de can Roca), Robin Gill (The Dairy), Isaac McHale (The Clove Club), Tien Ho (Whole Foods) and Richard Hart (Tartine) among many others. This is a very unique guide to the complete social gathering.
Scattered throughout the many recipes for delicious sounding cocktails and edibles are beautifully enticing photographs . . .
And quirky illustrations done by Ryan, himself.
Ryan Chetiyawardana is the man behind the award-winning London bar Dandelyan, and his new venture Super Lyan (Previously White Lyan). He's celebrated around the world for his inventive cocktail menus and magic way with a shaker ad is at the forefront of innovation within the drinks industry having been involved in several of the UK's best bars for over a decade. He has been named UK Bartender of the year twice and in 2015 was named "International Bartender of the Year" at the hightly acclaimed Tales of the Cocktail. As well Dandelyan in the Mondrian Hotel and Super Lyan in Hoxton, the Mr Lyan brand includes a retil rane of five bottled cocktails, available to buy from Selfrides and online at aser of Malt. 2015 also saw Ryan launch his debut book Good Things to Drink with Mr Lyan and Friends, a collect of recipes for at home drink making.
This would make a great Christmas Gift for the person in your life
who loves to entertain with great cocktails and delicious food! The
recipes look very sound and do-able, and yes, fun!
GOOD TOGETHER, Drink & Feast with Mr Lyan and Friends
by Ryan Chetiyawardana
- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Frances Lincoln (28 Sept. 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0711238979
- ISBN-13: 978-0711238978
Note - I was provided with a book for review by Frances Lincoln free of charge, but was not required to write a positive review in exchange. Any opinions are my own.
Autumn is the time of year when we start thinking about our gardens. What we did that was right, what we did that was wrong, what we want to change about our gardening for the next year. That's why I was really excited to get this new book, Raised Bed Revolution,Build It, Fill It, Plant It ... Garden Anywhere by Tara Nolan. The soil in our garden is very poor and so this year we did a lot of gardening in pots and had so much success with them that we had been thinking that raised beds was the way to move forward, so this book couldn't have come at a better time!
What a fabulous book it is! 272 pages of everything you wanted to know about Raised Bed gardening and filled to overflowing with all the information you need to take you every step of the way from building a basic raised bed . . . . from the smallest to the largest . . . . portable or not.
Tara opens the book by explaining that by using the word 'revolution' she is using the word in the context of 'innovation' and 'modernising'. Here is the opportunity for every gardener, from the beginner to the experienced to explore all manner of raised bed gardening. There is a wealthy of information contained in 7 chapters, dealing with everything from the basics to planting, etc. How to do raised beds in small spaces, how to do raised beds in large spaces, how do to raised beds when you aren't particularly handy. Whatever your skill level or amount of space, this book has it all covered. Pretty much all types of planting and gardening are covered. This makes it much more than your standard 'how to' book.
Enhanced with gorgeous photography, and very well written, this book covers subjects such as growing-medium options, rooftop gardening, cost-effective gardening solutions, planting tips, watering strategies (automatic water drip systems and hand watering), and more. The process of creating and building raised beds is a cinch, too, thanks to the extensive gallery of design ideas and step-by-step projects.
Containing valuable information on choice of locations, materials needed, composting, verticle gardening and many, many more topics, this book is by far the best book I've seen on raised bed gardening! Even though I didn't receive this book in time for this year's gardening, I am non-plussed because I know I will be able to put it to good use over these next few months while I plan out my gardens for next year and with any luck, next year's garden might just be the most productive ever!
Simple, straightforward and with a handful of good ideas and tips that I think I can actually deal with! I highly recommend!
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Cool Springs Press (2 Jun. 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1591866502
ISBN-13: 978-1591866503
TARA NOLAN is a freelance writer from the Toronto, Canada, area. Working as an editor and digital consultant, her publishing background is diverse. She's worked everywhere from Yahoo! Canada to Canadian Home Workshop. For over six years, Tara was the web editor of CanadianGardening.com where she won a Canadian Online Publishing Award for the Seed to Supper newsletter. She is a member of the Garden Writers Association and a co-founder of Savvy Gardening. She loves to write about travel, gardening, decor, and health and fitness for print and online publications. If she's not writing, you'll find Tara in the garden, mountain biking, or handcrafting a new project.
Note - I was sent a free copy of this book for review, but was not required to write a positive review. Any and all opinions are my own.
I wanted to tell you about a cute little book I received called Cafe London, Brunch, Lunch, Coffee and Afternoon Tea, edited by Zena Alkayat. With this being the height of the tourist season and this book being small enough to easily slip into your purse, it could not come at a better time! Enjoy London the Cafe London way introducing you to the unusual, the classic and the esoteric. Small enough to fit into your purse, take it with you when you shop, consult it for a different lunch experience and rely on it for an adventure.
It's efficiently divided into sections depending on what you are looking for, ie brunch, lunch, coffee, cakes and bakes, or afternoon tea . . . as well as options if you are looking for something artsy, unusual, alfresco, etc. There is a bit of something here for every taste.
If you are looking for a decent spot for a bit of breakfast . . .
A hot drink and a biscuit . . .
Full on Afternoon Teas . . .
A rustic atmosphere . . .
Or a delicious lunch . . .
There is a bit of something for everyone in this handy guide with the prospect of exploration and discovering a multitude of new cafes to dine at when you are down in London either for the day or for a number of days. Your appetite is whetted by short, descriptive text detailing on what is for offer in each cafe mentioned. I can see that this would be a very valuable resource and compendium for the London visitor, and I, for one, will be bringing it with me on my next visit down to The Big Smoke!
Cafe London, edited by Zena Alkayat
Published by Frances Lincoln
Photography by Kim Lightboy
RRP ££9.99 UK/ $14.99 US/ $ 17.99 CAN
ISBN - 978-0-7112-3745-2
I wanted to tell you about a new book I recently received today, entitled Ultimate Family Wellness, by fitness guru and trainer, David Kirsch. The No-Excuses program for Diet, Fitness and Lifelong Health.
David Kirsch is the trainer behind Jennifer Lopez’s killer physique, and in this book he delivers easy-to-follow tips for leading a healthier life. This fabulous guide is a wonderful go-to source for five-minute workout fixes and delicious, yet efficient, fat-burning meals. His 5-5-5 exercise and nutrition philosophy (follow it and lose five pounds in five days) is definitely one to note.
It is divided into 5 Main chapters.
What is the 5-5-5 Program and the Ultimate Family Wellness plan - This chapter outlines the plan, explaining all the details of the plan and how to implement it in your life.
Chapter 2 - Exercising and Activities. Exercises for the 5-5-5 program. Detailed photographs and in-depth advice for a wide variety of exercises and activities designed to get both you and your family off your bums and on the road to fitness.
Chapter 3 - Nutrition Food and Family. The importance of family rituals, Five rules for optimimum nutrition, the ABC's of Nutrition, Debunking Food and Nutrition Myths, David's Top Ten Superfoods.
Chapter 4 - Cooking with Your Kids (My favourite chapter) This is the recipe chapter, containing a multitude of Nutritious and Healthy recipes to take you and your family from breakfast on through to dinner with healthy snacking options. (Berry Yogurt Parfaits, Oatmeal Banana Brulee, Roast Turkey Avocado Salad, Turkey Kale Soup, Tuna Spinach Bowls, Crispy Samon Nuggets, Stir fries, dressings, dips, etc.) There is a wealth of really delicious sounding and photographed meal options in this chapter, designed to maximize nutrtition and create appeal for even the fussiest child.
Chapter 5 - Management and Maintenance Made Easy - How to manage the five day plan, keep a record of your exercise, recommended meal plans and cheats, Rules for to live by and how to maintain the momentum once you get going on this fabulous plan. This chapter aims to inspire you on to success.
With over two decades of experience uncovering and harnessing the powerful connection between mind, body and spirit, David Kirsch has become a leading authority on achieving optimal health and wellbeing at any age or fitness level. Throughout his years as a sought-after trainer, David has transformed the bodies and lives of countless devotees through his signature combination of mind-body conditioning, multi-tasking workouts and smart nutrition. From founding New York's award-winning Madison Square Club to developing unprecedented supplements, classes and techniques designed to maximize workouts; David has been a pioneer in the wellness field throughout his long career.
Trusted by some of the world's most visible celebrities and influencers, David is the man with whom many A-listers train when they need to get in shape fast. One of the unique aspects of training with David is his expertise in reading different body types and his ability to target different parts of the body. In addition to authoring five books, including the bestseller The Ultimate New York Body Plan, David has appeared on numerous television shows, including The Today Show, E! and CNN World News, Dr. Oz, Live with Regis and Kelly and The View. Additionally, as a single father of four-year-old twin girls, he has expanded his wellness empire to include areas such as family and child fitness, nutrition and wellness. His website, DavidKirschWellness.com, represents a passport to the complete David Kirsch lifestyle.
Altogether this is a fabulous book for those who are wanting to get themselves and their family back in shape and to promote good nutrtion and family wellness together. If this is your goal and something you are really wanting to aspire to, then this book is for you!
Ultimate Family Wellness, by David Kirsch
224 pages
Colour, and soft covered
ISBN - 978-1-59233-709-5
Published by Fair Winds, A division of Quarto
$22.99/US $27.99 /CAN £14.99/UK
'\ One of my favourite places to go is London. Now that we live up in the North West, we don't get to go very often, but when we were down in the South East, we went fairly often. There is so much to see and do in London . . .
Not to mention a virtual world of choice when it comes to eating . . . but it can be a hit and miss unless you really know where you are going. That's where a lovely book like the one I was sent just recently comes in really handy!
Eat Like A Londoner by Tania Ballantine, an insider's guide to dining out is a great resource when it comes to finding a place to eat in the big smoke!
This generous pocket-sized book is a run-down of about a hundred restaurants and eating establishments dotted around the capital of various shapes, sizes and styles. Restaurants are arranged in terms of categories, with chapters covering cult classics. late nights, ‘small & buzzy’, and so on. There are other lists that further segment places by geographical area, places that are more forgiving for the last-minute diner, as well as vegetarian-friendly destinations.
It is well written, well presented, and contains some really lovely pictures of stunningly delicious looking food and dining rooms. This is a book quite honestly written by somebody who obviously knows what she’s talking about. If you are planning on travelling to London in the near future or know someone who is, and you want to gift them (or yourself) with a truly a lovely gift that is sure to come in really handy, I highly recommend this book. With more than 100 handpicked places to cover every occasion from a quick meal to a full on special dinner, there is something in here to suit every occasion.
Eat Like a Londoner
by Tania Ballantine
Published by Frances Lincoln
ISBN 978-0-7112-3679-0
RRP:
UK £9.99
US $14.99
Canada $17.99
Many thanks to Frances Lincoln for sending me a copy for review. Any and all opinions are my own.
A curiously entertaining and informative book . . . or how I fell in love with James Steen
Friday, 2 May 2014
"Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love."
~Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, 19th century French Diplomat, on how he liked his coffee
If you are a purveyor of facts and witticisms concerning all things to do with the kitchen, eating and cooking have I found the book for you! I was recently sent this lovely little book, The Kitchen Magpie, written by James Steen, and I have fallen completely in love with it.
As you know I love to cook and eat, but that is not where my fetish for all things food ends . . . I also have long loved collecting little tidbits of folklore and fascinating facts about the same. Yes, I am the person that not only wants to know why the chicken crossed the road, but what it did when it got there, and yes . . . I often sit and have conversations with myself trying to figure out just what it was the inspired the first person to combine eggs, sugar, flour and leavening to create the first cake.
"You crack an egg and some of the shell falls into the mixing bowl. Don't worry, don't fret and don't dip your fingers in to retrieve the piece of shell. Simply place the shell in your hand into the bowl and close to the fragment. Magnetism brings the two back together and the broken piece can be easily removed from the bowl."
If you are playing trivial pursuit and you fall upon questions to do with anything culinary, I'm your man, or woman as it were!
And I am not alone . . . in James Steen I have found a kindred spirit as it were. He's as obsessed with all of this stuff as I am, difference being he had enough forethought to write and compile it all into a wonderfully witty and entertainingly interesting book!!
With 22 chapters covering everything from kitchen First Aid to The Cheese Board, it is a wealth of information, with handy tips and hints, curiosities and scrumptious contributions from Mary Berry, Michel Roux Junior, James Martin, Antonio Carluccio, Marco Pierre White, Ken Hom and many others.
Have you ever wondered why you can eat the blue mould in cheese and not on bread? How do you cure the Black Death? Wanted to make Pizza but don't have an oven? Why the best raspberries come from Scotland? Who was the reluctant cook who wrote a best seller? What is the world's best hangover cure?
All these questions and many, many more are answered on the pages of this delightfully entertaining and informing little book. I just love it! It IS a delicious melange of culinary curiosities, fascinating facts, amazing anecdotes and expert tips for the food-lover!
The Kitchen Magpie
Author: James Steen
Published by Icon Books UK
ISBN 978-184831663-8
UK £12.99 Canada $22.99 USA $22.95
Published 15 May, 2014
It is also available as an e-book £7.99
Follow James Steen on twitter @jamesssteen100
James Steen is an award-winning journalist, food writer, author and ghostwriter. He has a deep fascination for both the cook and cooking, and collaborates with great chefs. He ghosted the autobiographies of Marco Pierre White (The Devil in the Kitchen), Raymond Blanc (A Taste of My Life" and Keith Floyd (Stirred But Not Shaken). His other books include Marco Made Easy and Kitchen Secrets. He is a consultant to small-but-pioneering food companies, and contributes to a wide variety of publications. James lives in London with his wife Louise and their children, Charlie, Billy and Daisy.
I have never made any secret of my love for cookery books. In fact it probably verges on obsession. Well, that's what the Toddster thinks at any rate. Most evenings I crawl into bed with a good one or two and I get so much pleasure and inspiration from perusing their pages . . .
But what you probably don't know is I am also vastly interested and intrigued in the history of food and the chemistry behind it. Yes, I am one of those sad people who can sit and ponder for hours on such questions as who was it decided that eggs were good enough for human consumption and just how the miraclulous wonder of cake baking came to pass!
Recently I was sent a beautiful book to read and review entitled "At the King's Table, Royal Dining Through the Ages, by Susanne Groom. I have been enjoying it so very much, especially since I recently discovered my own ancestral Royal Connections! This delightful book is an exploration, both visual and written, of the history of royal dining, dating from the somewhat primitive kitchens of the middle ages on up to the informal dinner parties held by the Royals of today's world.
It begins with a foreword written by the Master of Culinary Chemistry, Heston Blumenthal, and what follows are ten delightful chapters which take the reader on a journey through the kitchens and diets of Monarchs from Richard the Second, on up to the present day Queen Elizabeth and her family. (I have to say my connection with all of this is through Richard the Third )
"The aim of the subtlety was to combine magic and food, and to astonish. A peacock might be served in it's plumage, or swans served swimming in pastry ponds. Real birds might even be hidden at the last moment in pies, to fly into the air as soon as the crust was cut."
Interspered throughout between the discourses on the table manners of the royals through the ages, the earliest cookery books, unscrupulous dealings, flamboyent chefs, etc. are some 200 illustrations and menus from a plethoria of State Banquets and extravagent dinners.
Little tidbits of royal likes and dislikes and food fetishes and fads of the ages, and their implication on the diets of ordinary folk.
I found it compelling reading to say the least. And, no pun intended . . . I have devoured it with gusto!
Having worked as a Personal Chef myself, I was fascinated by the requirements and duties of Royal Chef's and the wonderful little tidbits shared within this lovely book's pages.
In short, I have found it to be a complete delight from start to finish. One of my favourite books ever.
If you are looking for a different sort of book to give that culinary "Foodie" in your life for Christmas, look no further. It's hard to purchase a cookbook for a "Foodie" actually. It's very difficult to know which ones they already have. I predict that this book will delight, amuse and fascinate any culinary "Foodie" on your gift list, not to mention anyone who has a penchant for history.
At the Kings Table
Royal Dining Through the Ages
by Susanne Groom
forward by Heston Blumenthal
Published by Merrell
(In association with Historic Royal Palaces)
ISBN 978-1-8589-4613-9
UK £22.95
US $39.95
I have found it on Amazon.uk for as little as £14.34 and on Amazon.com for $24.44.
Many thanks for the people at Merrell for sending me this book to read and review. All opinions and views are my own and are in no way influenced.
I just have to tell you about this fabulous book which dropped through my mail slot this week. The Diner's Dictionary by John Ayto. This may be one of my favourite books yet! I'm not kidding!
A few years back my son gifted me with the Larousse Gastronomique for Christmas and I was in seventh heaven. It was such a thoughtful and wonderful present. This Diner's Dictionary might not be as hefty as that . . . but I guarantee it is just as delightful for foodie and non-foodie alike! Riveting stuff.
Seasoned generously with literary wit, it covers everything you wanted to know about food, from A
to Z . . . and everything in-between. AND . . . it's a lot easier to carry around or read in bed than that huge beastie of the Gastronomique.
I have been glancing through it every chance I get and have found it to be absolutely riveting . . . I've even plagued Todd with it in bed at night. (As you know I love to go to bed with a good cookbook. This week it's been this book.)
I lay there and punctuate every few moments with an exclamation . . .
"Todd, did you know that there is an American mixed drink in which bourbon is diluted with fruit syrup and soda water, having orginated in the 1850's called a Daisy??? I know . . . kinda gives new meaning to that old song, I'll Give You a Daisy a Day!"
And then a few minutes later, it is . . .
"Todd, did you know that the word Lasagne comes from a word meaning chamber pot???"
He doesn't know whether to kiss me or crown me . . . or both!!
In any case I have found it quite quite riveting and thoroughly fascinating! This book would make a fab Christmas Gift to the dedicated foodie on your list!
The Diner's Dictionary
by John Ayto
Published by Oxford University Press
ISBN: 978-0-19-964024-9
£12.99 UK
$24.95 US
A quirky, irresistibly delicious read!
Many thanks to Oxford University Press for sending me this lovely review copy. It's just filled with food for thought!
Linking this post up to November's Nibbles and Novels over on Dimples & Delights, the monthly party that book inspired foodie posts. Thanks April for letting me play!! (Click on the photo and it will magically take you to her page!)
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