Basics to Brilliance is exactly as the title suggests — basic recipes that will make brilliant feasts. As Donna says at the beginning of this book, “Just like anything you want to be good at, I believe that mastering the basics is how you build confidence in the kitchen.” Donna shares with us in this book her basic recipes, tried and true foundations of the best classics and modern essentials.



Basics to Brilliance is divided up into three beautiful chapters: Savoury, Need to know, and Sweet. There is also an indepth Glossary and Index.


Most of the recipes are the basic version followed by variations and simple flavour change-ups so one recipe becomes many and your repertoire grows naturally.  For example, buttermilk fried chicken also becomes crispy chicken burgers, southern-style crispy chicken salad with buttermilk dressing and buttermilk fried chicken and slaw slider. Prawn dumplings can also become ginger, chilli and prawn dumpling soup and crispy golden prawn dumplings, and perfectly cooked steaks with a few additions become grilled beef skewers, with a chimichurri sauce or Korean Steak Tacos with Kimchi.



As with all of Donna Hay’s cook books, the layout and photography is second to none and will inspire you into the kitchen to try your hand at such beautifully constructed meals.  Each recipe is delivered simply, with step-by-step instructions, helpful notes and tips to help you on your way.
Basics to Brilliance really is a recipe book for the keeping.

In terms of cooking and recipes it's a great book for those less confident in the kitchen, as well as those who already have some experience in that field and want to broaden their skills. The recipes are not complicated, instructions clear and easy to follow, the ingredients widely available despite the author living in Australia.


There are recipes for "basics" like roast chicken, meatballs, pork belly, beef and sweet things like sponge cake or brownies. Each "master recipe" explains how to make your dish foolproof and also how you can simply change it to create entirely new dish! For example, with a simple addition of different spices, a slightly different cooking method,  or even simply using your leftovers to create a completely new dish.

This is a beautiful book. A real joy for the eye with high quality paper, great photography and a very pleasant layout. It's a book sure to inspire and one that would make a a perfect gift for someone who likes cooking/baking.



At the age of eight, Donna Hay skipped into a kitchen, picked up a mixing bowl and never looked back. She moved to the world of magazine test kitchens and publishing, where she established her trademark style of simple, smart and seasonal recipes all beautifully put together and photographed. It is food for every cook, every food lover, every day and every occasion. Her unique style turned her into an international food-publishing phenomenon as a bestselling author of 20 cookbooks, publisher of donna hay magazine, newspaper columnist, and creator of a homewares and food range. Donna is a working mum of two beautiful boys, Tom and Angus, and resides in Sydney, Australia.

BASICS TO BRILLIANCE
By Donna Hay

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (5 Oct. 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1460751426
• ISBN-13: 978-1460751428 

Note - I was sent a copy of this book by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of reviewing it.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange.  Any and all opinions are my own.

I am not a vegetarian but this delicious looking book with all of its  fabulously tasty sounding recipes have me thinking I could quite easily be and not be missing out on anything!  Beautifully photographed and wonderfully presented, this is a book that will please the keen cook, veggie or not!

• Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804185409
• ISBN-13: 978-0804185400 

Note - I was sent a copy of this book free of charge for review. I was not required to write a positive review. Any and all opinions are my own. I think it is a beautiful book and belongs in any kitchen where people are wanting to eat healthier and better without it costing them an arm and a leg! Many thanks to Jacqui Small for sending me this copy.

Stories of her childhood and memories are interwoven through the book with beautiful photographs of the region and recipes that really tempt you to try making for yourself at home. Its a book which is as delightful to read as it is to cook from. She demystifies how to make all manner of sweet delights with family recipes from the foothills of the Hundu Kush mountains in the north, where berries and fruits grow in abundance, via the fertile Punjab, where rice and grain based desserts are prevalent . . .  to the Arabian sea in the south, where saffron and cardamon laced sweet recipes are a favourite.



Many of the recipes look very inviting . . . ‘Sohan saffron honey caramels with rose water, pistachio and almonds to Bakar khani (sweet puff pastry biscuits), Mulberry and cherry fruit leather, Nan-e nokhochi (chickpea flour shortbread with cloves).



Pakistan’s food culture is as diverse and varied as its land, terrain and people, and this cookbook brings together a collection of 70 recipes from Sumayya's culinary journey. Each recipe is introduced briefly with her own personal experiences and anecdotes about it. This is food storytelling at its finest.


Bring the fruit, ginger and water to the boil in a saucepan.  Reduce to a simmer and cook, for 20 minutes, adding water as you need to keep the berries covered.  After about 20 minutes, add th ehoney, stir and remove the pan from the heat.  Allow to cool in the pan. Serve with the chopped walnuts and the flavoured whipped cream, either at room temperature or chill in the refrigerator until later.

In my opinion,  this is a well researched and very well put together book. The recipes are authentic Pakistani dishes with an interesting twist. Its a delight from its very colourful and beautifully embossed cover to the beautiful photography, stories and recipes contained on its pages!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sumayya Usmani grew up in Karachi, Pakistan and moved to London over ten years ago, but has found home in Glasgow, Scotland. A food writer and cookery teacher, Sumayya is passionate about sharing the flavours of her homeland with a view to highlighting Pakistani cuisine as a distinct one. Sumayya advocates cooking by "andaza", (sensory and estimation cooking), which is how she learnt to cook from her mother and grandmothers from a very young age. She appears frequently in many online and print publications, on television, and co-presents BBC Kitchen Cafe weekly on BBC Radio Scotland.


MOUNTAIN BERRIES & DESERT SPICE, by Sumayya Usmani

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln (6 April 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0711238529
• ISBN-13: 978-0711238527 

Note - I was sent a copy of this book by Frances Lincoln free of charge for review. I was not required to write a positive review. Any opinions are entirely my own. Many thanks to Frances Lincoln for sending me what I think is a beautiful book.

Fish and shell fish  . . .




And even a selection of tempting desserts.

More than 100 delicious and divers recipes, including new takes on traditonal dishes, such as Indonesian Pork Burgers and Chicken, Mango and Mint Kebabs, as well as more exotic dishes like Salmon with Spiced Tea Marinade . . .  vegetarian and vegetable dishes that will wow even the most sceptical carnivore ad many vegan recipes as well, so that everyone can join in on the festivities!

There is no better time than now to transform your barbecue skills with techniques, equipment essentials and recipes for amateurs and experts alike.  No matter the audience or occasion, this book has the recipes and know-how to impress and fire up your confidence as you fire up the grill!  With beautiful photography and great sounding recipes, this is a book which will open up cooking possibilities for you that you never knew existed!

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Nourish (20 April 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848993196
• ISBN-13: 978-1848993198 

About the author: Hilaire Walden has a range of food and cooking experience spanning over 45 years.  She has published more than 45 cookbooks and has written for many national newspapers, women's lifestyle and cooking magazines.  She also lectures and works as a consultant to food companies.

Have you got time to look at just one more book before Christmas?  Of course you do, and even if you can't pick it up in time for a Christmas present , you just might want to consider it for the new year when you are back on track and paying for all of your "Holiday Ingulgences" by bring your diet back into line with healthy options.  Enter "Spice Health Heros,Unlock the power of spice for flavour and wellbeing, a new book by author Natasha MacAller.