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Jump to navigationJump to searchKettle Broth to Gooseberry Fool: Book of Simple English Food by Jenny Baker (view source)
Revision as of 08:36, 16 September 2020
, 08:36, 16 September 2020no edit summary
Is there anything I personally dislike about the book? No, not really. It certainly is not a book for vegetarians nor members of the missionary cult of so called 'healthy eating'. My (mostly atrophied) ethical-consumer side would welcome a bit more about sourcing the food we cook, as apart from obviously preferring locally sourced, fresh ingredients Jenny Baker doesn't devote much space to things like sustainability, free-range farming and similar issues. She does make relevant recommendations, though, for example when on roast turkey she says "... unfortunately, when factory farmed, it has hardly any flavour and tends to dryness. The solution is to go for a free-range bird like the Bronze or Norfolk Black. It will be more expensive but is well worth it for that one festive day of the year."
I wholeheartedly recommend this book, I have no idea why it doesn't seem to have been reprinted since 1997 (perhaps the author needs a cookery programme on television?) but it certainly is worth a look for anybody who is interested in British cooking while has not that much experience of practicing practising it - for the interest and fun factor I would choose that over Delia Smith any time (she's so boooooring), while I would consider her recipes and attitudes more approachable and less frightening for a beginner than Msss Miss Grigson or David.
If you like that you would probably like Jane Grison's [[English Food]] or Elizabeth David's [[An Omelette and a Glass of Wine]]. If you'd like some French food, have a look at [[My Little French Kitchen by Rachel Khoo]].
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