Helen Stanton of Forum Books in Corbridge, The Bound, Whitley Bay, and The Accidental Bookshop, Alnwick, reviews the latest food titles
The Pepperpot Diaries // Andi Oliver // £27 // Dorling Kindersley
The ingredients in Caribbean cookery tell a story, and it’s a huge, swirling tale. This is Andi Oliver’s long-awaited first cookbook and it showcases both traditional and new recipes for simple yet sensational dishes that bring the unbeatable flavours of Caribbean cooking to your table.
Sweet Enough // Alison Roman // £28 // Hardie Grant
Thought you couldn’t do puddings? You can now, with this collection of simple yet sublime sweets (like how to make jam in the oven, then turn that jam into a dessert by swirling it into ice cream or folding it into easy one-bowl cake batter). Quick and easy classics include salted lemon pie; toasted rice pudding; and caramelised maple tart.
Mother Tongue // Gurdeep Loyal // £26 // 4th Estate
With recipes for everything from coconut crab crumpets to kasundi keema lasagne rolls, Loyal celebrates the hybrid cooking of second-generation migrants. Food has allowed him to embrace the delicious contradictions of his British-Indian identity and here he explores a culinary upbringing that combined home-cooked Punjabi food with curry house tikka masala.
Dark Rye and Honey Cake // Regula Ysewjin // £26 // Murdoch Books
In this follow-up to Oats in the North, Wheat from the South, Ysewijn turns to the baking traditions of Belgium, revealing through stunning photos and recipes a year of rustic bakes. There are waffles and winter breads for Christmas, pancakes for Candlemas and Carnival, pretzels for Lent, vlaai and fried dough for Kermis.
Anything You Can Cook, I Can Cook Vegan // Richard Makin // £25 // Bloomsbury
A guide to truly creative plant-based cooking with zero sacrifice, here are more than 100 innovative recipes to get you confident in a plant-based kitchen. Imagine a world with limitless vegan options. Mac ‘n’ cheese? Proper English fry-up? Decadent ice cream sundae? Imagine no more…
Love is a Pink Cake // Claire Ptak // £27 // Square Peg
A northern California native who now runs the wildly successful Violet Bakery in London, Ptak shares 75 sweet and savory creations, including Huckleberry basil sugar scones; peaches and cream angel food cake; and a strawberry-coconut meringue cake. A treasure trove of baking.
