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Not only do I love reading fiction but I love reading recipe books too, from cover to cover like a novel. I can’t resist buying them too when I see them on special offer, though I already have a cupboard groaning under the weight of them all.
This month though I have found myself looking through some fab books so I thought I would share.
The slow cooker book was £2 in Asda and is full of really great recipes that you will actually want to cook. I don’t know about you but I tend to buy a recipe book, love six of the recipes and then get bored as all the others are either so complicated or so full of strange ingredients that I will never be able to cook them. This little gem is full of great stuff that every busy family will want to cook, and the joy of a slow cooker is that there is no faff either. And it’s hard to get it wrong in a slow cooker. Boy have I tried.
Talking of busy families and no faff, this is my current favourite recipe book. Written by Alex Hollywood, a surname that you might recognise as she just happens to be married to that bloke off the telly. But this book confirms that Alex is not just a celeb chef’s wife, she is a great cook in her own right and clearly has been for a long time. These recipes are all the sorts of things you will want to cook over and over again. A whole section for instance on quick mid week meals, all a bit different from the normal things I would cook but still unfussy enough to be done in less than an hour. It also shows you how to use leftovers and cut down on food waste which is something I really need to master. Published by Hodder and Staughton the RRP is £25 but I got mine for just a fiver on Amazon recently.
Away from foodie books for a minute, this landed on my desk this week and made me stop what I was doing and flick through it from cover to cover. A very simple book showing 68 things you can do on a beach, whether that is beside a lake, a river or the seaside. The ideas are simple but will keep every age happy for hours. Some take no planning, like skimming stones. Others such as pewter pendant casting do take some planning but even on an overcast day would make a day trip fascinating. I adore this book and will definitely be taking it with us on holiday. It is published by Frances Lincoln and is £9.99
Talking of things to do with children, the Kids Cook French book is another one that will keep children entertained for hours, and then they get to eat the results. The recipes are in both French and English so you can have fun learning that flour is farine and fish are poisson. Though some of the recipes might not be suitable for children as they contain wine there are plenty in here that you can do together. It is published by Quarry Books and is £12.99
To order The Beach Book at the discounted price of £7.99 including p&p* (RRP: £9.99), telephone 01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk and quote the offer code APG329.
*UK ONLY – Please add £2.50 if ordering from overseas.
The Beach Book is officially released on 4th June
Last up is a book devoted entirely to chocolate. 60 recipes by Eric Lanlard in a book called “Totally Chocolate”. This book had me salivating and almost licking the pages. Everything from chocolate pavlova to chocolate fudge. I want it all and I want it now. Published by Octopus Books for £7.99