At home with Chris Gordon, the best lifestyle books of the month
The September edition of Readings Monthly is available online and in our shops, but if you haven't picked up a copy yet, below you can read Chris Gordon's column from the latest issue. And check the blog for more updates and recommended new releases throughout the month!
The Good Farm Cookbook by Scott Gooding & Matilda Brown
Break it down. Make a list. Check the time. Family feeding is difficult for many of us and this cheery, wholesome cookbook does the hard work for you. Within it is a wonderful array of family-friendly, easy-to-achieve, no-nonsense dishes to serve for every meal of the week. An added bonus – all of the dishes are healthy, but don’t always appear that way. Got a fussy eater at your table? This book has you covered. Your partner is averse to gluten? No problem. Feeling exhausted and need iron? They’ve got you.
The authors have considered every possible appetite in the making of this fine collection of delicious recipes. For example, the lentil cottage pie is just the ticket for a Wednesday night in winter, and the kid-friendly green pasta will please everyone. This book is for the busy but sensible family.
The Plant Society Design Handbook: A Plant Stylist’s Guide to Creating Beautiful Living Spaces by Jason Chongue
Imagine if Jason Chongue sat down with you, listened to all your dreams of living in a jungle oasis, and then made a plan for you to follow. This book would be the result. Within it there are ideas for entryways, sideboards, balconies, and courtyards. There are ideas for growing olive trees, vegetables and herbs or for just hanging a pot plant by the window. This book is designed for the wannabe gardener – you want the greenery, but you have no idea how to do it. This excellent book will show you all the good, bad and bountiful ways that gardening and pots of colour work and thrive. Personally, I have spent some time earmarking pages for fun weekend projects for my partner and myself. He cannot wait to get started!
Sweet Seasons: Wholesome Treats for Every Occasion by Michael James & Pippa James
Open the windows. Turn on your favourite podcast or dance music. Switch the oven to high. It’s time to bake! There are over 80 recipes of sweet treats in this collection, from those suitable for a weekend bake-off, a family gathering or indeed bringing a plate to the office. Chocolate chip cookies never tasted so good, and the custard tarts will make the house smell like an Enid Blyton landscape. The sponge cakes will melt in your mouth – just don’t eat all the batter before you pop it in the oven.
You probably fell in love with baking duo Michael and Pippa James when you encountered their first book, All Day Baking; this one is pushing the stakes out a little more. Do not be frightened of making your own hot cross buns. Do not quibble at the perfect brownie recipe. It’s all in here and it’s all wonderful. I know your day just got better simply thinking about what to bake next.
Karkalla at Home: Native Foods & Everyday Recipes for Connecting to Country by Mindy Woods
Do you have a tin of myrtle seeds on the kitchen bench? Or maybe you have some macadamia nuts or Warrigal greens, but you have no idea how to use those delicious native ingredients on a busy Tuesday night? Well, chef and proud Bundjalung woman Mindy Woods highlights more than 40 of Australia’s most-available native ingredients, takes you by the hand, leads you through the gorgeous scenery of the NSW hinterland and into the kitchen to create.
There are well over 100 recipes and all are achievable, thoughtful and delicious. Woods covers the entire day with grace and knowledge, sharing recipes for everything from breakfast through to dinner parties. This collection is an excellent guide to and celebration of produce from this amazing land.
Chopsticks or Fork?: Recipes and Stories from Australia’s Regional Chinese Restaurants by Jennifer Wong & Lie Jie Kong
This is my favourite cookbook this month because it brought back all those memories of fried ice-cream, and sweet and sour pork that marked every dinner break in those long-distance car trips my family took. We always ate at the Chinese restaurant in country towns and those times remain sacred in my mind. Chopsticks or Fork? lovingly captures the stories of 10 very different families who run Chinese restaurants, in places ranging from Queensland’s Hervey Bay to Western Australia’s Dunsborough, and it features over 30 Australian-Chinese recipes.
This book is part-history, part-game-night, part-cookbook and all heart. You will laugh out loud and you will also delight in discovering the tricks to classic dishes. This book is a perfect gift to yourself and to anyone who has ever delighted in a perfectly positioned banana split.
Ottolenghi COMFORT by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh
Ottolenghi is reading the room. We have had such punchy, upbeat titles from the great man in the past, but now we are all on our knees and we need comfort. Yotam and Helen to the rescue. Here the cooks discuss their own childhoods, their travels and the recipes that provide them with a sense of security and nourishment. There are soups, mashes and pastas. There are meals that can be served in bowls for you to wrap your hands around. This collection of over 100 recipes will comfort you when the rest of the outside world seems unforgiving. A perfect home cookbook for those searching for an easy time with huge, wondrous flavours that simply say, stay home tonight. Recover.
Nights Out at Home by Jay Rayner
Have we all fancied being a restaurant critic, or is it just me and my list of handy hints that I believe would make the world eat and socialise better? Jay Rayner has been at my imagined game for over 25 years in real life and has been creating his own list – a more useful and public-facing one than mine. His list is all about delicious dishes he has tasted and how to recreate them in your own home. Think of this book as part-memoir and part-culinary journey. There are over 60 recipes that will make your mouth water, including a chocolate pudding which will stop conversations at the table. This book is the perfect read for those who like to dine out, but also want to recreate special nights in their own home. It’s a gift for any foodie person – and isn’t that all of us?
Rick Stein's Food Stories by Rick Stein
I lived in England about 20 years ago and was often surprised by the food served. It was rubbish, often, and it amazed me that all the neighbouring countries didn’t get a look-in to the cuisine of this astonishing country. Rick Stein is here to report that things have changed and the food that is enjoyed – even relished – in the United Kingdom now speaks to diversity and courage. All the English classics are listed in this beautiful collection, but now with nods to outside influences. It makes for delicious reading. And as usual with Stein, there is a story to go with each dish, and simple instructions on achieving food that celebrates history and the future. A treat for all fans of his work, and for those just getting involved in Stein – this is the place to start. I’m all-in on the potted shrimp with crumpets.
