Three cookbooks to get you through winter
Maggie Beer’s Winter Harvest Recipes by Maggie Beer
I associate Maggie Beer with quinces, with pheasant pâtés, mushrooms, and with delicious slow-cooked country cooking. This delightful collection of recipes has everything you could expect for cold nights. The recipes are from the winter section of Maggie’s bible, Maggie’s Harvest. Included in this collection are detailed descriptions of meals (think perfectly planned menus for you to copy, step-by-step) with family and friends. I love this glimpse into Maggie’s life, her warmth and generosity shows with her meal plans and with those she keeps around her. Maggie Beer makes cooking obtainable for everyone. Also, I love her pâtés!
Slow Cooker Central by Paulene Christie
Paulene started a phenomenon. She popped a few recipes about slow cooking in a slow cooker onto a website and then before she knew it she had trillions of followers and people sharing recipes left, right, and centre. This book is a collection of more than 250 recipes from her Slow Cooker Central website and her insanely popular Slow Cooker Recipes 4 Families Facebook page. This is what I’ve learnt flicking through this marvel: you can make cakes, jams, and soups in slow cookers. I knew all about the magic power of slow cooking lamb for hours, but this book allows you to create menus of little fuss and great taste. Ironically, this book is a winner for all those in a rush most of the time.
The Chef Gets Healthy by Tobie & Georgia Puttock
Honestly, I am full of admiration for any married couple that can work together so already my hat is off to the Puttocks. My admiration grew when I realised that their work of love is all about living longer together by creating and eating healthy food. Georgia said to Tobie, ‘Tobie, your diet is going to have to change if you are going to live as long as me.’ And he said, in return, ‘Okay, I’m going to change my bad, fatty habits.’
Anyway, long story short, here is the perfect cookbook for couples supporting one another in making choices that involve kale as opposed to cheesecake. The recipes, in a similar vein to Tobie’s good friend Jamie Oliver’s, are filled with quick and easy steps for truly delicious food from morning to night-time snacks. This is the perfect book for those who strive for perfection.
