Cook Book Review - Recipes to Know by Heart

Xanthe Clay is known throughout the UK as the cookery writer for the Saturday Telegraph. Followers of her column (myself included) will be delighted with her new book.

Recipes to Know by Heart claims to be all you need to know to be a great home cook. It delivers just that. 42 core recipes to learn by heart which will give you a repertoire of tasty dishes. Seasonal variations and recommendations will expand that repertoire into hundreds of recipes; a Bolognese sauce can become a cottage pie, a chili con carne, a Yorkshire pudding batter a pancake or a Toad in the Hole.

Each chapter divided into meat, fish, vegetables, dairy etc gives easy to follow guidance as well as recipes and seasonal variations. More experienced cooks will also find the book useful with all the handy hints and tips and seasonal varieties.

With a handful of good ingredients this book will take you as far as you want to go.