Pan Cooks

The theory surrounding the publication of these books is to bring to the public a set of affordable cookery books (£6.99 each) by some of Britain's best food writers. Each book is a classic in its own right, and the authors all have something to give. From the four titles available now, the GWG prefers two. May be Evergreen and Simply Delicious Suppers have aged a little less gracefully than Jeremy Round's wonderful tome, first printed in 1988. The Independent Cook is akin to Jane Grigson's writing: scholarly and informative and it should never be far from your elbow when cooking. As for Simon Hopkinson, his achievements are many and as Clarissa Dickson-Wright says, ‘Gammon & Spinach is a book from which I want to eat almost every recipe'. How true.

The Independent Cook by Jeremy Round

Jeremy Round was one of the pioneers who led the movement of eating fine produce seasonally, and were it not for his untimely death in 1989, he would no doubt have been an even huger force today on the organic front and spearheading the consumers' quest for better produce. His writing received much acclaim and it is heartening that Pan Books have seen fit to reprint this epic for a whole new generation to enjoy. A book that can be enjoyed as much in the bedroom as over a hot stove in the kitchen, it is informed and engagingly written, bringing together his vast knowledge of food and its commentators.

The recipes in the Independent Cook are presented chronologically month by month, which make it an easy book to dive into. Start thinking ahead and check out the fruit and vegetables that you will be seeing in your local shops.

The recipes are eclectically global from your plain and wholesome British to the exotic Orient. Try the Ottoman baked lamb, braised in red wine and tomato purée and served on a pile of aubergine purée, thickened with cheese and béchamel. Or try a heartening gratin of root vegetables taken from an 18th Century recipe by the gourmand, Grimod de la Reynière. Cranberry parfait is the perfect alternative to Christmas pudding.

The advice on cheese is especially helpful when your average supermarket tends to stock most types of cheese on a year round basis. When, in fact, quality varies enormously between seasons. The glossary provides much useful information on fruit and vegetables and the best UK grown and import seasons. Fish, meat and cheese are also given the same treatment.

The Independent Cook will sit happily alongside your Jane Grigsons and Elizabeth Davids. Age will not wither it.

Evergreen by Annie Bell

Annie Bell has been writing about food for over ten years and during that time she has been shortlisted twice for the Glenfiddich Award. With regular columns in The Independent and You Magazine, Evergreen brings together a collection of meaty vegetarian dishes but naturally, without the meat, with a fresh and innovative spin. For vegetarians with jaded palates, they should plunder this book looking for new ideas, for it is here they will find many.

There are some good recipes for pasta but curiously a recipe for pad thai appears slap bang in the middle of this chapter, albeit it a good one. Try the interesting combination of cauliflower and chilli served with penne. Leeks braised with olives and served with char-grilled polenta mascarpone, is a hearty dish to keep the cold out. And if you want to be really different, try lovage syllabub, a curious combination of the very strong celery tasting herb with sweet wine and cream.

The reader will glean useful bits of information between the recipes. One that struck the GWG particularly refers to vegetable stock making. During the asparagus season, we are all besotted by using up every piece of asparagus and it is all too easy to throw the coarser ends of the stalks into a saucepan, ready for stock making. Annie Bell suggests ‘discarding the very end of the asparagus stalk, where the presence of mould spores will taint the stock.'

A useful book to have on your shelves, especially when entertaining vegetarians.

Gammon and Spinach by Simon Hopkinson

Simon Hopkinson, Glenfiddich Award winner twice over, is a brilliant writer on food. You may not realise it but his cooking has been hugely influential in Britain and many chefs and writers have taken up his ideas and popularised them. He can be recognised as the first British man to put olive oil in mashed potatoes, thus sparking off a whole new cult.

The good thing about his recipes is that he is able to source them; exactly where he ate this or that. Inspiration was invariably drawn from a memorable meal in France or a conversation between friends. The resulting recipes are easy and accessible and will become part of your repertoire all too quickly.

Warm leek purée with truffle oil claims that it is nothing more than an ultra-smooth vichyssoise but the addition of truffle oil put it into a different league all together. Back to potatoes and Simon suggests mashing new potatoes, adding equal quantities of whipping cream and extra virgin oil. Serve with grilled fish or shellfish, especially scallops. Smoked haddock pancakes with curry cream sauce make a comforting evening meal mid winter. For a late night appetite attack, cook up Bacon du Bedat, a sandwich of streaky bacon, smoked salmon and mango chutney. When you are stuck for a pudding, try his ginger cake version of bread and butter pudding, excellent store cupboard entertaining.

An outstanding book.

Simply Delicious Suppers by Darina Allen

Darina Allen is famous for her internationally renowned cookery school, Ballymaloe, in Ireland. Simply Delicious Suppers was first published in 1992, and brings together some deceptively simple dishes making the most of seasonal produce. Darina believes ‘They are the essential basis of good cooking'.
The recipes are not startling but they don't profess to be either. Instead they combine to make a solid repertoire for cooking and eating. It is a book that you can't go wrong with. The recipes are easy to follow and quick to prepare.

Darina's inspiration is clearly drawn from the shores of Ireland and in places the recipes lack an international edge but nonetheless, the food is full of flavour. There are some excellent fish recipes. Warm salad of scallops with toasted pine kernels and avocado caught our attention. Cooked cucumber and fennel harks back to the old days when cucumber was eaten more often than not cooked. This dish is particularly good with fish. Darina suggest sweating small pieces in butter over a low heat until just soft and then garnish with some fresh fennel fronds.

Mummy's sweet white scones really do work and if you have never had success with them before, then start with this recipe. Country rhubarb cakewith seasonal variations is a useful pudding to have up your sleeve as you can ring the changes with the season: from rhubarb to gooseberries, to damsons, blackberries and apples. If you have a scented lemon geranium plant, Pelargonium graveolens, use a few leaves to flavour apple compote.

You will find some interesting recipes here and even if you don't use them all, it still makes a good buy.