Books for Christmas Cooks

A keen cook is always happy to receive another tome on food and even at Christmas, when the kitchen is working at full tilt, there is always some downtime to enjoy a good cookbook. For help and advice on cooking a traditional Christmas meal, you've got the Delias and Nigellas to turn to and so why not look to inspiration from two other favourites, Tamasin Day-Lewis and Laura Santtini?

SUPPER FOR A SONG

Tamasin Day-Lewis's latest book is excellent post Christmas, when your pocket has been stretched and you are looking to curb costs. This is hard times cooking but you wouldn't guess that from looking at this beautifully illustrated book with recipes that sing with flavour and reward doubly on the comfort front. It just shows that with a little resourcefulness and some forward planning, you can cook up a feast without breaking the bank.

Some of Tamasin's recent titles have been cut and paste jobs and it is good to see her back on form with new recipes that meet our cost conscious times.

Read the full review, click here.
Published by Quadrille. £20
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EASY TASTY ITALIAN

If you enjoy Italian food and let's face who doesn't, why not give Laura Santtini's new book a go. This is sexed up Italian food with recipes that are presented in bite size nuggets. Staying true to its Italian roots, with a foreword by Gillian Riley of the Oxford Companion to Italian Food to boot, Laura injects pzazz into her recipes with magic tricks that transform them into dishes that you'll remember.

From a cursory glance, you might think Easy Tasty Italian is a quick fix book with its Top 10 Classic Pasta Sauces and Seren-dip-ities, four dips to get you dancing. However, the recipes have substance and with Laura's thorough grounding in Italian cuisine, she has been able to depart from the norm and be ever so slightly whacky, without losing the true meaning of Italian food.

This is Italian food with bling, Easy Italian Food might look gimmicky but the recipes have depth and for some festive sparkle, it would be churlish not to give some of them a go.

Read the full review, click here.
Published by Quadrille. £20
Buy from Amazon