Book links: Good reading guide
There are so many food-related books out on the market. But how to discern the very best from the run-of-the-mill? Well, here's a starting point. The books featured below are the result of passion, creativity, and years of experimentation and refinement. They are a distillation of some of the country's brightest culinary minds - the festival's guest speakers and performers for 2011. We will be adding to this list as names are confirmed. Immerse yourself in their world, share their vision - and get cooking! Happy reading...
Pete Brown – Hops and Glory
From Burton to Bombay, Pete Brown tells us a history of the most glorious and cruel period of Britain's history... all through beer! This book is delightfully tongue in cheek but deeply informative. It doesn't matter if you're a fan of beer, travel or history, you'll end up feeling all the more informed /entertained by all three subjects. Engaging, side-splittingly funny at times - and all the more rewarding for it.
Pete Brown – Man Walks into a Pub
An extraordinary tale of yeast-obsessed monks and teetotal prime ministers; of how pale ale fuelled an Empire and weak bitter won a world war; of exploding breweries, a bear in a yellow nylon jacket and a Canadian bloke who changed the drinking habits of a nation. It's also the story of the rise of the pub from humble origins through an epic, thousand-year struggle to survive misunderstanding, bad government and misguided commerce.
Samuel & Samantha Clark -
The Moro Cookbook
The Clarks' passion for the intense flavours of the cuisine of Spain, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean follows the saffron-cinnamon connection; the robust style of Spanish cooking balancing the lighter, more exotic dishes of the Muslim Mediterranean. Includes appendix of suppliers and speciality ethnic shops. 'A magical book full of rare and special flavours', Nigel Slater.
Coming soon: New paperback editions of Moro East, Casa Moro, and The Moro Cookbook.
Simon Fairlie –
Meat: A Benign Extravagance
An exploration of the difficult environmental and ethical issues that surround the human consumption of animal flesh. The world's meat consumption is rapidly rising, leading to devastating environmental impacts as well as having long term health implications for societies everywhere. Simon Fairlie's book lays out the reasons why we must decrease the amount of meat we eat, both for the planet and for ourselves.
Bill Granger – Bill's Basics
The big, bold taste explosions of Asia and the fresh, lively combinations of ingredients have had Bill Granger hooked since childhood. To him, the Asian dishes he most loves to cook and eat aren't exotic but quick, healthy everyday food. Here he simplifies favourite classics to create the very best that Asian food has to offer, drawing on his own colourful and varied experiences: from a home-cooked dinner in Singapore to a businessman's breakfast in Japan.
Trina Hahnemann – The Nordic Diet
In this groundbreaking book, Trina Hahnemann, doyenne of Scandinavian cooking, provides a succinct guide to the Nordic Diet, its elements, ingredients and basic philosophy and how to use it to lose weight. All these elements are then combined in 75 diverse and delicious recipes. Throughout the book there are nuggets of information on the seasonality and nutritional content of the ingredients. Photographed in Denmark by Lars Ranek.
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