Virginia H. Ellison

This is a whimsical cookbook, broadly inspired by A.A. Milne's classic novels Winnie-the-Pooh and House at Pooh Corner. Ellison, the writer of the cookbook, tried to infuse her recipes with the charm of WInnie the Pooh, and most page spreads are accompanied by drawings of the much loved characters. The recipes are divided up by type, as is typical in a cookbook, but the author here had a little fun with her divisions, calling one section "Smackerels, Elevenses & Teas" and another "Provisions for Picnics & Expotitions". The recipes themselves are mostly home comfort meals that derive from a story or chapter in the above-mentioned books, and sometimes are directly drawn from Milne's stories. Many of the recipes feature honey, which is a nice touch.

I'm not a big cook, and I bought this for a baby shower that was themed with Winnie the Pooh. Fortunately, there are a few simple dessert and sauce recipes here that I was able to use, and they tasted delicious! Unfortunately, most of the recipes involve a more experienced chef than I will ever be, calling on the user of the book to cream salmon, boil and peel potatoes (okay, not difficult, but not something I want to do again), alternate flour and milk mixtures until you have a finely textured cake batter, and other exacting skills. I don't foresee myself using much of this cookbook in the future, but other real cooks out there would probably love it. The dishes all sound yummy - I just need someone to make them for me. Also, I enjoyed reading it. The directions have a personality most cookbooks lack, the illustrations are sweet, and the food described made my mouth water. This is a great cookbook, but meant for people who have much more time and inclination for cooking than myself.… (more)