Kate Macdonald (1)

Thank you to Kate Macdonald, L.M. Montgomery, Quarto Publishing Group, and Race Point Publishing and NetGalley for this free honest reviewer copy of The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook: Charming Recipes from Anne and Her Friends in Avonlea."

I have loved Anne and Avonlea since I was a very small child, pouring over first the tv show and then devouring the novels at such a fast pace. I have such a deep love for all the young, precocious heroines I fell in love with, every bit of their lives as show more they grew up, and all the gorgeous world around them that it happened within.

This cookbook was originally published in 1985, and so this version is a reprinting updating a good portion of the interior, adding a more modern spin on it while making sure to hold tight to the charm and class that belonged to all things Montgomery. It's relatively short compared to its contemporaries coming out, but it makes up for that with amazing amounts of charm.

The chapter titles are incredibly darling (from several time periods of Anne's life: Green Gables, Avonlea, the Windy Poplars). There are even recipes from the kitchen of L.M. Montgomery's own kitchen, which made my heart swoon. Several of the recipes are, also, all familiar titles and names, and you'll definitely find yourself remembering where in the books these dishes were mentioned and enjoyed.

It was, also, deeply touching to read the short stories that accompanied the recipes, knowing that they were written for L.M. Montgomery's own grandchildren. I will be keeping a copy of this and gifting it with the novels to children all through my family. show less

First I must say that this book looks very beautiful. It has a romantic and nostalgic feeling to it and every recipe is accompanied by a page-wide picture of the dish that looks like taken straight from the world of Anne. It includes all the recipes from the original collection of 1985 (inspired by passages from the stories of Anne of Green Gables series) plus 11 new recipes including some from L.M. Montgomery's own kitchen.

I loved that each recipe starts with a quote from one of L.M. show more Montgomery's books that refers to the dish we are about to make. It is as if you are summoning the story as you cook and bringing it back to life with every bite. If you are a fan of L.M. Montgomery's stories, you definitely want this book, and if you haven't read them yet, you will find plenty of inspiration here to start your journey. Plus it has food, yummy comfort food. I got my eARC from NetGalley show less

If you grew up reading the Anne series then this book needs very little introduction. Surely you will remember how often food played a part in the young orphan’s life and if you don’t then you will still have no worry because the author has lovingly added quotes from the various books with each recipe to refresh your memory as to why this particular item is important. By the time you’re done flipping through the colorful, easy to read pages and salivating over the dishes presented you show more will want to bake up some treats then settle in with the books to enjoy them in a thoroughly more interactive way and relive this aspect of your childhood.

There are four sections of recipes. The first 3 are from the books and they are broken down by title with quotes from the chapters attached to the recipes. The last are recipes from L. M. Montgomery herself including an Americanized version of an old Irish staple – Shepard’s Pie.

All of the recipes are easy to follow, contain ingredients that will not be hard to come by and include pictures to help anyone who is cooking impaired so they can compare their dish to what it’s supposed to look like and gauge how close they got. I tried a few of these and found them quite easy to follow though I do admit to cooking regularly from scratch so I’m not exactly a beginner. Cooking tips and terms have been included as well as some advice from a seasoned cook so if carefully read and followed no worries should be had.

This collection was originally published in 1985 and has been updated with 11 new recipes and since this has been put together by none other than L. M. Montgomery’s own granddaughter it feels safe to say the integrity of what the author originally created has been kept intact.

If you are a “kindred spirit” of Anne’s then why shouldn’t you pick this up and join in her culinary adventures? show less

Book received from NetGalley.

I had the original printed version of this book in the early 2000's, but I never really used it. The recipes were interesting but with how they were sorted I couldn't find certain recipes that were mentioned in specific books in the series. In this version they fixed that issue and I liked it much better. In these pages you'll find the cordial that Anne set Diana drunk on, the monkey face cookies that Davy and Dora loved, as well as Miss Ellen's pound cake. show more Unfortunately the recipes don't go further than foods that are found in "Anne of Windy Poplars" though we do get a section of recipes from L.M. Montgomery's kitchen. This is a definite buy for anyone who has ever wondered just what are they talking about when they mention specific foods in the series. show less