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Loading... Supper for a Song: Creative Comfort Food for the Resourceful Cook (edition 2010)by Tamasin Day-Lewis
Work InformationSupper for a Song by Tamasin Day-Lewis
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Supper for a Song bills itself as "a save it, stretch it, re-vamp it, don't waste it . . . a cook-delicious-food but count-the-cost and spare-the-energy" cookbook, a "book for the resourceful cook in the prudent kitchen". Tamasin Day-Lewis, a food writer who writes regularly for English and American Vogue, Saveur, Stella, Sainsbury's Magazine, Waitrose Food Illustrated and Reader's Digest on both food and non-food subjects. She has written several cookbooks and also produced and directed television documentaries. Following a rather confusing contents page (which one could easily pass over without knowing it), Tamasin launches straight into the recipes. These range from Roast Chicken, Sausage Pie, Mince, Potato Bread, Cakes, Stews, Lasagne, some luxurious Happy Food, Bread, Puddings, and many more. They encompass a wide range of ethnic origins. They sound very tempting, and the un-enhanced photographs add to their appeal. Each recipe is preceded by a few personal comments from the author, and the recipes themselves are laid out clearly and the instructions are easy to follow. There is also advice on buying, and on maintaining a well-stock sore-cupboard. However I am not convinced the book really achieves what it claims to. The ingredients for a number of the recipes are unlikely to be found in the average fridge or larder, and some of the ingredients are far from cheap, or even common fare in the typical supermarket. It may be "For the clever cook", but I question "in the cost-conscious kitchen". The presentation is good but basic, and the variable layout does not always make the recipes as easy to follow as the might. Supper for a Song is billed as being for the clever cook in the cost-concious kitchen. Tamasin Day-Lewis is a well-regarded food writer with an eclectic style, and while this cookbook represents her style, I don't believe that it lives up to its billing as a count-the-cost and spare-the-energy cookbook. To fully take advantage of a lot of the recipes would mean having a well-stocked larder or cupboard, and while this is an admirable way to be, I can't see a lot of cost-concious cooks fitting into this category. I received this book as the evenings start to darken and I am immediately tempted by a lot of the receipes which promise warmth and filling on cold winter evenings. However, I did find the layout of the book to be distracting with a mixtures of savouries and starters, rather than more clearly defined sections. It is a beautiful cookbook with an exciting and interesting mix of recipes and tips. I just feel that it is completely missold by the strapline on the cover. no reviews | add a review
In tough times we still always crave food, even if we have to cut down (or give up) eating out. In this book Yamasin Day-Lewis shows that eating really well is a pleasure that never has to be compromised no matter what your budget. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)641.552Technology Home and family management Food And Drink Cooking, cookbooks Quick Meals Low Budget MealsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Author Tamasin Day-Lewis, UK celebrity chef and food writer for the Daily Telegraph, Vanity Fair, Vogue and Food Illustrated, has put together a nice looking and detailed book from which the back of the book blurb quotes "To feed a family for a song and still encompass all that is great is down to Tamasin's amazing passion, with an eye to the purse strings." This lead me to believe it would be a more simple "how to spread your meals further and save money" type of book.
In some ways it is just that, but not in the true sense since many of the ingredients are not what the average household w
ould have in their pantry. She does encourage the reader to be creative, but most resourceful cooks when being prudent in the kitchen will not forage in the fridge, field and larder in search of things like Monkfish, Wild Salmon, Squid, expensive cheeses, vanilla pods, peche de vigne, and a variety of Port or wine, as suggested. Well, not in my house anyway!
The book also claims to have advice on things like keeping the store cupboard well stocked, and how to make the most of seasonal gluts, but for a cookbook missing a contents page this was not easily found. For these reasons I'm giving this book three stars (Amazon).
Overall: As a general cookbook it works. It is creative and I do like her suggestion for roast chicken with sausage, sage and prune stuffing, and what to do with the carcass. I have even tried a few of the recipes in the Happy Food and The Saturday Bake sections, with some success! However, for a book that at first appears to be written for
those on a budget it's not quite as satisfying as her delectable (expensive) puddings and lays heavy on me. ( )