Moomins were never that big in the UK, but in Finland, they are HUGE (and I'm not just talking about their shape here). If you were or are a Moomin fan, or indeed a fan of Finnish food, then this is the book for you. Don't be misled by the title - there's no actual cooking of Moomins involved here! (Just as well, as my supermarket never stocks Mooomin-meat!).
The book contains over 150 recipes - together with characteristically cute line drawings of the gang. The recipes are split into:
Breakfast
Lunch
Evening Meals
A Summer's evening
At the Garden Party
Out and About
Harvesting Time
A Winter's evening
At a birthday party.
It's more for the young at heart than the young per se. While there are a lot of recipes that would be totally suitable for little folk, others are definitely aimed more at Moominmama and Moominpapa (including Moominpapa's spiced mulled wine)! And they range in complexity from "coffee" (no, seriously) and sandwiches to pies and fish bakes - which would definitely be more for the older Moomin population. There is a Finnish slant to the collection, but most ingredients are readily sourced in the UK. There are a few fish recipes, as you would expect. But it won't turn you into MoominNigella.
The cakes and puds offer the most appetising options (or that might just be me! I find that with ALL recipe books!) There are quite a few vegetarian options too (spinach rice bake, mushroom stew, potato bake) and some that will require a strong stomach (soured milk, anyone?).
There are no pictures of the food. Overall, it's perhaps more for the ardent Moomin fan than the ardent cook, but as there are far more cook books than Moomin books out there, that's no bad thing. Where else will you find "laundry day soup" or "Snufkin's picnic pot"? It would probably appeal most to a teenage Moomin fan. It's a charming book and certainly Moominmama is looking pretty healthy on this diet.