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Review
There is no more functional or inspirational kitchen bible --Daily Telegraph
`this will grow to be a much-loved resource for years to come.' --Good Book Guide
`Enough to keep you going for quite a few Christmases to come'
--Jamie Magazine
`this will grow to be a much-loved resource for years to come.' --Good Book Guide
`Enough to keep you going for quite a few Christmases to come'
--Jamie Magazine
Review
PRAISE FOR SARAH RAVEN'S GARDEN COOKBOOK: 'Stand-out book that marries mouth-watering pictures and prose with good recipes' The Times 'For anyone who grows their own food or wants to take advantage of gluts and low prices, there is no more functional or inspirational kitchen bible' Daily Telegraph 'This is a book for a lifetime of cooking: there are more than 400 recipes .. Raven's recipes are simple, practical and enticing, and there isn't one I don't want to cook' Spectator 'A dazzling book - inspiring, intelligent, invaluable' Nigel Slater
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
70 of 73 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A shiny silver and pink cover, with amazing photography of frosted seedheads: this is a gorgeous Christmas book with the unusual feature of always having one eye on the garden. Raven's timetable for Christmas means she tells us how to force hyacinths as well as make sloe gin, whilst thinking ahead to the Christmas cake and narcissi Paperwhite.
Beginning with the cake and the pudding (Constance Spry's recipe), mincemeat and fruit chutneys, the book takes an old-fashioned, very English approach to the Christmas mainstays. Making your own turkish delight, florentines and gingerbread house, seems so tempting. There's loads of advice about table bulbs including vital suggestions as to varieties; and brilliant ideas for front door wreaths including one laden with chillis and limes.
There are timetables for parties of fewer than, and more than 30 people, and amazing flower arrangements to do for those parties too (including an over-the-top hanging globe with eucalyptus, hdrangea, silver birch and huge bright chrysanthemums. This sounds weird, but it looks great.)
Pages of tasty canapes and unusual cocktails follow, and then finally the big event itself. A great sounding kedgeree recipe for Christmas Eve; or cook cheese fondue, beef carpaccio, or risotto.
And on Christmas Day? Raven is an evangelist for goose, offering a choice of five stuffings, plus a couple of deliciously healthy winter salads that will be making their way onto my table on the 25th. The big veggie option is Fennel and Gorgonzola soufflé tart... it looks as good as it sounds.
Her leftovers dishes have an oriental flavour - Nasi Goreng from Thailand and noodle soup. For Boxing day, terrines, an old-fashioned baked ham, a classic Cumberland sauce, a Mary Berry fish pie,... And then New Year's Eve, with salmon in puff pastry versus beef Carbonnade and Moroccan lamb with couscous. It's not as glitzy as Nigella's Christmas book, but has a much more "real-life" feel whilst still being incredibly special, and I can already see it being used more. A total success.
Beginning with the cake and the pudding (Constance Spry's recipe), mincemeat and fruit chutneys, the book takes an old-fashioned, very English approach to the Christmas mainstays. Making your own turkish delight, florentines and gingerbread house, seems so tempting. There's loads of advice about table bulbs including vital suggestions as to varieties; and brilliant ideas for front door wreaths including one laden with chillis and limes.
There are timetables for parties of fewer than, and more than 30 people, and amazing flower arrangements to do for those parties too (including an over-the-top hanging globe with eucalyptus, hdrangea, silver birch and huge bright chrysanthemums. This sounds weird, but it looks great.)
Pages of tasty canapes and unusual cocktails follow, and then finally the big event itself. A great sounding kedgeree recipe for Christmas Eve; or cook cheese fondue, beef carpaccio, or risotto.
And on Christmas Day? Raven is an evangelist for goose, offering a choice of five stuffings, plus a couple of deliciously healthy winter salads that will be making their way onto my table on the 25th. The big veggie option is Fennel and Gorgonzola soufflé tart... it looks as good as it sounds.
Her leftovers dishes have an oriental flavour - Nasi Goreng from Thailand and noodle soup. For Boxing day, terrines, an old-fashioned baked ham, a classic Cumberland sauce, a Mary Berry fish pie,... And then New Year's Eve, with salmon in puff pastry versus beef Carbonnade and Moroccan lamb with couscous. It's not as glitzy as Nigella's Christmas book, but has a much more "real-life" feel whilst still being incredibly special, and I can already see it being used more. A total success.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Buy this book and you'll be doing as I am, dragging the festive season right out through and well into the New Year. This is solid gold. A really fabulous book that isnt (as some other books are), just another excuse for a christmas hit - this is a complete and rounded companion to the festive season - cooking, celebrating, flowers, whatever. It's easy on the eye and the mind - which is one of Sarah Raven's gifts - communicating. She makes the complex understandable, isn't afraid of keeping the simple as it should be, and manages to inspire and enable in equal measure. Top pics, as ever, from jonathan buckley too
77 of 82 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Despite my 5 star rating I have to say that I was looking forward to a fatter book - more the size of Sarah's Garden coobook! I guess I was over hopeful; notwithstanding my greed, this is a gorgeous book. In common with the Garden cookbook it is crammed with beautiful photos - all part of the experience of a stunning cookbook for me.
The book is broken into the following chapters:
PLANNING AHEAD
The Christmas Larder: Puddings and cakes/Fruit chutneys, compotes and cheeses/Homemade sweets/Homemade biscuits/Drinks for the larder.
Forced bulbs for Christmas: Bulbs to flower at Christmas/Bulbs to give as presents.
DECORATIONS
The Christmas Tree: Tree decorations.
Flowers and Foliage: Wreaths and swags/Table decorations/Houseplants for Christmas.
A CHRISTMAS PARTY
A Party timetable/Party planning
Christmas Party Floweres: Instant party flowers/Showy Party Flowers
Christmas Party Food: Small party food (less than 30)/Substantial party food (more than 30)/Drinks for a Christmas party.
CHRISTMAS EVE
A festive breakfast/A light lunch for Christmas Eve/First courses/Main courses/Festive puddings
CHRISTMAS DAY
The bird, stuffing and gravy/Alternatives for vegetarians/Christmas Day vegetables/Christmas Day Puddings
BOXING DAY
Soups, risottos and other easy lunches/Some hearty winter salads/Pates, terrines and other meat dishes/Pies and tarts/Post Christmas Puddings/Post Christmas drinks.
NEW YEAR'S EVE
First courses/Main courses/Puddings for a New Year
success.
Sarah provides a comprehensive Christmas Timetable at the front of the book. This is useful - it gets you thinking ahead about what you can do in the months leading up to Christmas. In these days of the credit crunch, plenty of the ideas she provides in the 'Planning Ahead' section can be turned into gifts - only for special recipients though! In amongst the obvious recipes for Christmas cakes, puddings etc, Sarah also gives some different recipes - mincemeat with damsons and cobnuts, Banbury cakes (which appear to be a mincepie made using puff pastry, without a bun tin, and glazing the pastry), strawberry white chocolate truffles and florentines. None of the recipes are overfussy - and, where applicable, they also contain guidance for packaging for gifts. The ideas for gifts continue through potted crocus bulbs and miniature iris.
This review really could run and run! There are numerous ideas throughout the book for floral arrangments; they look utterly stunning and I would love to be able to recreate them - I suspect though that they may be beyond my novice skills. The pictures really do inspire you though.
Sarah's menus for a party are lovely - not your normal selection of canapes (fennel chunks with parma ham, turkish borek with fillings). She also includes advice for cocktails to serve - and how much to provide!
It is rewarding that Sarah does not simply provide one idea in a section - a festive breakfast includes granola, buns, muffins etc, - numerous stuffings are provided for Christmas Day, numerous different ways of doing the vegetables. Sarah isn't an overcomplicated cook, and I like that. I like the simplicity that her recipes espouse. This may very well become my Christmas Bible.
The book is broken into the following chapters:
PLANNING AHEAD
The Christmas Larder: Puddings and cakes/Fruit chutneys, compotes and cheeses/Homemade sweets/Homemade biscuits/Drinks for the larder.
Forced bulbs for Christmas: Bulbs to flower at Christmas/Bulbs to give as presents.
DECORATIONS
The Christmas Tree: Tree decorations.
Flowers and Foliage: Wreaths and swags/Table decorations/Houseplants for Christmas.
A CHRISTMAS PARTY
A Party timetable/Party planning
Christmas Party Floweres: Instant party flowers/Showy Party Flowers
Christmas Party Food: Small party food (less than 30)/Substantial party food (more than 30)/Drinks for a Christmas party.
CHRISTMAS EVE
A festive breakfast/A light lunch for Christmas Eve/First courses/Main courses/Festive puddings
CHRISTMAS DAY
The bird, stuffing and gravy/Alternatives for vegetarians/Christmas Day vegetables/Christmas Day Puddings
BOXING DAY
Soups, risottos and other easy lunches/Some hearty winter salads/Pates, terrines and other meat dishes/Pies and tarts/Post Christmas Puddings/Post Christmas drinks.
NEW YEAR'S EVE
First courses/Main courses/Puddings for a New Year
success.
Sarah provides a comprehensive Christmas Timetable at the front of the book. This is useful - it gets you thinking ahead about what you can do in the months leading up to Christmas. In these days of the credit crunch, plenty of the ideas she provides in the 'Planning Ahead' section can be turned into gifts - only for special recipients though! In amongst the obvious recipes for Christmas cakes, puddings etc, Sarah also gives some different recipes - mincemeat with damsons and cobnuts, Banbury cakes (which appear to be a mincepie made using puff pastry, without a bun tin, and glazing the pastry), strawberry white chocolate truffles and florentines. None of the recipes are overfussy - and, where applicable, they also contain guidance for packaging for gifts. The ideas for gifts continue through potted crocus bulbs and miniature iris.
This review really could run and run! There are numerous ideas throughout the book for floral arrangments; they look utterly stunning and I would love to be able to recreate them - I suspect though that they may be beyond my novice skills. The pictures really do inspire you though.
Sarah's menus for a party are lovely - not your normal selection of canapes (fennel chunks with parma ham, turkish borek with fillings). She also includes advice for cocktails to serve - and how much to provide!
It is rewarding that Sarah does not simply provide one idea in a section - a festive breakfast includes granola, buns, muffins etc, - numerous stuffings are provided for Christmas Day, numerous different ways of doing the vegetables. Sarah isn't an overcomplicated cook, and I like that. I like the simplicity that her recipes espouse. This may very well become my Christmas Bible.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
a lovely book
A lovely book, possibly more for leafing through than for cooking from.
The recipes look great, and I will be trying some although, as is often the case with Sarah Raven, the... Read more
The recipes look great, and I will be trying some although, as is often the case with Sarah Raven, the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Susalaya
Cracking for Christmas
Another nice book by sarah raven that looks good on the book shelf and is also practical.Lots of christmassy inspiring pictures that help set the mind towards a time of year one... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Arthur P
Refound a long-lost Daily Telegraph article!
Very useful book to transform "I must do that sometime" mentality into "I'm doing it now!". It was excellent to find the section on making a hydrangea wreath which had appeared in... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dinsdale
christmas came early
great service, the book was here in 2 days & what a book everyone who loves christmas should have a copy.
Published 11 months ago by Mrs. S. Robertson
A beautiful and inspiring book
First and foremost a beautiful book packed full of inspiring recipes, ideas and photographs. Arranged according to a seasonal timetable, starting in September with drying flowers... Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2010 by DLKG
Sarah Ravens Complete Xmas
This book was disappointing in that it did not concentrate enough on the Xmas flowers. I thought it would contain details on how to make swags and garlands and different types of... Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2009 by J. I. Daly
Simply Superb!
Having been pointed in the direcion of this book after reading a review of Anthea Turners Christmas offering, I must say I am deeply indebtted to the person who suggested I spend... Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2009 by Mrs Moorhead
A Christmas Reference Book that will be truly useful!
This is the book for "professional" Christmas organisers - divine floral arrangements, super recipes for large groups, inspirational ideas for everything related to Christmas. Read more
Published on 19 Feb 2009 by Marcia Kaye
Almost as good as Delia
Sarah Raven's Christmas book is almost as good as Delia's but not quite. If you want to invest in just one book then Delia's Christmas is the one for you. Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2009 by Loopy Lu
Not as "complete" as I'd hoped!
i bought this book the minute it came out - I am a huge fan of Sarah's - but in truth, despite the enticing cover and fabulous photography, there was simply not enough substance... Read more
Published on 6 Jan 2009 by T. Brunskill
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