Tana Ramsay's Real Family Food: Delicious Recipes for Everyday Occasions [Hardcover]

...bringing folks back together to eat.

'Tana's trademark simple and delicious recipes make it easy to cook fabulous food every day whether you want to rustle up dinner in a flash, impress the in-laws over a big family lunch or linger over brunch in your pyjamas'.

'Real family food is not just about sharing uncomplicated, heart-warming food, it's about slowing down for a few precious minutes, cracking up over silly stories, bickering about things that don't matter and remembering why, though thick and thin, nothing beats being together....'

Opening with a charming dedication to her husband, 'For Gordon. Thank you for being you', this book carries on from her first:-

Tana Ramsay's Family Kitchen.

263 high quality matt pages, split over 10 chapters:-

Breakfasts and Brunches
Light Lunches
Picnics and Treats
Food in a Flash
Try Something Different
Laid-back Suppers
Vegetable Temptations
Big Family Lunches
Baking Adventures
Devilish Desserts

sandwiched between an introduction and a full index.

'When you think about it, ultimately we only need to eat to refuel ......Even so, I believe that food can play another, almost more important, part of our lives. It can bring us together, slow us down and let us catch up with each other as we rush through the week. Some of the happiest moments of my life have been around the table sharing good food, and the times I treasure most with my family are when we are all together doing just that. This must be why I associate certain foods and dishes with different people and places...........'

Each chapter opens with applicable text from Tana, followed by a 'title page' for the dishes featured.
The majority of the recipes open with a personal note, followed by a clear list of ingredients, the numbered method, how long it takes to prepare and make and the number of servings.
Most finish with a helpful 'tip', or two.

Full colour photography throughout, although much of it is family and 'on-location', rather than of the finished dishes, so this might prove a little negative for those of us who like to see what we are aiming for on the plate!

A small taste of the recipes contained within:-

Bacon and Egg Muffins
Croque Madame
Homemade Bagels
Hearty Winter Soup
Red Onion Tarte Tatin
Lamb Samosas
Honey and Mustard Sticky Chicken
Mini Party Cakes
Fresh Raspberry Ice Lollies
Grandma's Bones
Calamari Fritti
Sweet and Sour Pork
Minced Lamb Curry
Toad-In-the Hole with Roasted Shallots
Baked Sea Bass
Stuffed Marrow
Pumpkin Soup
Spelt Bread
Chelsea Buns
Bakewell Slice
Jam Tarts
Cheats' Summer Pudding
Children's Chocolate Mousse
Profiterole Mountain

I bought this book having enjoyed recipes from her other cook books but found the choice here to be rather eclectic and not ones I would utilise in everyday cooking. Some of them, such as the Blueberry muffins are fab but the apricot and walnut bread has to be a mistake as it tastes disgustng and the ingredients just don't feel right when you are making it so not sure what has gone wrong there! I would say that the sweet side of this book is ok but the savoury are a bit lacking but as with any book it is all down to personal preference.

what's so great about it is that the recipes are dead easy to follow and taste great. I've just made the orange chicken bake and it went down a treat. If you want a cookbook that you'll actually use buy this one!